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AN OFFICIALS PERSPECTIVE March 2021

On the Cover

March 2021

What’s inside

Staying Ready An interview with Ashley Moyer-Gleich

BLAST OFF!

Division1, Pregnancy, and Covid 19

Serene Rectangle

Top 5 Books to Ease Your Mind

An interview with Shanade Bernard

Staying Ready

Thoughts on the Bubble

The Excitement of Getting Back on the Court How do you feel today? It’s the first day back in the mix and it’s not in the bubble.

Ashley Moyer-Gleich: Virtual RPSM (Referee Pre-season Meetings) that is normally the kick-off of the season. It starts to set in that we need to get our mind back to basketball, and what it’s going to look like to get back to being on the floor. After being off March 8th - longest I haven’t [officiated] in 9 months, and the longest since I started 9 years ago, It’s not like I could referee rec. There was no basketball. Running around with the whistle in my mouth and not doing that, for 9 months, that’s quite an adjustment. Thinking about “ Am I still going to be able to do this? Is it going to come back to me? Muscle memory - is this going to come back to me?” Or [just] not knowing what to do. Crazy, I had a little workout in my room, RSPM, before that. I was practicing in the mirror. Starting out in high school, practicing like that. It’s been so long. It’s still not the same. Getting eyes acclimated, watching illegal contact is an adjustment - reporting numbers. I started preparing for that months ago, weeks ago - definitely exciting. Last week was exciting, how blessed we are. I truly am fortunate to love what I do, to do what I do. I get up everyday, it provides for my family - not only financially beneficial, emotionally, mentally, I grew up with basketball all my life, so I love it. Hit the road a couple of days for the regular season. It’s exciting! There was a moment in the summer, and before the bubble, where we didn’t know if we were going to come back and what it was going to look like. So the fact that we are coming back, and coming back in a non-bubble environment, I would say there’s a lot of eyes on us to see what will happen with the Coronavirus tests and how we navigate those waters. MLB (Major League Baseball) had it, and now here we are without one. It’s exciting but scary, and at the same time, you just have to do what you can to follow the protocols that are put in place for the health and safety of all the referees, players, and basketball operations. Big picture? It’s great to have basketball back. I’d say the whole country is excited.

An Interview with NBA Referee Ashley Moyer-Gleich By Ralph the Ref

There was a moment in the summer, and before the bubble where we didn’t know if we were going to come back and what it was going to look like. 9

NBA Referees

Division1, Pregnancy, and Covid 19 An interview with Shanade Bernard By: Ralph the Ref

It’s

been a long time since I’ve seen Shanade Bernard. A year into COVID-19, we talk to her about her pandemic pregnancy, her pursuits as a Women’s Basketball Official, and how that intersection didn’t have to get in between each other and never crossed paths.

Ralph: Are you tired? Shanade: I’m not that tired - Daddy was on duty last night - so I got to sleep last night It was July 2020, and I remember just touching base with Shanade. As much as we were full force the season before, pre-pandemic, she was full-force about her pregnancy and the notion that she was about to be a mother. By the time I spoke to her, she was fully acclimated to Mom life, having a child, and the crazy sleeping pattern that comes with it all. But there was a moment in time where she was reffing non-stop, co-existing with being pregnant while keeping it secret.

Shanade: I think the mindset, initially when I first got pregnant, the first 5 months I was reffing the whole duration. I couldn’t really enjoy the pregnancy, but when COVID-19 hit, I had no other choice but for to enjoy being pregnant. So then, my mindset went completely off refereeing and enjoying being pregnant - enjoying him being inside of me.

But as pregnancy turned to giving birth and getting used to the routine, she wanted to get back into officiating the game she loves. Was there a moment that you can pinpoint when you missed it?

Top 5 Books to Ease Your Mind It’s

Women’s History month and officially a year since the world was put on hold due to the emergence of Covid-19. Hundreds of thousands lost their jobs, loved ones, and even their lives. With massive political unrest in 2020 sprinkling into 2021 and the end of the pandemic being not as close as we would have hoped, mental illness cases are on the rise. More than ever, there has been a need for psychiatrists, therapists, and safe spaces for everyone to cope. Those working in athletics felt a particularly harsh reality that sports may never be the same. The period in which they will return with a stadium full of fans and maskless referees is still unknown. 2020 introduced the NBA and WNBA to “the bubble,” a hub only meant for those in each association in an attempt to keep Covid-19 out and players and workers safe. The mental implications of the several-month isolation are akin to those quarantined in their own homes away from loved ones. For Women’s History Month, it only fits to highlight female authors and mental health advocates and some of their written contributions in a world that needs a way to cope.

