Senior ref wins officiating awards, directs intramurals

Senior and sport marketing and management major Kendra Lower works every day to disprove many misconceptions as a head intramural basketball official for the Division of Recreational Sports.\n“Male players might have a pre-determined notion to think female referees won’t be as good as the male officials,” said Lower, who is also an undergraduate assistant for intramural sports. “But male or female, if an official is timid or unconfident, players are usually less sure of them.”\nLower was the recipient of the Female Official of the Year award from RecSports for her contributions as a head official for both basketball and volleyball, as well as umpiring softball.\nThis year Lower is busier than ever. She supervised basketball intramurals two days a week at the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.. Her duties include overseeing other referees, dealing with participant incidents and injuries, and making sure the intramural events run smoothly.\nIntramural sports graduate assistant Eric Kammeyer said Lower puts in 10 to 12 hours a week in the office for her undergraduate assistant position. \n“When Kendra applied for the undergraduate assistant position, you could tell she was a good fit for the job because she was highly dedicated,” Kammeyer said.\nLower’s dedication to officiating and sports comes from her days in high school, she said. As a senior, the native of Alexandria, Ind., took a course for high school referees while playing shooting guard for her basketball team.\nWhen Lower began officiating intramural sports as a sophomore, she already had a good grasp on how to deal with upset players.\n“If a player questions your calls, you can’t take it personal,” she said. “Officials have to just do their job and not allow players to get to them.”\nLower tries to instill the same confidence in the new referees she trains. \nLower’s hard work has paid off, and officials she has trained have received rave reviews.\n“I am fine with having female officials. I have a friend who is a female official and she is one of the best,” said Jake Jones, a junior who plays for Phi Gamma Delta’s E-team. “The females tend to step back and analyze the game better and just allow the players to play.”\nKammeyer said one of the most important aspects of officiating is how the referees present themselves on the court. Officials can exude confidence and be effective regardless of if they are male or female.\n“Honestly, I don’t even notice if the officials are male or female,” said Pi Kappa Phi B-team player and freshman Anthony Furlin. “It’s not like they are allowed to just come out and ref. They must have some knowledge of the game. If someone is paying attention to that, they are paying attention to the wrong part of the game.”\nLower and Kammeyer said they have been pleased with the overall officiating efforts this year because there have been few problems or complaints.\nWhen Lower can find time away from her jobs, she plays coed and women’s basketball intramurals. She is a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and is the women’s basketball chair of the Student Athletic Board.\nAfter graduation in May, Lower plans to attend graduate school for sport administration and is hoping to find a job as a graduate assistant for intramurals.\nBut her days of officiating aren’t necessarily over.\n“I think I might like to continue officiating on the parks or recreation level,” Lower said. “Maybe I’ll even do middle school or high school refereeing someday.”