Thank you for expressing an interest in becoming a USSSA Softball Umpire! As USSSA umpires, we are proud of our local associations and the role we play in the Dayton, Miami Valley and southwestern Ohio softball community. Our members are primarily associated with the Beavercreek Officials Association (BOA) and the Fairborn Softball Officials Association (FSOA), although we support and work with any number of associations across the state of Ohio as well as into Kentucky and Indiana. Although there are many other sports associated with USSSA, the primary focus of the BOA and FSOA groups is adult (slow pitch) and youth (slow and fast pitch) softball in league, tournament and Championship play formats. Please join us in one of the most rewarding ways to give back to the great game of softball.

What's next? How do you get started? ... Well it's really pretty easy and there's no up front commitment from you other than to visit with us and learn a little more about USSSA, the BOA and the FSOA. We traditionally have our yearly kick off and Annual Meeting at Rocky's Pizza Ring (located just off US35 at N. Fairfield Road) on the Sunday following the Super Bowl at 1:00 p.m. Stop by, have some pizza and something to drink and find out about the year in softball, hear about our plans for the upcoming year and just take a few minutes to talk with a few of our members.

To further explore USSSA Softball Umpiring and USSSA in general feel free to attend our umpire classes. The 2008 classes start Wednesday, Feb 13th at Beavercreek H.S. (at 2660 Dayton-Xenia Rd) or on Tue, Feb 19th at Fairborn Firehouse #2 (at 2200 Commerce Center Blvd, off I-675). Both sets of classes run from 7-9 p.m. and run for 8 weeks ending with basic on field mechanics instruction work. Classes are in an informal, question and answer format and best of all... ALL CLASSES ARE ABSOLUTELY FREE and include a FREE 2008 rule book!

After completing the classes and passing the USSSA softball certification test you are almost ready to get started on the field. How much will you earn? Depending on the type of game, area and level of ball you officiate, our membership currently makes between $18 and $23 per game for slow pitch and slightly more for fast pitch. To get started, you will need to pay National USSSA dues (currently $50 per year), buy a USSSA uniform (shirt, shorts, socks, all black shoes and a cap) and a ball/strike indicator and brush. How much will that cost? Shirt and shorts, about $25 each. Socks, about $5 or $6. Cap, about $15 and the indicator and brush less than $10. All in all, about $130 which is only about 6 or 7 games of work.

The next step involves defining your availability. A great thing about USSSA umpiring is that you, and only you, determine your availability for week day leagues and you also have the opportunity to work week end tournament play as your experience and comfort levels dictate. Depending on your comfort level, you may even be able to travel to neighboring areas (Middletown, Brookville, Columbus, Cincinnati, Springfield, Sidney and more) when those areas have a need, or ask, for our support for events their associations are holding. Of course, all of these choices are completely up to you -- you define what areas you are and are not available to work at.

What else? Try checking out our various websites… The Official USSSA website www.usssa.com/sports/home.asp?Sport=17 then click "Officials" in the left hand margin. Here you can find links to the rule book and a sample USSSA Umpire Test and even where to purchase official umpire gear. Also try www.mvusssa.com This new site, still under construction, is geared to our umpires in BOA and FSOA. It includes dedicated email accounts for our members, a calendar system and forums to discuss all things umpire related And don’t forget www.usssaohs.com Another new site that focuses more on the team and player side of USSSA softball in Southern Ohio and Fairborn’s Fairfield Park, visit this site for future tournament dates and more softball related discussion.

I hope to see you at our Annual Meeting or the BOA/FSOA umpire classes. You don't have to spend a dime to check us out and hopefully you'll like what you see and hear. Following this welcome letter, you’ll find copies of the Beavercreek and Fairborn Umpire Class schedules, our general Umpire Information Sheet, the National USSSA Umpire Application and the BOA/FSOA local application. Review and complete these at your leisure and get them to one of the contacts listed below when you are ready to get started. Thank you again for your interest in USSSA umpiring in general and particularly with the BOA and FSOA groups. See you on the field!