With opening day less than seven weeks away for the Door County Baseball League, organizers are looking for more qualified umpires for the season.  Umpire-in-Chief Roger Van Lanen says much like the WIAA sports, the DCBL faces difficulty filling officials for sporting events.  He says the average age of game officials is very high, and recruiting younger ones is challenging.

Van Lanen notes that the younger officials he has hired in the past left for many reasons, but compensation was not the critical factor.

Van Lanen adds that most umpires in the Door County Baseball League are currently over 60 years old.  The ability to deal with personal conflict and confrontations is essential, along with understanding and explaining the rules, in making a good sports official.