Replacement Mask Padding a 2011 Trend

So what is it? An emphasis on safety? A need to replace high end titanium mask padding without having to get a new mask? A desire to play Dr. Frankenstein by using a preferred padding from one manufacturer on a favorite frame from another to bring an entirely new mask to life? Perhaps, I'd say we are seeing a little of all three.

Whether it's from umpires at the NCAA clinics, meetings, emails and on Facebook or from blog writers wanting to compare and contrast available padding options, I would say the interest no matter the reason would be somewhat of a trend.

During one of the main NCAA umpire clinic sessions in Phoenix, I poked my head in to listen for a bit. There was only one thing that the NCAA mentioned as far as umpire safety during the meeting and that was a consideration to replace your mask padding after a few years. I spoke with Tom Hiler, Director of Umpires, informally about this point of emphasis after the session as well as with Jacqueline Rooney, Wilson product manager, and they both concurred that padding should be replaced more often as the protective qualities of foam does degrade over time.

Besides, I have seen some umpires show me their mask padding they have never replaced, and I can tell you there is a tendency to hold onto your old pads for too long...no doubt.

So let's say you have a $45 mask and your padding gets old. You might upgrade to a whole new mask. But what if you bought a titanium mask for $200 a few years back when they were new, well you are likely just going to have the replacement padding changed out for under $40. So the trend not only appears for safety sake but also have some economic reasons as well.

Fortunately, we have more replacement padding options than we have ever have. You can go with the lower end Diamond replacement or the preferred higher end Wilson replacements. For best fit, I would recommend the highly requested and recently received special order Wilson traditional padding (non wrap around padding). We have it in tan and in black, and I'm glad to finally be able to say "yes" when customers ask "Can you get the Wilson padding without the wrap around?" "Yes! Yes! Yes!", we have it.

You know I'm always talking safety so I would normally be pushing the Wilson wrap around replacement padding but recent batches from China are just not fitting the titanium frames just the way I would like it. The doeskin (A3815) comes the closest. Wilson is working to remedy that problem.

We are not the only umpire gear retailer to up the ante on replacement padding. Our main competitor Honig's has been advertising a product from a group called Team Wendy's. You are welcome to see if that padding is right for you although I know little about the product beyond what I have read.

What are your thoughts? How long do you go before you replace your padding? Does your mask padding currently need replacing?

Trainer Incorporates Fitness into Officials' Routines

When you think of an umpire, you don't normally think of fit world-class athletes. But umpires (and other sports officials) are getting more attention as far as fitness goes of late. Recently, one NCAA assigning association made it a requirement that every umpire run a mile and a half in a certain amount of time based on age in order to have games assigned to them this season.  Clearly the assigner was sending a message that he wanted his umpires to be in decent shape this season.

While not an entirely new concept as evidenced by MLB hiring of trainer Mark Letendre to become Director of Umpire Medical Services to look after the health and well being of umpires in 1999. Each year, MLB umpires have to pass a physical in order to be given the go to be able to calls balls and strikes and each time an injury, such as a concussion occurs, they are followed rigorously to insure they are officially fit to perform their duties.

While your league or association most certainly does not offer you an on-staff trainer, one certified personal trainer, Shane Livensparger, is setting out to change that one umpire at a time. Shane, who is also a Minor League umpire and EMT, established OfficiallyFit.net to help officials in all sports realize the importance of a regular fitness program in their routines. Shane says:

"As Sports Officials, you do not always have the luxury of spending hours at the gym. Amateur officials whom officiate as a second job have full time jobs and family commitments."

Officially Fit has programs that are available as software through their website to help sports officials "stay in the best physical shape possible without interfering and stealing too much time from the other commitments" through 3 key principles:

• Improved Physical Appearance and Performance
• Increased Metabolic Efficiency
• Decreased Risk of Sustaining an Injury

I would encourage you to visit their website for more information and sign up for their email newsletter. Their most recent one contained a very good pregame stretching video. Or I'm sure you could contact Shane directly. I have spoken to him on the phone about his services a few times, met him while at this year's Umps Care Charities and I like what he is doing. I can certainly vouch for his passion and understanding due to unique mix of his clinical background combined with his officiating experience.

I'm all for officials looking and feeling their best and staying safe whether it's in your apparel or gear or with your health. So in that sense, Shane and I are on the same crew.

Staff Feature: Amanda Tricase, Creative Director

Amanda joined Ump-Attire.com in November of 2010 as our Creative Director, and since then has taken over marketing planning, graphic design, promotions, publicity and advertising, including the development of our first print catalog. Amanda came to us after a nearly 20-year-long career in commercial printing and design, and we hope to take advantage of her creativity and experience in visual communication.

Born and raised in Louisville, Amanda earned a degree in Graphic Design from the University of Louisville. She says of her experience so far at Ump-Attire.com, “Although the learning curve has been steep, I’m excited to be part of a company where people really enjoy their work and love interacting with customers every day. As an avid sports fan, I’ve been impressed with the passion and hard work that our customers devote to umpiring and officiating and have definitely gained a new appreciation for sports officials while I’ve been here.”

When Amanda is not at Ump-Attire.com dreaming up new ways to engage our customers, she loves to read, enjoys cooking and gardening, and enjoys camping and playing outside with her husband and two kids.