. "But did it bother me? And whenshe talked, you listened. Palmer recalls all the media hubbub that surrounded her and Kantner when they entered the league; when Holtkamp-Sterling did the same 17 years later, there was hardly so much as a press release -- something Palmer delighted in seeing. "It's needed for women in this industry that already have a lot of things going against them. June is legendary inwomens basketball, saidVicki Davis, the MinnesotaIntercollegiate AthleticConference supervisor ofwomens basketball officials. And then we need astandby. Outside of the NCAA, Kantner was one of the first women referees in the National Basketball Association from 1997 to 2002. Palmer's focus was internal. And not everyone was comfortable. Before she was hired by the NBA, Kantner was the supervisor of "While there were times it could wear on my spirit, it was also a real test of what I want to do and why it's important that I'm choosing to pursue this," Holtkamp-Sterling said of those initial struggles. Kantner remained with the NBA until she was fired in 2002. Sun 31 Jan 2016 11.19 EST. worked through the 2001-02 season. She also appeared at the 1998 FIBA World Championship for Women and the 2000 Summer Olympics as a referee. There's no jealousy here, no bitterness over an "easier" path faced by today's young women. Rod Thorn, the NBA's senior vice president of basketball operations at the time, told the Washington Post in 1997 that Palmer's being chosen to officiate first was the "luck of the draw." We end up chatting with her and another ref who will work the Duke/ND game on Sat. She rattles off names: Steve Javie, Jack Nies, Billy Oakes, Joey Crawford. Welcome to the Boneyard. Share on Facebook; Tweet this video Those two coaches ofcourse they recruited againsteach other, they were in theSEC and it was a tough, toughgame, Courteau said. Seth Kantner is an American bestselling author, wildlife photographer and a commercial fisherman. As an official, by definition, Dee prefers to go unnoticed. Twenty-four of the G League's 57 referees are women, plus several who jump between the NBA and G League (all NBA officials with under four years of experience are commonly assigned as crew chief for G League games to gain experience); 15 of the WNBA's 33 referees are women, nine of whom also work games in the G League. This is not an exaggerationand I am sometimes prone tohyperbole, Kantner said. And those words were also agreat teaching point for a consummateleader who intended to leave collegebasketball officiating far better thanwhere she found it. The music of Jefferson Airplane was a key ingredient of the psychedelic aura shrouding San Francisco in . Nine minutes in, she blew her whistle when a ball was deflected out of bounds. These included the Pac-10 Conference and West Coast Conference. Homepage image via Flickr user Keith Allison. Did she immediately call two fouls on Dolson? College softball rankings: The top 25 teams in the NCAA this week, Women's Power Rankings: Pac-12 teams, Maryland show their teeth, SCNext Top 25: Ranking the best high school girls' basketball teams in the 2022-23 season, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Those crews ofofficials she helped mentor are rowingin unison more than ever, puttingaside egos for the common interestof getting it right for the players andcoaches with whom they work. My mother and dad lived two houses away from my mothers sister, Auntie Zera. Ill tell you what, itsbeen the toughest five years,Dahlem said of Courteauscommitment. by AARP, February 20, 2018. The Bee story said an end-of-season ratings system ranked Kantner last, though she refutes the system that says she's the league's worst official, the story said. She wasvery stern, very fair, had greatintegrity. Lifelong bonds have been formed within this group. When Dee Kantner entered the league in 1997, there was only one other woman by her side: Violet Palmer. Jefferson Airplane founding member Paul Kantner's death at age 74 on Jan. 28 has been met by a mainstream culture shrug compared to the celebratory attention paid rock stars dead in the past month including David Bowie, the Eagles' Glenn Frey . [7] By the early 1990s, Kantner was working in Charlotte, North Carolina in her sales position. You can find out how much net worth Dee has this year and how she spent her expenses. Kantner, who was fired by the NBA in 2002, said she believes there are more and better opportunities for women in athletics since 1972. Dare to Disrupt Aging! One of the first two women hired to officiate in the NBA, she describes what it's like to keep up with some of America's fastest athletes and how the most devastating moment in her career taught her to persevere. "Those girls get to see me on this platform, working with men in a male-dominated field.". Also learn how She earned most of networth at the age of 59 years old? Then we headed back to our hotel. (Photo Credit: Allen Kee / ESPN Images) R ecently, we asked a handful of top NCAA officials from both the men's and women's game to share their fitness routines as they prepared for a new season on the hardwood. Kantner was fired in 2002, with Palmer the only female referee for . Tina Tomlinson,Courteaus first cousin, singlesout Dahlem for changingCourteaus life. I said, Hey, areyou going to take care of yourcrew? She said yes, and goesout. Violet Palmer in a still from a recent documentary about her career, 'Queen Vee.' She is seen as