Force or not?

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by MD Longhorn

(And I would offer that new umpires will learn MORE at these games than at 14U, 18U, etc - rules that never come into play in older games often do at 10U or 8U)

+1. The 10U and 12U rec games I do for our association challenge me more when it comes to rules knowledge.

As a parent, I would prefer trained umpires over coaches/parents calling games for the young children. Those girls need to learn the rules as much as they need to work on their skills, and they won't get that knowledge from "non-umpires" on the field.

And eventually, I'll see some of those coaches as they follow their DDs into 14U and higher. I would much rather they learn the rules at the lower levels than have to deal with them in weekend ASA tourneys.