Home Body by Rupi Kaur Home Body is the embodiment of the progression from depression to healing. Indian-Canadian poet Rupi Kaur’s 3rd project is released at a time where we’ve all become homebodies and have been faced with demons we didn’t even know we had. Kaur takes us through the phases of her mind, her heart, her rest, and finally, her awakening. Alongside her poems are her illustrations that perfectly coincide. Reading this, during a time of my self-discovery, I felt a sisterhood with Kaur. Her poems can reach us in times of happiness and struggle. Highly recommend it for the avid poetry reader.

I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t) by Brene Brown We couldn’t do a female mental health advocate roundup without mentioning the IrREFutable Bene Brown. I only heard of Brown last year when I was introduced to her Netflix special, A Call to Courage. After researching in what order I should read Brown’s books, I gave up because this title stood out. Although labeled a “self-help” book, I Thought It Was Just Me(But It Isn’t) truly allows you to replace the word “them” with “us” and reflect on how to be the best version of ourselves, accepting flaws and all. Released in 2007, it still has relevant values today.

After the Rain by Alexandra Elle Author of Neon Soul and Words From A Wanderer brings you her newest installment of self-help and poetry. I’ve followed wellness consultant Alexandra Elle on Instagram for a few months before looking into her books. After the Rain beautifully tells her story of self-discovery and embracing all that life has to offer. Her personal stories, alongside her poetry, truly feel inclusive for all readers. The first chapter made me want to quit my job part-time job and move to New York to become a full-blown creative.

Small Doses by Amanda Seales If you don’t know Amanda Seales from Insecure, A Black Lady Sketch show, or The Real, this is another good introduction of her genius. Indeed a force to be reckoned with, Seales’s Small Doses, with a podcast of the same name, is littered with insightful essays and life advice from the rising comedian star herself. Small Doses is prefaced by letting the reader know these stories come from experience, and although not everything can be agreed upon, this is Seales’s truth, making the stories that much more personal. It’s charming and intuitive and a beautifully easy read that demands to change your perspective on life.

Women Who Love Too Much by Robin Norwood Let’s throw it all the way back to 1985. Yes, so much has changed since then, but so much has stayed the same. A coworker suggested I give this a read, and I was not disappointed. Marriage and family therapist Robin Norwood explores the unhealthy relationships women repeatedly find themselves in and their relationship with themselves. RuPaul’s famous quote comes to mind while reading the real-life studies and insights in Norwood’s book: “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an amen?!”

An Artists Purpose By Kevin Sparrock

One

of the proudest and stressful design projects that I’ve developed was a 1 inch high by 3-inch wide cotton patch created in a bubble. Despite COVID19, the summer of 2020 had a WNBA season in a quarantined bubble in Bradenton, Florida. At the time, the pandemic claimed over 200,000 lives in the United States, and the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor reenergized our countries social justice fight. Knowing my creative talents, our referee staff asked me to develop something creative that would align us with the Say Her Name initiative of the WNBA players. In December 2014, the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) and Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies (CISPS) launched the #SayHerName campaign. Its goal is to bring awareness to the invisible names and stories of Black women and girls victimized by racist police violence and provides support to their families. The weight of coming up with something creative that was bold and spoke directly about the cause felt immense. Similar to art, officiating can be incredibly subjective. You are guaranteed that half the fans will love you and half the fans will hate you in officiating. The same goes for art. Half the people will love your painting or design, and half the people will think it’s a child’s scribble on a wall. The design had to go through a line of approvals and discussions through the front office before it could be produced. I knew there would be some see-sawing of opinions and rejections, and had we prolonged the process, and we could quickly put the decision on a wheel of procrastination and excuses. Reflection and reeducation rooted my thoughts. I immersed my reading into the life of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the AAPF to create a greater perspective of my creative direction. Early concepts exploded with large-scale embroidered letters, #Say Her Name, above our jersey number. I also thought of full-size screen printed letters splashed across the back of our jackets.