one of the most successful Referee of all times. She wanted the public to focus on her performance on the court over anything else. One comment she made was that she asked Sarah Hammond if she was 32 - 'cause they worked together for so long! Shes a motivator. Besides, when sheput words out there for publicconsumption, she has long beenconcerned with how they mightbe bent and twisted. Outside of the NCAA, Kantner was one of the first women referees in the National Basketball Association from 1997 to 2002. And as a captivated Courteauread Daniel James Browns 2013masterpiece The Boys in the Boatduring that picture-perfect day, she was highlighting numerous passages from Browns stirring account about the University of Washingtons eight-oared crew, comprised of members who had struggled to succeed during the Depression, achieving spectacular success during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. It started inSt. Paul, where she was bornSept. 18, 1948, the fourth childof Don and Helen Courteau. She was like, Oh,Terry, youve got to listen to this!, As Courteau raved, shecontinued highlighting passages. They allow the league's scouts to evaluate larger swaths of the population and identify greater cumulative talent. Dee Kantner - Along with Palmer, one of the first two females to officiate in the NBA. The land Cafe Stella sits on -- the Sunset Junction shopping complex, with its famous arrow sign -- belongs to an LLC that's registered to Kantner and his wife, Christine. Then we headed back to our hotel. "He passed today at 2:22 p.m. PT," Gareth Kantner said. Dee Kantner, Charlotte, N.C.; Brenda Pantoja, Las Vegas; Pualani Spurlock-Welsh, Decatur, Ga.; Joe Vaszily, Westfield, N.J.; Included in the group of 11 are Kantner, who will be working an . Kantner was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on May 3, 1960 and had three siblings. Decided to get a bite to eat and a drink at a local establishment. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Kantner started with the Southern Conference before appearing in the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference throughout the 1990s. They coached our softball team and those were great learning experiences.. Occupation: NCAA Division-I women's college basketball official Age: 56 Residence: Charlotte, N.C. As a top women's college basketball official and former NBA referee, Dee Kantner's heard it all. Decided to get a bite to eat and a drink at a local establishment. I think basketball refs have the toughest job in all sports. It wasnever about her, it was about herbody of work, which said all shecared to say. She played field hockey while at the University of Pittsburgh and graduated with an engineers degree in 1982. What a thrill. Take careof the game. And they bothlooked at me, they get a grin ontheir faces and they said, Wevegot this, June. And then wentout there and nailed it. The NBA has made significant alterations since Palmer and Kantner's day, where the league would have to improvise a makeshift women's locker room in arenas that weren't prepared for them. When it comes to mentors within the officiating world, though, it all comes back to the paths forged before them. Mr. Kantner, a founding member of the Jefferson . These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. More News. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The trick is to findthe few who have the rawpower, superhuman stamina,the indomitable willpower,the intellectual capacitynecessary to master thedetails of technique, butthe most important is theirability to disregard his/herown ambitions, to throw egooverboard and pull, not just foroneself, not just for glory, butfor the crew and for us the game.. Paul Kantner, one of the giants of the San Francisco music scene, died Thursday. "Being a Black woman herself, being a trailblazer as the first African-American [woman referee] in the NBA, she understands 100% of the challenges that I face," Jelks, 35, said. She cited what happened at a 2021 NCAA Womens Basketball Tournament site as a sign that women are still fighting for equality. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". I am completely blown away, to be honest.". Women's Champ Week predictions: Which teams will win the auto bids in all 32 conferences? She saw Micholgo down and said, Theyregoing to need a standby, youguys. So she changes againand comes out. From 2011 to 2015, she was a bartender during a memorable stretch for the Detroit Tigers, who reached the World . It may not display this or other websites correctly. She became a basketball official in 1984, was one of the first two women along with Violet Palmer to be hired by the NBA in 1997 and worked her 25th NCAA Womens Final Four in April. I would have expected management to have said something, yet there was nothing in any of my reviews. Your choice. He said,OK, June, I got it.. With the NCAA, Kantner has been a referee in over twenty Final Four rounds and over ten championship games in womens basketball. ", "But I think I've proven that a woman can do this job and do it well," she continued. Newsletters: Get local news delivered directly to you. As of last season, 11 different women were employed in assistant coaching positions around the NBA. [1] During her childhood, Kantner took up track and field and basketball. Dee Kantner is a basketball referee. Adam Sweeting. Her currency? The two even got to officiate two high school games together, a