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Cat Conti earns her stripes as football official

By WTOP Staff

ERIC OLSON
AP College Football Writer

Cat Conti never played sports, let alone had any interest in them, when she was growing up in Southern California. She wanted to be a Hollywood star.

Like many wannabe actors, she found herself waiting tables after college. And had it not been for her getting to know a high school coach at the sports grill where she worked, she wouldn’t be among the four women who will be on-field officials in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season.

The 38-year-old Conti had been assigned to the Southeast Missouri State-Kansas game on Sept. 6, making her the first woman to work a football game in the Big 12 Conference.

“The ultimate goal is to be able to do it at the highest level,” Conti said. “Tennis players want to play Wimbledon, golfers want to play Pebble Beach, and football players want to get to the Super Bowl. The reality of it is, I’m hoping I get a second Big 12 game ever in my life.”

Conti will work mostly as a line judge in the Mountain West for the second straight year. She landed the Big 12 gig through the league’s officiating partnership with the Mountain West and FCS-level Southland Conference.

Mountain West supervisor of officials Ken Rivera said Conti has moved up on merit and hasn’t drawn much notice from coaches — which is a good thing.

“Usually coaches don’t call me to tell me how good an official is,” Rivera said. “They call because they have an issue, and we haven’t had any blowback with Cat at all.”

Conference USA has three female officials in Sarah Thomas, Maia Chaka and Amanda Sauer. Thomas and Chaka also will work some NFL preseason games as part of the league’s developmental program.

C-USA supervisor of officials Gerry Austin said he’s noticed more women working high school and small-college games the past decade. Austin said the women he hired in C-USA have proved to be every bit as good as their male colleagues when it comes to field presence, knowledge and ability to apply the rules.

“If they get the call right, I don’t care if they’re women or mutants,” Austin said. “In the end, that’s what I’m judged by — do they get the call right, do they manage the game right. It behooves me to put people on the field who can make that happen. The fact we have diversity, is that a thought-out process? In reality, yes. We should have diversity.”

Conti, from Thousand Oaks, California, said she knew nothing about football before she dated a boy in high school who was a San Francisco 49ers fan. She developed a passion for the game in college and became fascinated with the chain crew on the sideline.

“As a theater arts major, I started lying to everybody for my own entertainment, telling them I’m going to move to San Francisco and be a yard-marker for the 49ers,” Conti said, laughing. “Every time the chain crew would go on the field for a measurement, I’d punch the guy next to me in the shoulder and say, ‘I’m totally going to do that someday.'”

She was waitressing the day she met local high school coach George Contreras and asked him, half-jokingly, how one gets a job on a chain crew. He suggested she pursue on-field officiating instead. A few months later he brought her a newspaper clipping about an upcoming orientation meeting for prospective officials.

“I thought, ‘Why not?'” Conti said.

That was in 2000. Conti ascended through the high school and junior college ranks and, by 2010, had to resign from her job as a ninth-grade English and drama teacher so she could go all in on officiating. She now does personal training to supplement her officiating income.

Conti said she’s taken no more abuse than a male official would and that no one has outwardly questioned her ability based on her gender.

Kansas coach Charlie Weis joked last week that he would have to watch his language in the presence of Conti.

Weis needn’t worry. Conti won’t be able to hear him because she’ll be working as center judge, the eighth official who stands in the offensive backfield opposite the referee. She will watch the interior line for holding and ready the ball for play.

Conti said all she wants is to be treated like one of the guys.

“If everybody has to watch their language, or if everybody has to watch how they conduct themselves and I’m ‘super sensitive Suzy,’ then I don’t belong out there,” Conti said. “I’m in their world. That’s the reality. I am inserting myself into their universe, and I’m just happy to be there.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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