All-female officiating crew makes history at state tourney
NORMAN — Brook Farris leaned forward as she tried to recall when she first officiated a high school basketball state tournament game.
Was it 10 years ago? Maybe 12? Farris searched her memory for context clues, trying to visualize how old her child was at the time.
“I should know that,” she said with a perplexed giggle as she searched her brain.
But Farris won’t soon forget her most meaningful state tournament game as a high school referee.
On Wednesday at Lloyd Noble Center, Farris, Jara McCoy and Katelynn Hall became the first all-female officiating crew for an Oklahoma state tournament game when they called the quarterfinal between the Owasso and Putnam City North girls.
They teamed up again Thursday night for the Coweta-Tulsa Rogers girls game to get a double-dip of history with a special visitor in the bleachers.
Clarissa Gross celebrated with her peers a week after making a similar bit of history herself.
Gross, Reagan Alvarez and Andrea Phelps-Rexroat were the first female referees to call games at the Class A and B state tournaments at State Fair Arena. Though not together as a crew, they called multiple games at the Big House last week.
And to round out a special two-week run for female referees in Oklahoma, Vicki Roop — whose officiating career goes all the way back to the Big Eight Conference — called a state tournament game with her son, Robert.
The number of female officials in Oklahoma high school basketball is small, but growing, thanks to the work of these women. The accomplishments of the last two weeks are incredibly significant for each of them individually, and for their group as a whole.
“All of us officials, we are like a family,” said Gross, who is in her eighth year as an official. “But I think the women, because we are outnumbered, I think we’re even closer, so I think it’s important for us to support one another.”
That’s why Gross made the trip to the Lloyd Noble Center to watch her colleagues Thursday night. She even brought special shirts, which they wore in a pregame photo, that read “Women Supporting Women Making Herstory.”
Before the Wednesday game began, the women sensed the uniqueness of the opportunity ahead of them. They walked to the court soaking in the scene. Then they heard the public address announcer proclaim it the first state tournament game officiated by an all-female crew.
“It was a top-five life moment,” Farris said. “It was just surreal. It was just a neat moment. The state tournament is always wonderful, it’s always one of the coolest experiences there is. But there was something different about being together, and the female camaraderie. We were all in sync. I probably had more fun in this one than I did in my first one. It just felt different.
“We felt needed.”
McCoy has been officiating games for roughly 30 years, and Farris about 20, though neither got a chance to call a state tournament game until 10-12 years ago. They continue to work as mentors, helping along new officials as they enter into the often-thankless occupation.
“When I teach and train at camps, especially the females, I tell them, ‘She is not your competition. Raise each other up,’” McCoy said. “You can see a lightbulb go off. They’re not your competition. You’re competing against yourself. So raise each other up and empower each other.”
And that’s what they’ve done during this historic week.
“They paved the way, especially Brook and Jara being pioneers that have been in this position longer than I have, I look up to them,” Gross said. “Being at their game was just a way for me to show my gratitude to them and be there to cheer them on.
“I wouldn’t have had this opportunity without them, and I hope I did a great job last week of representing the female officials throughout this state. And I hope I was an inspiration to our next generation of female officials, because we would love to see more women enter into this profession.”
Hall is in her fourth year of work, but has quickly risen up the ranks. She and Farris also work at the college level.
“It’s an honor just to be here, whether you’re male or female, whether you’ve been reffing for five or 50 years,” said Hall, who was making her first state tournament appearance. “I very much look up to (McCoy and Farris) as mentors. They’ve been there for me throughout my career so far. To be able to share the court with them is extra-special.
“It’s very rare, even in the regular season, to get an all-female, three-person crew. There’s just something different about it, something special.”
While these opportunities are monumental for women in Oklahoma high school officiating, the men they work with on a game-to-game basis throughout the season have celebrated along with them, too.
Many nights, the referees are the only ones in the gym supporting each other and that bond isn’t lost when the game ends.
“The brotherhood and sisterhood, it’s amazing,” McCoy said. “It’s our basketball family and we have each other’s back, on the court and off the court.”
Added Farris: “The men here celebrate what’s happening with us. They feel like it’s a victory. They’re rooting for us. They’re part of the reason we’re here. More and more females are getting into this to where it’s becoming a lot more common.
“Doors are opening for more female officials.”