Something a little different for you this week, Dear Listeners! In this episode I’d like to introduce you to TWO umpire friends of mine, Gerritt Nelson and Gary Smith. Gerritt and Gary are fellow Little League umpires with me here in Washington State District One. Gerritt is 16 years old; Gary is 76 years old. I thought it would be fun to bring them both on the show with the same set of questions and hear the differences or similarities between how Gerritt, a teenage umpire, approaches his craft as compared to Gary, a veteran umpire who has been doing it since well before Gerritt was born.
In some of the comments you hear, these gentlemen will be in perfect lockstep with one another in regards to philosophy and motivation; in others, their perspective will differ as a function of youth vs. experience. After meeting Gerritt and Gary I hope you might come away with an appreciation for the generational aspect of umpiring—the opportunity to connect with one another and to learn from one another, no matter what chapter of our umpiring story we’re currently writing. Enjoy!
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