"The bottom line is that we want to bring forward across all levels of competition an objective rule through use of technology to make it much easier for athletes and chair umpires, " she said.

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Compounding the difficulty of reaching the top level is that now there are scores of full-time, traveling, professional chair umpires who spend half the year hopping from tournament to tournament, though in his first year of professional umpiring, Kaufman says he was on the road for more than 40 weeks.

FORBES: How To Become A Chair Umpire