jr high sports and refs/umpires

[leftyfastpitch]

seems like a lot of injuries occur in these games with the way the games are called and coached.kids are getting serious injuries in these games {basketball} concussions,knee,wrist arm by the way their coached,and the officials call the game.

 

[wvanalmsick]

For the most part, there is a reason they are coaching/officiating Jr. High and not High school or College and we all know what the reason is. T

There is no way in this world that I would coach or officiate at that level due to the amount of money that I would be reimbursed for putting up with totally ignorant parents who think their kid is the next coming of LeBron James or Jenny Finch. So, you end up with someone who doesn't know their craft, or is just in the infancy and hasn't mastered the craft yet.

 

[Heavy Hitter]

For the most part, there is a reason they are coaching/officiating Jr. High and not High school or College and we all know what the reason is. T

There is no way in this world that I would coach or officiate at that level due to the amount of money that I would be reimbursed for putting up with totally ignorant parents who think their kid is the next coming of LeBron James or Jenny Finch. So, you end up with someone who doesn't know their craft, or is just in the infancy and hasn't mastered the craft yet.

If you are talking about softball only I might agree. But if you are making that statement about all sports I would disagree. take a look at any school that has a successful sports team/program and I will bet you will find quality coaches at the jr high and youth level.

 

[dalemurphy3]

The problem with Jr. High and to some degree High School softball is that since it is a paid position at most big schools teachers get first shot. They use coaching as extra income. Now dont get me wrong there are some very good teacher coaches who work very hard. But there are also a ton of teachers who coach Jr. High and High school like they were coached when they went to school or like they would coach a rec team. They do not understand that in most school districts today there girls are coming from two to four years of travel ball experience. They go to hitting, pitching, catching and even conditioning coaches that have shown them techniques that college kids are using. Our Jr. High coach had no idea what slapping was and that would have been all right if she would have been open to being shown, but they locked down practice to the point you could not even take a water bottle in to practice. You can not take girls who play at travel ball level and speed and put them in a Jr. High environment and not expect injuries. Muscle memory guys and gals. Your muscles work at one speed and you are trying to play at another, Perfect storm for injuries.

The problem with School ball umps and to some extent youth travel umps, is that most of them ump Mens slow pitch, and have more of a baseball lean. That is why we need more girl umps, they understand the game and what to expect during the game. Guy umps have never played girls fast pitch so they revert to what they now, baseball or mens softball, and neither of those games are youth girls fastpitch. Small down the middle strike zones is not fastpitch softball. Girls fastpitch requires the pitchers to hit the corners all the way around. You throw the ball in a baseball strike zone and you get smacked around. That is why most coaches just want the fastest thrower they can get rather than the spot pitcher who has movement. It is also why so many talented young pitchers are shown the door way to early. Every ump team should have one female ump, I would go as far as to ban guys from umping softball. I know that is going to fire some guys up, but I would love for someone to start up a league were all the umps were women who had played college ball. Its one way for our girls to give back to the game and make a few bucks in the process. Guys have enough opportunity in sports across the board. We all should be promoting more girls in the coaching and umping ranks. Think that alone would solve a ton of the issues.

 

[BretMan2]

The problem with School ball umps and to some extent youth travel umps, is that most of them ump Mens slow pitch, and have more of a baseball lean. That is why we need more girl umps, they understand the game and what to expect during the game. Guy umps have never played girls fast pitch...

Some of these observations might be unique to your area.

I belong to two different umpire groups, each with over 100 members, and there is very little overlap between the guys that do fastpitch, slow pitch and baseball. They tend to pick one or the other and stick with that.

Maybe that isn't a luxury you have in less-populated areas where you don't have many umpires.

It would be nice if there were more female umpires, but the sad fact is that they don't seem to have much interest in it. There certainly aren't enough to ensure one on every umpiring crew for every game. In the two large groups I deal with, I would estimate that between 5% - 10% are female (and that might even be a little on the high side). This has always surprised me, considering that fastpitch is played by thousands of females, many, many times more than by males.

The OHSAA even puts on special "accelerated" classes around the state aimed at getting more women umpires involved in the sport. But there doesn't seem to be any great increase in the number of females coming into the umpiring ranks.

(If any women are interested in becoming umpires, send me a message and I'll email all the info on when these classes take place. And guys are welcome too!)

By the way...I am one male umpire who played fastpitch about a dozen years. Admittedly, I'm only aware of a couple of other ones who ever played it.

 

[Louuuuu]

Guy umps have never played girls fast pitch so they revert to what they know, baseball or mens softball,...

With 16 years under my belt either coaching, managing, or watching my daughter play fastpitch, I'd say my "understanding" of the game is solid. And I'm sure many other men Umps are equally qualified... We may be lousy officials, but it's not because we're confused about which sport we're doing on a particular day.

