"ECAC Spotlight: Getting to Know our Neighbors" #7 with ECAC Official Ashley Marble

CENTERVILLE, Mass.-- The Eastern College Athletic Conference sits down with ECAC basketball official Ashley Marble in the seventh installment of "ECAC Spotlight: Getting to Know our Neighbors."

The ECAC Spotlight is a Q&A format that examines the experiences and career paths of coaches, administrators, support staff and student-athletes within the ECAC footprint, and is published weekly. If you would like to highlight an individual from your institution, please email ECAC Director of Communications Patrick Stewart at pstewart@ecac.org with your suggestions.

Seven Questions with Ashley Marble, ECAC Basketball Official and Two-Time All-American at the University of Southern Maine

1. You were Miss Maine and have competed at the Miss USA pageant, so how did you get involved?

At a very early age, my Mom started taking me to dance lessons and from there I started competing in talent competitions in pageants.  Being from a very small town, with less than two hundred people, pageants were a fun way to get out, see the United States, compete in dance competitions, and meet new friends. As a little girl the highlight for me was being able to swim in so many pools! When I entered high school, I became more serious about sports, especially volleyball and basketball as well as academics, so my interest in doing pageants took a backseat. The last pageant I competed in prior to Miss Maine USA was in the 2000 Miss Teen USA pageant, held in Shreveport, La., where I represented my great state as Miss Maine Teen USA. Following that pageant, I began to focus on where my passion really was…sports! I put all my time, energy and determination into sports and academics throughout my college years.

During my college years I always thought it’d be fun to compete in Miss USA. In 2010-2011 while I was working as a personal trainer, the clients I was training had set big goals for themselves and since my goal was to become a beacon of health and wellness for my clients and young people everywhere we began to work toward our goals together.  Realizing it was my last chance to be eligible to compete I entered the Miss Maine USA pageant. I thought what better way to show young people that as long as you work hard and have determination, you can achieve anything. I wanted to reach out to individuals everywhere and let them know that their goals and dreams are achievable! If they practice living with faith, trust, friendship and love for themselves, then anything is possible. No matter what their goals are or the obstacles they have to overcome, with a lot of courage and strength of mind through individual growth and development you can do anything!

2. What do you do professionally?

I currently do a little bit of everything! Along with high school and college basketball officiating, I am still doing personal training, sports specific training and coaching a high school volleyball team. I recently started working with a locally owned company called Maine Standard Biofuels; we take used vegetable oil and turn it back into home heating and transportation biodiesel. (Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @MaineSBiofuels).

3. You also work as an ECAC basketball game official, so what inspired you to pursue that avenue? What advice would you give to young women who want to become officials??

Quite honestly, I took an IAABO officiating class as what I thought to be an easy three credits for a college elective class. I soon found out that the game I had played my entire life had a tremendous amount of rules and wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I passed the class and the officiating test but never pictured myself wearing a striped shirt. Upon finishing my college career and working at Duke University, I came back to Maine and decided to give it a whirl, and I instantly fell in love with officiating. Since fourth grade I spent the majority of my time, year-round on the basketball court so this just fit so naturally. I was very fortunate to have some unbelievable mentors along the way to encourage me to go to camps, help me study for the exams and give me wise words of wisdom that only years of experience would get me. I would like to thank those individuals who have helped me tremendously; C. Gile, R. Brown, L. LaRochelle, D. Draper, R. Grant, D. Picard and K. Nosek (plus the others that have given me advice throughout the years and games).

I would definitely say go for it! Do not to be intimidated because most officials are men. If you love the game of basketball, then officiating is a great way to keep involved in the game. If you are truly interested in officiating, start by finding a great group of knowledgeable veteran officials that you can trust, look for honest advice, and that will help support you along the way with any questions you may have. Take your time, make sure you are confident at the level you are at before moving up, and hold on because it's an exhilarating and fun ride!

4. What hobbies or special interests do you have?

I love to work out and be physically active because it keeps me sane. I enjoy spending time with partner Aaron, friends, family and my puppies Moose and Emma. I enjoy anything outside like hunting, fishing, hiking, shooting guns; whatever the activity, fresh air is my favorite. When I get the chance, I find reading a good book or watching a movie extremely relaxing; and, yes, I watch college basketball whenever I can! My crazy addiction is watching Ax Men and Swamp Loggers on television. I also try and support Special Olympics Maine and Maine Children's Cancer Program by raising money, attending events and volunteering my time to help out with those charities.

5. What was your most memorable moment(s) as a member of the women's basketball team at the University of Southern Maine? What attracted you to attend USM??

I have several memorable moments, but definitely the first Final Four appearance was amazing, playing in the national championship game; I'd give anything to have won that game! Beating one of our biggest rivals, Bowdoin, at home in the NCAA tournament, breaking the record for 20 consecutive 20-win seasons, and losing only seven games during my USM career playing for Coach Fifield are other fond memories. Personally, being Player of the Month for Division III, ESPN the Magazine Academic All America Player of the Year for the CoSIDA College Division, Kodak All American for two consecutive years, and getting 1000 points-1000 rebounds were also gratifying.

I was attracted to USM simply because of their winning tradition! The potential to play and possibly win a national championship game was by far the greatest with USM. I was also attracted to USM because it was Division III which allowed for balance between school, basketball and still being able to have a life outside. After transferring from a Division I school on a full scholarship for volleyball, the idea of being able to have a life outside of hoops and spend holidays with my family was extremely important to me. Coach Fifield’s winning record and phenomenal recruiting skills made my decision pretty easy. I wanted to be a contender for a national championship and play for a phenomenal coach so USM was the school to go.

6. Being a pageant contestant and basketball official is an interesting combination.

Ha-ha...yes, it sure is. Prior to placing in the Top 8 at Miss USA, it seemed more of a fit being a basketball player turned into official. It's shocking how many people knew about me competing in Miss USA and their support was awesome!  It’s business during games, so there isn't much of a conversation but usually someone mentions it. I have to laugh at the irony of it all, but I've always tried to be very versatile growing up; I was definitely my Mom’s girl and my Dad’s boy. I grew up in an area where hunting, fishing and outdoor activities were a big deal, and I truly loved those things. But the next weekend, I could be lacing up my sneakers and hair in a ponytail, or putting on a dress and heels and competiting in a pageant. I definitely know that being a college basketball player and playing at a very high level under pressure and through adversity, gave me the mental toughness I needed while at Miss USA. It also has helped me tremendously on the court officiating games. I love to officiate big games, working the competitive matchups with enthusiastic fans!

7. What's the most rewarding and toughest thing about being an official?

The most rewarding thing about being an official for me, is giving back to the game that gave me countless opportunities and phenomenal memories. For me, it’s calling a consistent, good game where I hustled on every play and was able to feel that I gave both teams the best game I could give them. I find myself preparing for each and every game, just as I did as a player; I have my rituals, my mental preparation and making sure I am as ready and focused as I can be going into every game. The toughest thing initially was learning the difference between a two- and three-person crew, the mechanics and not watching the game but my primary coverage area. The other tough thing about being an official is that not everyone is going to like your calls...but that's part of being an official. You have to have tough skin and be able to roll with the punches (not literally :)). I absolutely love big crowds and close games. Officiating for me is something I am extremely passionate about and has literally become therapeutic for me. I hope to continue with it and eventually make it my career.