
	President's Message by Mary Hughes The Washington County Umpire's Association, while only formally organized in 1995, is actually an extension from a hub of officials who had serviced baseball and softball in this area for over twenty years. For example, my own experience includes having umpired in the first Little League Girls' Fast Pitch Softball program, which opened during the 1974 season.
	Back then, the umpiring staff was drawn from local people who initially volunteered in one capacity or another within the framework of the league administration. Training was limited to a pre-season chalkboard session, taught by one or two of the more experienced officials. After the distribution of the rulebooks, you were pretty much on your own. Initiative was the only method to combine what you remembered from your own playing days with what slivers of knowledge you had gleaned from a single clinic. Somehow we managed to stumble along. It was certainly not the most efficient way to build an umpire. Today's official faces more rigorous challenges, even at the entry level, than we ever knew. There would be no survival without access to information and communication. The formation of professional associations like the WCUA has become crucial in the foundation for leadership and education. And the computer, with the development of the internet and their attendant link to the global audience is a gift we could have imagined only in science fiction. In this worldwide meeting place, we come together freely to share baseball fact and fantasy within a virtual reality that transcends ethnic, racial, religious and and even language barriers. The Washington County Umpire's Association rejoices in this oppurtunity and establishes as its mission to propagate knowledge and truth for the betterment of the game that we love so well. Mary Hughes WCUA President and Umpire-in-Chief