 

[gcg3refs]

As a ref in basketball, HS & small college, basketball is a contact sport, injuries do happen because of the high caliber of athletes that play at a very high pace. Most injuries are not caused by inattentive refs or dirty play by other players. As a baseball & fast pitch umpire most coaches I see in BB or FP are highly competitive and know their sport very well, and they are not there for only the money. This may be a little more prevalent at the middle school level coaching only for the money, but certainly not at the higher levels. As for "knowing the game" I have managed my daughters team for 5 years and I have umpired fast pitch for 18 years, I think I might know the game pretty well, but I always learn something new every year from being around the great athletes.

 

[dalemurphy3]

Friends I knew this was going to fire some people up. I fully understand there are not enough female umps trained to have one on each crew. I think that more needs to be done to get that many trained. I think there should be an effort to approach college softball players and get them fired up about umping softball. Ive been in tourneys all over the state and a few out of state and I can say that we have had two female umps. One in Dayton Metro and one in Columbus. Positive there are more than that out there, but in my opinion parents, coaches, and the major softball associations should be going out of there way to get these women involved. Our girls are playing in an environment that gives them the impression that Umping is for the guys. Me and my wife were talking about umping after she graduates and my daughter looked at my wife and flately told her "mom women dont ump." My wife then reminded her about Columbus and she said "ya right mom have you looked around.

As for the umps knowing there sport thing. The rules yes, no argument there, but there is truly a baseball slant on strike zone. This is my personal opinion, and this is not meant to insult guys who are doing a thankless job. I just feel our girls should be working the outside part of the strike zone. And many a ump over the last three years will never call an inside pitch or much of a rise in the upper part of the zone. And I have herd the line a Rise Ball is a BAll mantra. But it isn't always and our girls should be throwing it.

I am positive many on this board have lived this, and yes I know what you are supposed to do to correct and question that as a coach, but I'm just trying to point out when you have guys playing men slow pitch who are crossing over to ump the young ladies they bring that I want to see hit mentality. Dayton Metro is a prime example of this. Great tourney dont think that, but I watched umps all the time forcing pitchers "young ones at that" to hit strike zones meant for the likes of Jackie the A train and Jenny Finch. And that promotes youth fast pitch to have to over power batters and girls who are slower and more of movement pitcher gets discouraged because of it and then you lose them. Saw three coaches on ESPN last year talking about the lack of pitchers who could hit spots and utlize spin. And I feel this is why. And I know many would disagree and that is all right just my thoughts out loud. Have a good one.

 

[KO123]

For the most part, there is a reason they are coaching/officiating Jr. High and not High school or College and we all know what the reason is. T

ignorant statement.

 

[Mike_Craig_-_Ohio USSSA]

I'll bite although I shouldn't. dalemurphy3 I get your point of view. Our state UIC's in both halves of the state either have female officials or are actively trying to get the ladies involved. Don starts a lot of the younger ladies on 8u coach pitch so they get a good grasp of the basics of officiating girls softball and then he moves them up to live pitching. When they show they have a good grasp on the mechanics and consistency, he moves them up to see what level they can keep up with. Carmen up north has some ex coaches and players who are involved, some of which are world series caliber type officials. When I see our "competition" having an event close by and I stop in, I see ladies working games that are well qualified and would love to hand them a business card but for obvious reasons do not(not the right place and time to do that).

Here is my counter "argument", I would like to see more women and young ladies involved coaching or running organizations. Off the top of my head I can only think of a few groups that have even 1 female coach of a team. I do not know every team or organization, but do not know if there are any ladies running an entire organization other than one of my TD's Kymn Davis. I think Julie with Slammers might be the other one but am not positive. This is the girls and eventually the young ladies game. Where are the ladies and eventually women running this game at? I know the next question will be do we "walk the talk". We do have a couple of women (Mendy & Kymn) who are TD's and our northern state UIC is also a woman (Carmen) along with our Northern Asst State (Lisa). You can't tell me there aren't other women who have the organizational skills to take to this side of it also?

I'll get off my soapbox for now.

 

[Louuuuu]

Mike,

Your wife was looking over your shoulder as you typed, wasn't she?

 

[Mike_Craig_-_Ohio USSSA]

Lou I tease her all the time about sending her to a tournament as a site director. I get a resounding no way every time. She doesn't have the patience to deal with coaches and parents. She is a great task-oriented person however.......... My daughter exhibits personality traits at her young age of being quick of wit unfortunately for her own good. I hope it rubs off on whatever tasks she takes on in life as being able to think on her feet clearly and quickly.

Mike,

Your wife was looking over your shoulder as you typed, wasn't she?

 

[Louuuuu]

I hear you. My daughter talks about coaching some day, but she's going to have to crank up the "Chill" in her disposition a lot, first...

 

[wow]

Not a lot of schools have fastpitch at the Jr high or middle school levels 7-8th grade levels. Wish they did. BBall is for sure the sport which comes to mind on the original post. My take is BBall is simply a faster game. Most of the younger kids don't get the coaching, especially at the younger ages. Schools to lean towards teachers, not the best coaches for the position. Just like in Fastpitch the best BBall players usually play AAU Bball. There are some real train wrecks in the 7th and 8th grade levels.