Heather on the hardwood – female ref Quiroz making mark on the court

What is the difference between a charge and a block on the basketball court? Is an over-the-back foul really a penalty? In softball, what exactly is the DP/Flex rule? Heather Quiroz, a Bettendorf native, has the answers to all these questions on the basketball court and softball diamond.

The 40-year-old Quiroz is in her seventh year refereeing high school and lower-level college basketball, and softball on both sides of the Mississippi River.

The DP/Flex rule sometimes throws me off a little bit that is kind of a funky rule, she said.

Keeping it all straight sometimes can confuse even the most seasoned official, let alone passionate fans.

With basketball, a lot of rules people do not understand, Quiroz continued.

There is no such thing as over the back, as that is not in the rule book.

There is a push from the back if a player with a legal position on the court is pushed from the back by a player trying to get the rebound, then it's a foul.

But if an athletic player just simply jumps over the top of a player who is trying to rebound as well and just grabs the ball but makes no illegal contact, then we play on.

There's no over the back, and so there must be a displacement.

Quiroz did not start her officiating career until 2016, when she was in dire need pocket change.

About seven or eight years ago, I went through a crisis in my life where I needed to make some money on the side, Quiroz said.

There was something in my mind where I always wanted to get into basketball.

This crisis created an opportunity for me to do just that.

Quiroz then called up a basketball official she knew by the name of Tom Glenn, who lived in Monmouth, Ill., at the time.

He worked at the YMCA there, and we did mechanics together, Quiroz said.

One day, we went over the basketball rules test together, and he gave me my first start working and refereeing basketball games in the mens YMCA league.

I felt that, if I could start out in the mens league and make it, I could pretty much do anything after that, Quiroz continued.

That is how I started, and that turned into a passion of mine.

Quiroz now referees basketball games for both the Mississippi Athletic Conference and the Western Big 6 Conference, in addition to NCAA Division III and junior college womens basketball games.

In December, she was part of two memorable moments -- both happening at Augustana College's Carver Center.

On Dec.

14, she joined Shelley Dietz and Rachel Lenz to work the Vikings' CCIW women's game against Carthage.

It marked the first all-female crew in the history of the building.

A week later, she became the first female referee in the 19-year history of the MercyOne Genesis Shootout, the annual high school boys' basketball event featuring Quad-Cities area Iowa teams facing off against Illinois schools .

That was really fun, Quiroz said.

I substituted for somebody who could not make one of the games.

It was a great experience.

I hope that it opens the door now for more females to make their way into officiating as well.

Quiroz is currently not scheduled to referee the IHMCVU Shootout the high school girls basketball event pitting 26 Iowa and Illinois teams across two arenas on Saturday, Jan.

11.

She has been officiating those matches for several years in the past.

I do not have any assignments, but there is always somebody who needs a substitute, and I am sure I will be receiving a game or two, Quiroz said.

I love doing the girls shootout.

It is a fun event for the girls, and it creates a sense of excitement for the basketball programs.

I am definitely looking forward to being a part of that as well.

Referees can be the target of bad behavior by fans or players.

One significant viral moment recently happened in the NBA on Monday, Dec.

23, when Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid verbally abused female referee Jenna Schroeder after being called for an offensive foul against the San Antonio Spurs.

Embiid was ejected from that game for his outburst.

However, for Quiroz, she has rarely, if ever, been treated poorly.

Instead, the opposite has happened more times than not.

I do not think I have ever gotten any hate text or mail before, Quiroz said.

Truthfully, as much as some people are difficult, I have received a lot more people saying, thank you, and I really appreciate that.

I have had parents come up to me when I am walking through the hallway to say, thank you, you did a good job, or hey, your crew worked really hard.

I just want to say thank you.

Quiroz is a stay-at-home mom, with a five-year old daughter Ada who just started pre-kindergarten this year.

She balances taking care of her daughter with her job as a high school and college official during the weeknight hours.

I have a very supportive husband, Quiroz said of her weekly work-life balance.

He has been a champion for me when it comes to pursuing this passion of mine in basketball officiating, which I deeply appreciate.

Quirozs weekly schedule involves refereeing around three to four games a week and working on an occasional Saturday, like during the boys shootout.

Quiroz hopes for a new generation of girls to be invested in collegiate and high school officiating, with an aging group which has many vacancies.

We need younger officials, Quiroz said.

We need people to get out there and give it a try.

It is hard work, and it is also challenging.

It will stretch you in ways that mentally, maybe you've never been stretched before.

Emotionally, you've not been stretched before.

Physically, you've not been stretched before.

"But refereeing is really worth it to me.

If you're a competitive person who loves sports, who loves competition, who has a bit of a leadership and bets towards yourself and is willing to grow and be humble and receive feedback, it can be a really great chance for you to grow as a as a person, and to give back to the sporting community." Quiroz is hoping younger people become interested in officiating.

I am 40 years old, and we need people in their 20s, Quiroz said.

I would just encourage young women, college women, who maybe want to just give back to the sports that they were a part of growing up, to just give it a try.

Get a hold of your local officials associations, maybe reach out to myself or any other official that you might know, and ask, hey, how do I get started? and then just see where it goes from there.

Quiroz wishes that one day, Ava, her daughter, will be able to share the court with her, as two female referees officiating the same game.

My hope for Ava is that maybe someday ...

maybe someday, she may want to be a basketball official too, and that we can work games together, she said.

That would be so much fun.

She might not want to, and that will be fine, but I hope maybe she would, one day.

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