Feb. 15, 2008
This feature is one of many that can be read on the Patriot League website throughout the month of February - a month the Patriot League designates to promote and highlight women in sports. The following story appeared in the Patriot League's Women in Sports magazine.
Visit the Patriot League's Celebrating Women in Sports webpage by clicking here. This page was launched last year and has been updated with some new items for 2008. The Celebrating Women in Sports webpage includes eight different links that will allow the user to read about the many accomplishments of the women in the Patriot League, while also serving to promote girls and women in sport. Highlights of this webpage are the Patriot League Celebrating Women in Sports magazine and photo gallery.
Compliance Corner
Each person in an athletic department plays a role in shaping the lives of its student-athletes. One such person at each institution is the compliance officer. The job of a compliance officer is to interpret and enforce NCAA rules that affect student-athletes each day. This person is an integral part of the student-athlete experience and serves as a role model. So isn't it great that the diverse student-athlete population at Navy has a female administrator in this role to look up to - Loretta Lamar.
"My favorite part of my job is the interactions I have with student-athletes," explained Lamar. "I do my job to ensure that my student-athletes are having a good experience. So, those regular check-ins, `laugh-ins' and workout sessions that I get with them are the best."
Lamar is the Associate Director of Athletics at the U.S. Naval Academy and holds the title of Senior Woman Administrator. The Stanford graduate serves on the Continuing Eligibility Subcommittee of the NCAA Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet. She is also a member of the Maryland Bar, receiving her Juris Doctorate from the University of Oregon.
These accomplishments are commendable for anyone, but are even more impressive for a female minority in the world of college athletics.
"I think athletics is a difficult field for females, and to an extent for minorities," said Lamar. "I have worked hard for the successes that I have. But as a female, I think you sometimes have to prove yourself each day and show those who don't feel that you can do it that you can and that you are smart enough, you know what you are talking about and that you aren't going to budge and act without integrity."
Lamar's educational path was not originally pointed in the direction of compliance. When enrolled at Stanford, she had her heart set on becoming a city planner and received her bachelor's degree in applied earth science. A year-long internship at the Pac-10 Conference after graduation is where Lamar fell in love with compliance.
"My first task there [at the Pac-10] was to renumber the NCAA Manual from the old numbering system to the current system we use. In essence, I read the entire NCAA Manual. Of course, it was a lot smaller then," noted Lamar. "Then I did a few other compliance projects and was hooked."
When asked if it was difficult to get a start in the world of college athletics as a minority female, she referred to her time at the Pac-10 Conference.
"I was fortunate in that I got a great start with a wonderful conference," she said. "Christine Hoyles, the Associate Commissioner at the Pac-10, gave me a start and I learned from everyone at the office."
So what would an accomplished woman who runs the compliance program at one of the most rigorous and prestigious NCAA Division I institutions tell a female minority who wants to get her foot in the door?
"Get a good education, build your foundation and find a few people you respect," explained Lamar. "Talk to them, listen to what they have to say and follow the advice. Above all, don't let yourself get pigeon-holed into too fine a role, keep your options open."
