Question for the officials, not a rules question

[chinamigarden]

sorry if this is not posted in the right spot, but I know this is where the officials post.

Michigan in an effort to recruit officials for HS has a program where the AD of each HS can nominate 2 graduating senior athletes to be officials. The benefit is the exam fees are waived and they can take the tests for free for as many sports as they want. My dd was nominated and is thinking about softball, volleyball and basketball as she has played all three.

I have a few questions.

1. How much extra guff is she going to get from parents and coaches because she is young?

2. How much money can she expect to make for a game?

3 Will the HS certification help her outside of HS, or will she need separate exams/training for different orgs?

4. How much will it cost to buy gear and uniforms?

 

[Comp]

1. How much extra guff is she going to get from parents and coaches because she is young?

Unfortunately she has 2 strikes against her. Both young and female, she is probably going to get her fair share. I have posted before about it, but you may or may not have seen it. My daughter played ball through college and I helped her get into officiating because she knew the game and it allowed her to work when she had free time available. She got followed into the parking lot one night by a crazy mom and refused to ever work another game. She will need to be prepared with knowing the rules and be confident in her calls. But it is just a fact of life, adult coaches and parents will say and do things to young officials, especially young female officials they would never say to an adult.

2. How much money can she expect to make for a game?

It will vary by your area, but high school ball in my area pays about $50 per game plus some mileage, and club ball is paying in the $35-$40 range per game.

3 Will the HS certification help her outside of HS, or will she need separate exams/training for different orgs?

Every association is going to have their own tests and certifications. Every rule set has its own rule book and therefor its own test. If she wants to work USSSA she will have to take their test, same for ASA. TCS uses ASA rules, so those 2 interchange. At least locally, high school offers very little in the way of training. New officials are given 4-5 nights of minimal on field mechanics and then they are basically thrown into the fray. The association does try to assign them with more advanced officials, but that does not always happen, plus some of the more advanced officials especially in high school really do not keep up on proper mechanics and rules. I was initially trained through ASA and at that time they had a mentor program. I only worked games with that particular individual so I was receiving a consistent stream of instruction without conflict. After a couple of months of working with him, I was given my release to work with other officials. I would highly suggest you get with whatever association is prominent in your area and find out if they have some kind of new official mentor program. It will also help out with having a senior official there to keep the coaches in their place.

4. How much will it cost to buy gear and uniforms?

As with the mentor program, the ASA association I started with also had a program to try and help out new officials get used gear. But, as a basic start, she will need a pair of base pants, plate pants, at least 1 shirt for whatever association she is going to work (I wear an XL on the plate and a L on the bases), plate shoes, base shoes, ball bag or bags, indicator, brush, mask, shin guards and chest protector. She could get away with just a single pair of shoes, but it really is not fun taking a foul ball to the toes. They also make combo pants that have a slightly larger leg, but personally they look like crap on the bases, and they are too tight with shin guards. Pants are about $50 a pair, shirts are $35-$40 each, plate shoes are $100 and up, base shoes are $50 and up (I highly recommend turf shoes, some of the fields are like walking on marbles in normal tennis shoes), shin guards are $45 and up, indicators are $5 up to about $20 each, brush is $5 or so, ball bags are about $15 each, chest protectors are $50 to the sky is the limit and about the same with masks.

 

[chinamigarden]

Can she wear catcher shin guards and a hockey style mask that she already owns, or will she need something different? I know the chest protector for umps cover the shoulders better then catchers ones,

 

[Comp]

Catcher shin guards would be fine and she can also use the hockey style mask, but is frowned upon by some senior officials. Also, the umpire is suppose to wear a hat as part of the uniform. Kind of hard to wear a hat under a hockey helmet and if you don't have a hat underneath you are suppose to put one on when the helmet comes off. Obviously not during playing action but between innings and when dealing with coaches. And yes I would highly recommend an umpire chest protector for shoulder protection. I did a baseball game a while back using borrowed gear ( catchers chest protector) and got hit in both shoulders.

 

[BretMan]

One thing to keep in mind about catcher's shin guards is that they are usually more bulky than guards made especially for umpiring, especially in the knee. This can be an issue when you're wearing the shin guards under your pants. But they can work, if you have umpire plate pants that are wider in the leg. Otherwise, you might have a tough time getting the pants over them.

And, yes, with all the protective equipment and uniforms, baseball and softball do have the highest start-up costs of any sport. You can figure on it taking your first 10 games or so just to break even.

 

[3afan]

don't go cheap on equipment .... spend the $ - you'll make it back - and take care of it and it will last a long time

 

[coach james]

As far as gear goes. I bought myself a roller hockey under shirt. It's a spandex type material with about 1/2" padding built into the shirt all over the front, ribs, and shoulders. It's way less bulky and more comfortable. The impact on me when hit is honestly not a lot different than the giant bulky gear...... highly recommended for anyone working the plate.

 

[MTR]

It is absolutely absurd to charge an umpire to take a test

 

[smddad]

If you're looking for gear, here is where to start.

https://www.honigs.com/