‘Official’ history made with all-female referee crew in championship game
- Klas Stolpe
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Dinkel, Newman and Krupa first Alaska all-female crew to officiate state championship
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
For the first time in the 97-year history — dating back to the territorial basketball championships and through the Alaska School Activities Association state championships —an all-female crew officiated a state tournament title game. Kyla Dinkel, Wendy Newman and Zosha Krupa were referees for the 2A Seward Seahawks title game against the Glennallen Panthers on Saturday night in Anchorage.
The women responded to questions about the milestone with a joint statement, saying, “I have seen significant growth in the presence of women in officiating over the years. When I began officiating in Alaska, there were only a small number of female referees, and the field was largely male-dominated. While the role can come with challenges — particularly in managing feedback from coaches and fans — it is incredibly rewarding. Being part of the game and supporting young athletes makes it worthwhile, as does the strong sense of camaraderie among officials.”
Dinkel, 31, has been officiating for 15 years. Off the court, she is a financial advisor. She is a 2013 Wasilla High School graduate and at played at Biola University from 2013-14.
“I have been officiating ever since I got my driver’s license,” Dinkel said. “I think my favorite thing is staying involved in the sport and seeing the other side of it: the technical side, how all the rules break down and game management, and just giving back to the kids.”
Wendy Newman, 53, has been officiating for 13 years. Off the court, she is an assistant at an Anchorage school. She is a 1991 graduate of Slidell High School in Louisiana and played at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia from 1991-95.
“I got into it because I play basketball and like many will say, you want to give back to the sport,” Newman said. “We love it, but it is not made for everybody so we encourage everybody who might be interested to find an organization and help.”
Zosha Krupa, 27, has been officiating for four years. Off the court, she manages a coffee stand. She played high school basketball for Sitka, graduating in 2017, and for North Idaho College from 2017-19 and the University of Alaska Fairbanks from 2019-22.
“I grew up playing the game and loving the game,” Krupa said. “I want to give back to the community and make sure these kids have the opportunity to play high school basketball.”
In their joint statement the three said, “The referees I work alongside are among the most dedicated and passionate individuals I know, all deeply committed to the integrity of the game. Although women are still underrepresented in officiating, our numbers continue to grow each year and there is a strong sense of support from our fellow officials. I am especially encouraged when I see my female colleagues earn opportunities to officiate high-level, highly visible games... An all-female referee crew was long overdue at the state tournament, and I am honored to have been part of it. Representation matters, and it is important for the next generation of women to see that there is a place for them to stay involved in basketball.
All three have officiated at the state tournament previously and encourage everyone who is interested to become an official as Alaska has a shortage.
“As far as I know, this is the first all-female crew to officiate the state tournament,” ASAA executive director Billy Strickland said. “Each of them has experience here as well.”
Alaska joins numerous states that have had this milestone highlighting visibility for women in officiating.
Arizona (Mollie Mueller, Danitra Betita, London Gailey) in 2020; Missouri (Jami Bauer, Amy Sampson, Carla Hall) in 2026; Oklahoma (Brook Farris, Jara McCoy, Katelynn Hall) in 2024; Nebraska (MK McGee, Gwenn Porter, Kelsey Appleby) in 2023; Washington (Chenise Peone, Alexandra Collins, Sabrina Earle) in 2024; Montana (Tayler CalfBossRibs, Jazlyn Wells, Eagle Woman Armstrong) in 2026; Kansas (Jordan Schmidt, Nancy Tooley, Robyn Hobson) in 2020; Minnesota (Sandy Engdahl, Amanda Tate, Haley Johnson) in 2018; in 2020, Anne Nehring, April Kabes and Carolyn Derkens became the first all-female crew in Minnesota high school history to officiate a boys’ game; Rhode Island (Jeannie Records, Rachel Fleming, Kristin Quinn) in 2019; Oregon (Sue Caldwell and all female crews officiated a tournament) in 2023 and Virginia (Monnazjea Finney-Smith, Danyelle Smith, Chelsea Painter) in 2025.
In California in 2022, every girls’ state championship game was officiated by an all-female crew: Danielle Milburn, Wendy Tomita-Yukon, Olivia Larking - Division V final; Devorah Robinson-Ashe, Amanda Clark, Kim Bly -D IV final; Julia Allender, Makenzie Campbell, Sarah Heise - D III final; Amanda Baker, Alissa Campanero, Keesha Pringle - D II final; Darlene Hargrove, Sarah Ely, Chris Cover - D I final; and Karina Tovar, Nathalie Logue, Melody Dysim - Open Division final.
Alaska is unique in officiating shortages as the state is vast, and many communities are isolated. While larger cities, which also struggle with referee shortages, can borrow from surrounding communities, that is not always possible in places such as the Interior or Southeast. Residents in towns, villages and cities are needed to help so youth sports can continue to survive and be represented across the state.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.