moment that seems like yesterday in her memory even as she's gone on to call contests in both the WNBA and NBA. It's needed that we strengthen each other emotionally, and just have that good support team.". Dee is an ideal celebrity influencer. What a thrill. Kantner, 74, suffered a heart attack a couple of days ago, which led to multiple organ failure and septic shock, his son said. [9][18], Outside of the NCAA, Kantner has also worked as a referee for the Continental Basketball Association. Dee Kantner (born 1961) is a women's basketball referee for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. And then after youve been in the business, they know how to approach you. What a thrill. Smart. Dee Kantners income source is mostly from being a successful . Inquisitive since she wascoming of age as a girl in St. Paul,Minn., during the 1950s, Courteauemotionally digests her favorite booksas passionately as a scrumptioussteak dinner with a sparkling glass ofwine. She said it wasn't until 2007 that she finally shared her "secret" with her fellow referees. After leaving the NBA, she continued to work in the WNBA as the Director of Referee Development from 2002 to 2004 and was renamed Supervisor of Officials in 2004. When RU was in Portland for the 2000 NCAA regionals, Dee got my wife, myself and 2 other folks tix to the NBA game at the Rose Garden one of the nights we were out there . . I have older friends who didnt have the opportunity to play sports in high school, or they had one team or they could have been a cheerleader. Also find out how she got rich at the age of 61. Its at least trying to establish that two-way relationship. When we see one referee get some type of accolade, we highlight it on our pages on social media. Very excitingand they won! "Here we are in a very male-dominated space, and the league was very proactive to make sure I had what I needed.". Dee Kantner joked that being inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame made her feel old. 2:39. Kantner and Violet Palmer joined the NBA's officiating staff in 1997. "She did it way before all of us, before the world we live in now that's all accepting," Moyer-Gleich said of Kantner. Referee Dee Kantner: Calling the Shots AARP. November 29, 2022 - 16 Games Today. Rather, they've tried to go further. Those who learned from Courteau likely were peppered with a series of questions from her about a missed call that was made. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. "I had to have a personal trainer, eat right, and go to physical therapy to continue to be a referee over the course of my career. She also appeared at the 1998 FIBA World Championship for Women and the 2000 Summer Olympics as a referee. So many snap-judgments throughout and we fans will never be 100% happy. Both Those who followed them still faced real challenges. But she viewed the NBA as a challenge to conquer, plus she took comfort in the fact that at the time, NBA mechanics were actually pretty similar to those she was used to at the women's college level. There were so many parallels between what she was reading and what she was trying to accomplish in her new role. [She's] always been my biggest role model. She takes us through her journey to becoming a referee and gives insight into what it takes to do one of the most criticized and challenging jobs in basketball. Dee Kantner (born 1961) is a women's basketball referee for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Dee Kantner (F) Larry Sheppard (F) 12 Women's Final Four Game Officials 1996 Art Bomegen (SF) Doug Cloud (SF) Wes Dean (SF) John Morningstar (SF) Bob Trammell (SF) Scott Yarborough (SF) Sally Bell (F) Dee Kantner (F) Violet Palmer (F) 1997 Sally Bell (SF) Carla Fujimoto (SF) Ray Bomeli (SF) "And knowing that the NBA has since hired another female ref solidifies everything for me.". A well-read womanwith an insatiabledesire to cram yetmore knowledge intoher mind was sittingpoolside at an Aruba timesharedwelling in the summer of 2015. Simone Jelks, the first Black woman hired in this role since Palmer herself, was also one of several women to attend Palmer's yearly refereeing camps before reaching the NBA level (such camps are common in the refereeing world, both for development and scouting; Palmer's is open to all collegiate officials). With her recent retirement announcement, she took time to reflect upon what that means. At the time, she was part of the first-ever "major college men's game" to only have women referees alongside Patty Broderick and June Corteau. She struggled at times with the constant demands from those she encountered, both stated and implied, to justify herself or explain her pursuit of success in a heavily male-dominated field. [20] Kantner reffed a quarterfinal game during the women's basketball event at the 2000 Summer Olympics. NBA officiating director Ed Rush said referee Jim Kinsey also was dismissed, according to Bloomberg. "I just never mentioned it publicly because no one ever publicly asked me. [7] Before becoming a NCAA Division I referee for the Southern Conference in 1984, Kantner had previously refereed basketball games ranging from elementary school to NCAA Division II. We end up chatting with her and another ref. Palmer and Kantner smashed this barrier; those who came after them are trying to stomp on its remains. I look over and see Dee Kantner. ''You're gone.''. 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