Umpiring and ADHD

[SCRookie]

I’m an adult with diagnosed ADHD. I have been umpiring as many games as I possibly can lately because I have found umpiring to be incredibly therapeutic. It’s been training me to stay focused for 2 hours at a time and be as attentive and detail-oriented as I possibly can. I’ve been an umpire for over a year, and I’ve become hooked on it because it makes me feel a bit “normal”, since I feel like it’s a job that people without ADHD typically do.
 

At times, I feel a bit like a charlatan because umpiring seems like the kind of job that people with ADHD should absolutely not take on. It’s being going fairly well for me, but at times, I definitely notice that I missed something because I let my mind wander or I focused on the wrong thing. It’s usually minor, and I have been feeling pretty good about the games I’ve done these past several weeks.

Admitting this is a little embarrassing, but I really wanted to know if there are other ADHD umpires out there, and if you have any techniques or tips on staying focused.

Thanks for reading.

[umpstu]

Was formally diagnosed as having ADHD when I turned 50.  Have been on Bupropion since and it changed my life. Bupropion slowed everything down and helped with anxiety issues.  Was almost like I would have stage fright.  And it also stopped me from blurting out something stupid and then wondering why I said what I did. Spent my first 15 years as an umpire without being treated.  Wish I had been treated way earlier in life but if you were the kid who couldn't sit still in school you were just a trouble maker.  And no parent wanted the stigma of having a kid on Ritalin.                                                                    Even with that I find it hard to stay focused and it is the reason I like working the dish in the first game of a dh or in a single game.  Every pitch you have to focus.  If I'm scheduled for the bases I will try to get my partner to switch.  Just me.

[SCRookie]

I’m on Bupropion as well. It’s been fantastic for me. And yes, as a kid I was the trouble maker who couldn’t learn at a desk.

I really love working the dish but I’ve been exclusively on bases for the last few weeks since they want the Jr. umps to work the plate with adult umpires on bases to support and give advice to the younger kids. I find that I need a ton of focus on bases, which has been a challenge, but also really satisfying when I have a good game.

Being an umpire has been such an eye opener. It honestly has changed my life.

Thanks for your story…I relate 100%. 

[stevis]

Thank you for sharing your situation.  The more we recognize our brains need as much care as our muscles and our endocrine systems, the better off we all will be. 

[noumpere]

11 hours ago, SCRookie said:

I missed something because I let my mind wander or I focused on the wrong thing. It’s usually minor, and I have been feeling pretty good about the games I’ve done these past several weeks.

That could describe almost all umpires, whether in their second year or their twenty-second year

[BrainFreeze]

I've found that after the 1st game, I tend to lose focus sometimes.  For me, it's physical conditioning ( or lack of... haha ) that causes the loss of focus.  

[kylehutson]

I don't have an official diagnosis, but my oldest son does. And the info we were given on it was "Yep, that's me. Yep, that's me. Yep, that's me" clear down the line.

Admittedly, I'm not the worst case example, so I haven't ever been on any meds.

I just see my umpiring as "hey this is something I can do so I'm not sitting at home bored out of my mind watching TV", so it's kind of a therapy of sorts.

Sure, the mind wanders sometimes, but you do have to know when you can let it wander and when you have to really lock-in.

[aaluck]

Thanks for sharing your story.  I'm happy that umpiring helps you.  Its a win/win, you get to get out there and have fun and they get a good umpire/guy.

[aaluck]

On 9/24/2022 at 11:19 PM, stevis said:

Thank you for sharing your situation.  The more we recognize our brains need as much care as our muscles and our endocrine systems, the better off we all will be. 

Truer words have never been spoken.  The problem is our healthcare system. A friend's daughter struggled with substance abuse and ended up in ICU for almost a month.  Insurance paid over $300,000.00 to "fix" her organs.  Same insurance only covers $1,000.00 for her mental health. 

The brain is an organ and should be treated the same as any other.

[ArchAngel72]

Thank you for sharing.

 

That must be rough at times.

 

I personally struggle with being diagnosed as diabetic, and not having treated it very well when I was younger. It was not so much denial as it was dilligaf , which also led to myself being diagnosed as an a-hole.  Which of course leads to its own challenges. 

The diabetes though I have nerve pain in my legs some days.  Makes you feel like you got stuck with a tazzer in that area. Very unpleasant 

Also have no feeling in the skin of both my feet which reaches up into all the way to my knees.  I do still have feeling and sensation in the calve muscles but this leads to other things such as not being able to hydrate well enough if my sugar is out of wack cause I will just pee it all out as fast as possible trying to get the sugar out of my system. 

But yeah I have had a few catchers that the coach tells me they have ADHD and man one of them was bouncing all over the place one night trying to keep himself into the game.  It was hard to find a decent spot in the slot.