UIC's
 

I suspect that some contributors on this board are UIC's of your cities. I ask you, what are some of the most challenging things you deal with? My query is due to an opportunity that is being presented to me and I would like to hear from some of you with this experience.

Thanks in advance.

UIC is used loosely among different organizations. What authority is offering you such a position?

The answer depends on the domain as responsibilities vary.

When I was UIC back in our local chapter in CNY I had many responsibilities. I did assigning of high school and summer rec leagues. Held training sessions/rules clinics, and was involved in resolving protests for the rec leagues. One interesting protest had me in a three way conference call with Tommy Mason. The protesting team's captain was a phone company bigwig and set up the call, a first for me for sure. The biggest hassle was assigning the rec leagues. Nothing like getting phone calls at 5 PM from guys asking you to get a sub for their 6:30 game. I resigned after two years. Good luck.

Around here the assigners are Deputy UIC's. Each responsible for recruiting, training, holding small clinics for just their group (usually 30 umps or so). Typical season is dealing with 7 recreation leagues each with 3 age brackets.
Each league having their own rules which we discuss during the March training classes. The challenges I have seen my boss go thru are never having enough Umps to cover all the games. Dealing with the Commissioner of each league and the Coaches who will contact you directly. Game cancellations or relocations causing you to scramble and contact you Umps at the last second. Umps that don't pay attention to the rules. You will find yourself using Umps that aren't yours when you get despirate. It's a thankless job that many would not touch but we need good UIC's/DUIC's. Good luck.

self-inflicted pain. :eek:

Any follow up here?

The question in post #2 has not yet been answered.....

Hence my question...

Obviously the OP is not interested in the position anymore...:p

Or has gotten the answers needed, here or elsewhere.

I wonder if we will still be wondering when I get back from 2 weeks vacation. :rolleyes: :D :D :cool:

Uic
 

I have been doing it for a little over three years and can tell you that its a thankless job! Recruiting, scheduling and training umpires is a tall order; although dealing with the league seems to be the biggest challenge for me. The league administrators are always wanting to "improve" the rules, thus attempting to satisfy a coach complaint or to just improve the game.

My association re-wrote our league rules this fall, without consulting with the UIC and stated that I should just enforce what they give me. The league now allows the 8U division to bunt. That was thrown in on the end of a paragraph regulating offense, although they made no other rule changes or clarifications for the way this will affect the other rules within the rule-set.

Do any of your associations allow 8U to bunt? What do you all see as the pros and cons of bunting in 8U?

None of the local leagues allow bunting until the batters are facing live pitching. At 8U you are teaching players to swing the bat and HIT the ball. IMO, bunting at this age has only cons, nothing positive.

After a email to the league and talk with the board, they re-voted and repealed the 8U bunt rule.