Mentor programs

[maineump]

This year our HS board has established a formal mentor program for our new members (during and after their rules clinics). We feel that this would help us with retention, and we also need more members to move up through the ranks. We have (as a board) established a new program that kind of works along the lines of basketball boards, and even trade boards, but being in charge of the program, I am looking for your input. We have a trial program established, but like anything I would like to improve it. A couple of questions:

 

1. What requirements do you have for the mentors?

2. How long do you mentor (officially)?

3. Do you have a formal program?

4. Are there requirements for the mentor to work games with the mentee? If so any number of games?

5. Is the mentee required to observe the mentor in varsity games?

 

Our basic program is to:

- Have the mentor and mentee work a middle school game or 2 together (if possible)

- Gives a 'no pressure' person for the new member to call and ask questions

- Mentee to observe mentor in varsity level games. They are also allowed to ride the road trip with the varsity crew to see interaction of the crew, be a part of the pre-game and post-game discussions.

- Mentor to work with mentee in specific mechanics/procedures

 

An evaluation will be done by all involved at the end of the season to see if the program meets the needs of the mentee and the board.

 

If you have any ideas or if you have a program, I am interested in hearing about them. The ultimate goal is to have good umpires come out of the program.

 

Thanks -

[Majordave]

That sounds great. I was lucky my first season. I don't think our association had a formal mentoring but I did have a de facto mentor. We did work together several times. JV and V. He always did V plate. I called him. He called me. We emailed back and forth. He is now the new evaluator/trainer for new umpires for that association. The only thing I've heard grumbles about is when a big dog is working with a new guy and evaluator Wes is present he also gives big dogs an eval sheet. Some of them don't like it. Imagine that.

I recommend all season mentoring. Working games together. The observe varsity crews Is good. I also recommend formal eval sheets for each game to be filled out by mentor or third person experienced evaluator/observer. Track progress. Look for areas to improve. I was weak as hell on balks my first year. Next season I volunteered to teach it to HS association. Made a PowerPoint and used some of Jim Evans' balls video.

My .02.........

[ElkOil]

Sounds like an awesome program.  Our association is in the middle of planning something similar. I can't wait, because I'd love to work closely with someone who can be an active, consistent part of my development.

[Umpire in Chief]

My HS association has a mentor program. I don't have the full details with me, but here's what I know.

 

 

 

 

1. What requirements do you have for the mentors?

2. How long do you mentor (officially)?

3. Do you have a formal program?

4. Are there requirements for the mentor to work games with the mentee? If so any number of games?

5. Is the mentee required to observe the mentor in varsity games?

 

Our basic program is to:

- Have the mentor and mentee work a middle school game or 2 together (if possible)

- Gives a 'no pressure' person for the new member to call and ask questions

- Mentee to observe mentor in varsity level games. They are also allowed to ride the road trip with the varsity crew to see interaction of the crew, be a part of the pre-game and post-game discussions.

- Mentor to work with mentee in specific mechanics/procedures

 

1. The baseball committee identifies strong performers and asks them to be a mentor. If they accept they will get 1 or 2 rookies. The mentor must be a HS Varsity post-season approved umpire. 
2. We don't have a specific time of how long the mentor works with a person.
3. Yes, this is a formal program.
4. There are no requirements. But they will attempt to be paired together a few times.
5. Once again not a requirement but "highly encouraged" to observe their mentor in games and some even ask the mentee to give the mentor an evaluation.

But our program is set up to be like your's and give them a go-to person and a dedicated person to track their progress. 

[LMSANS]

We tried this a few years back...our "volunteer" mentors wouldn't give up any varsity games to work with mentee.  Mentors would not observe without compensation. Mentees learned well and would not observe mentor without compensation.

 

A couple of guys hooked up well and it shows as they are the newest guys getting playoffs.

[ElkOil]

We tried this a few years back...our "volunteer" mentors wouldn't give up any varsity games to work with mentee.  Mentors would not observe without compensation. Mentees learned well and would not observe mentor without compensation.

 

A couple of guys hooked up well and it shows as they are the newest guys getting playoffs.

 

I get it.  But if it were me, I'd give up a few paid games to learn from a good mentor.

[LMSANS]

 

We tried this a few years back...our "volunteer" mentors wouldn't give up any varsity games to work with mentee.  Mentors would not observe without compensation. Mentees learned well and would not observe mentor without compensation.

 

A couple of guys hooked up well and it shows as they are the newest guys getting playoffs.

 

I get it.  But if it were me, I'd give up a few paid games to learn from a good mentor.

