The U16
European Championship Women in Miskolc marks the international debut of a
number of referees who got licensed last April, after a Referee Candidate
Clinic in Manheim.
This group
is highlighted by three women who opted for refereeing to keep working in the
sport they love.
Mila Cavara
from Bosnia and Herzegovina, a former professional player, English Kate Webb, a
Sports teacher, and Portuguese Sonia Teixeira, the only woman to officiate in
her country's top-flight, take their first steps in what is their common dream:
being an international referee.
Cavara,
after the end of a ten-year-long career spent in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well
as Croatia, had the choice between coaching children and refereeing, and opted
for the latter.
She entered
officiating with high ambitions.
"I
want to be at the Olympic Games, maybe in 2016," she told FIBAEurope.com.
"It
was not an easy road to get here. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, we are only two
female international referees (Jasmina Biscevic-Tokic is also present in
Miskolc), and moreover I am still very young and I know I have to work twice as
hard to be accepted. "
A similar
situation is well-known to Sonia Teixeira, the only female referee in the
Portuguese league.
It took her
almost ten years to reach this level, but she was "setting milestones at
each step of the journey."
OPENING
DOORS FOR FEMALE REFEREES
"Before
me, just one woman had refereed in the Portuguese league," Teixeira says.
"We
have difficulties but we feel we are opening doors.
"More
and more girls are preparing to get a licence and I know that seeing us
officiating in their games turns it more natural for them to see it as an
option."
As is the
case with Teixeira, Kate Webb was invited to take the refereeing licence by a
former referee.
"In
Sheffield there was a former international referee and it was he who motivated
me to return to something I had experienced when I was only 15 years old."
Followed by
the experience as a player and coach, "to earn some extra money,"
Webb became a teacher.
"I was
teaching but wanted to do something else. And I longed to referee, I must
confess. "
Starting in
a local league, she had the opportunity to learn a lot from former top players.
In 2010, Webb made her refereeing debut in the British Basketball League.
"None
of the players or coaches are women, then we must know how to earn their
respect. They saw me coming and thought: who is this girl? But when you know
what you're doing, you can achieve what you want. "
Now the
important thing is to seize the opportunities offered by the people who helped.
"My
country has invested in me, my colleagues, my friends, my family, they all gave
so much for me to come here, I just want to do my best while I'm trying to get
to know my level."
While
Cavara regrets that Bosnia and Herzegovina does not have women's teams
competing this summer, Teixeira also reveals that things are not easy in
Portugal.
"To be
a referee in Portugal you have to make an investment of time and work, and then
feel that this work is not always recognized because the charge and pressure,
especially at youth games, are very high."
So do not
be surprised that many young referees give up along the way.
LEARNING
THE INTERNATIONAL WAY
Portuguese
referee Sonia Teixeira feels that her and her colleagues' work might be an
inspiration for girls to pursue an officiating career.
But her
will is to continue working to help more girls join officiating.
"I do
not know if I personally am an example, but my experience reaching officiating
in the league and international tournaments, yes, it's a reference I'd like
more women would follow."
For all
three, the first international tournament is primarily a learning experience.
Cavara
feels that as a former player, she understands better what is happening on
court.
"I
know what these girls are feeling, I've been there as a player, so I know how
to communicate with them and the coaches.
As women,
we must be much stronger. Within the field, we have the same perception of
things as men. But other people do not.
"Therefore
we must strive to prove that we are at the same level."
"It's
an extraordinary experience on a personal level, too," Teixeira confirms.
"Here
are people from different countries, we have with us referees and instructors
with vast experience and we want to enjoy every moment, trying to become better
referees."
After a
Preliminary Round without any problems, the most decisive games will bring new
challenges to these three women who keep showing young female players that
there is room for all of them in the future of basketball.
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