EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
Women’s sports have taken a larger share of the spotlight in recent years, and while most of the attention has been on the athletes, other changes are taking place that has seen a greater interest from women.
Officiating has long been dominated by men, with the occasional woman on a crew.
But having an all-woman crew for varsity-level sports has been rare.
Recently, an all-woman crew has been officiating soccer. This year, Ariana Parral, Lori Navarro and Cindy Fernandez have been working high school games, and last year Navarro, Fernandez and Monica Limon also worked as a crew for community college soccer games.
“We are starting to see the change happening everywhere,” Navarro said. “You see it in professional sports, college sports, and it’s nice to see it here in our community as well. We’ve been seeing it through the WAC. We’ve been really short of officials, but it’s nice to know women are stepping up and going out there and making a difference.”
All have a connection to the sport, but when the playing days are done, most girls have few connections that remain. But officiating is changing that.
“We’re not players, but women make a big difference and hopefully we can be the role models for the younger kids and even these high school kids who can go out there and officiate,” Navarro said. “I know Cindy, when she played for Garden City, she was a beast, so to see her continue by stepping up and being an official and contributing, and me as a coach, you know, I love the sport. Now that’s behind me a little bit. I still want to be a part of it, and the best way to do that is to officiate.
Fernandez believed there was a time when women didn’t have the confidence to be an official, but that is changing.
“It’s breaking those barriers,” Fernandez said. “A lot of times I think females were afraid and felt neglected. As we see more females out there, it’s definitely encouraging for the younger generation to believe in themselves, especially us as women. I get criticized, and some don’t believe in our potential to be out here. We can do the job just as good or better than males. We are just as competitive as them. It’s awesome to see and be a part of it. We all played soccer. To get to be around the game makes it better and makes it fun. These girls know they can continue being part of the game even if it’s not playing.”
Parral said that being an official has encouraged her daughter to want to participate since she has been able to see her mom officiate.
“I feel empowered as a woman,” Parral said. “I feel more inspired. It’s a scary game to do, but having women there keeps me inspired because they did it. They are doing even better than some of the guys.”
Female athletes are different than males, and Fernandez said female officials can relate to them in a more meaningful way.
“With female athletes, we understand each other more and the respect is there more,” she said. “We understand the emotional side of it. Males don’t really get the emotional side.”
Understanding the athletes is key, but so is knowing the game, and Navarro said the respect comes when female officials show they know their stuff.
“Cindy and I have officiated the college women’s game and the men’s game,” she said. “We are knowledgeable of the sport, we have the IQ, we were tested with the men’s sports. Once we demonstrated that, we got compliments from the college. It was pretty amazing. It was Monica, Cindy and myself. To get that compliment for officiating was a big deal to us. That’s where our respect will be gained by the men. We go out there, and we know the game. We don’t demand respect, but by our actions we get that respect. Our actions show we know what we are doing. You may not like the call, but we’re sticking to it. It’s been exciting and a really good journey.”
Navarro added that the national spotlight has opened the doors for women.
“Caitlin Clark has changed the way people look at basketball,” Navarro said. “It has to be someone who changes it. I’m glad to be a part of that here in Southwest Kansas.”
Navarro is no stranger to soccer, having coached as the varsity boys coach for decades and winning a state title at a public school title in a classification dominated by private schools.
“That’s where the confidence comes from,” she said. “The first question was, ‘How does it feel being a female in a man’s sport?’ I was a coach. I didn’t see myself as a female. I coached a boys sport. I gave it my best. When I officiate, that’s where the confidence comes from. There’s no reason why I can’t do this. Confidence is built by the knowledge and IQ of what you are doing. Even when I officiate in Dodge or Garden, I have the respect of the coaches there already. They are easy on me. I have the respect from the players. Here with Liberal playing Hays, it means a lot to me to still be respected. I feel honored and privileged to do this and be respected by the coaches and players. We all have to earn it. Once we have, it’s hard for them to take it away from us.”