 

Agreed.  This was my 2nd, 3rd year.  The association dropped it.  I would love to be a mentor and would gladly work a sub-varsity game a week to help a new umpire.  When I do work with them, I have a detailed post game and tell them about U-E.

[bam]

What on God's green earth is a "mentee"?

These programs are great in theory, but when the rubber hits the road, none of the veteran guys want to put in the hard work required. Period.

[Majordave]

Mentee is a real word. It is the person being mentored.

You're right. The big dogs don't really want to be challenged or to have to work or be questioned about why they do something that's not in the mechanics manual or rulebooks or according to assigner or association policy or guidance. Hopefully, if the association leadership and the assigner are serious about developing new umpires they will award postseason and "prime" games to the members who do a good job mentoring and to the promising new talent being mentored.

That's what happened to me. High School Association- District playoffs my 2nd year. Along with my mentors. And region my third year with district crew chief. Region crew chief my 4th year. We worked 3 man in district and 4 man in region. All good. College association membership and college fall games in fall of my 2nd year. Full NAIA and D2/3 schedule in spring of my 3rd year.

Yes I worked hard. Attended training but the real reason for my success and rapid rise was the great mentorship I received. Without their unselfishness and enthusiastic support I would probably still be working JV only.

My .02......

[Umpire in Chief]

When I started our association didn't have an official mentoring program. I worked with a variety of guys at all levels and was randomly assigned to one evaluator who had a well deserved reputation for being a hard ass. My first eval with him was pages and pages of stuff some was just nitpicking. Well I worked with him and tried his suggestions and improved. So he was my initial mentor, but because of his lets say "high level of seniority" he was no longer working anything above low level varsity games. 

 

I then paired myself up with another umpire and made him my unofficial mentor and I still go to him to this day.

 

If a group does not have a formalized mentor program it is well worth finding your own no matter what level you are. 

[Tksjewelry]

I'll answer this as a mentee, since I would be one and kind of am.

1) I think mentors should be at least HS umps for 5 yrs or more but also do kids games (because that's where most of us start). If they no longer do kids games, it's easy to not empathize with those of us that do and forget the issues we have to deal with are different than those of more regulated games such as HS.

2) This should be individually decided on a case by case basis. Even though I'm older than most umpires starting out, I need more help. I'm not from a baseball background therefore I didn't have the fundamentals that many start with. We have several umps starting that haven't played in a really long time or never really played. Those umps are going to need more advisory oversight than an ex college player.

Overall, a step down process over a few seasons would be most prudent.

3) we don't have an official mentor program, but that would be awesome.

4) games worked, this is going to be the hardest part since most of these guys are going to have real job/school schedules to work around. Some guys only work a game or two a week, if that, so requiring they work a game a week with a mentee could be tough. As a mentee, I would prefer a lot at the beginning and stepping it down depending on how the mentee is doing. I still prefer working with upper level umps, even at the start of my second year. I've tried to get one a week, at least. I always learn something.

5) last year, I went to a lot of HS games on my nights off, also checked out a few college games. I waited for the umps, which all those games are our association guys, and asked bunches of questions. I learned a ton at those. Requiring this, yes, definitely a good idea.

The one suggestion I'll make, also evaluation the mentors with the mentees a few times a year. Not the umpiring aspect, but the mentor aspect. There are guys who think they are great mentors, when they're just not or maybe the personalities aren't blending as they should.

Another one, I'd round up all the mentees and mentors a few times a season for mini clinics or just group discussions on what they've seen so far that year, especially if you don't do association meeting during the season. My best time to learn, commiserate, and ask questions is at a breakfast our senior umps have once a week. Wish I had gone last year, it would have helped.

[Tksjewelry]

Here's something else if your association does a lot of one man. Requiring the mentees to go watch experienced umps doing one man games. I wish I had done this. It's so much different doing one man than working a crew. If I had done this I would have had a much better grasp of one man mechanics and what is and isn't possible. How to handle plate meetings, coaches, and overall game management would have been better too.

[alan2703]

I was very lucky must first year umpiring my instructor said to contact whenever I have question and I still do today. Also my first year umpiring I was partnered with a man he was close to 80 did not look it or move like it. He taught me so many little things that summer that would have taken a couple of years to learn. We would do a double header and he was say great game kid and the next week he would sit me down before the next double header and say ok kid here is was you did wrong last week and what you have to work on . I owe a lot to Skeets for all the knowledge he gave me that summer and we had chance to work the following summer after high school season and he said Kid your coming along fine just keep learning now give some of Kodiak .