rts the day at her second job

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BEREA, Ohio - Sarah Thomas starts the day at her second job by tucking her long blond hair inside her cap, so she doesnt get noticed. On a football field, thats impossible. Thomas doesnt consider herself a pioneer, just "one of the guys." But as one of two female officials in the NFLs officiating development program, Thomas has a chance to break barriers in a male-dominated profession. This week, Thomas, a former college basketball player, current college official and mother of three whose full-time job is as pharmaceutical sales representative, worked with a crew of officials during Browns mini-camp. Like the players, she worked on improving her skills and honing her craft. One day, she hopes to be on the field with the pros. But not because of her gender. "I am a female, but I dont look at myself as just a female," she said. "I look at myself as an official." Thomas began her officiating career in 1996, when an NFL scout spotted her working a high school game. From there, she joined Conference USA and was invited to join the NFLs developmental program, now in its second year. Thomas worked some training camps and preseason games last season. The next step is a regular-season game, and the earliest that can happen is 2015. Its not her call, so to speak, but Thomas believes shes ready. If this week was any indication, Thomas could be on her way. "Shes done a good job," Browns coach Mike Pettine said after practice Thursday. Pettine believes its time for the league to welcome female officials. "If shes efficient and good at what she does, I have no issues with it," Pettine said. "I think the best compliment somebody paid to her was when someone said, What did you think of the female official? And they said, Theres a female official out here? I thought she was on point." Browns cornerback Joe Haden joked that Thomas was a little whistle happy. "She was calling everything," Haden said, smiling. "I couldnt snap on her. I was chilling." Thomas said her goal is to blend in. She doesnt want to stand out because of her sex — or worse, because shes not competent. Shes dedicated to being a solid, fair and mostly unseen, which is why she pulls her hair up under her cap. Still, sometimes players do a double take when they see her on the field. "I think sometimes they go What is that?" she said. "Yes, I do tuck my hair and at first I really wasnt too sure why. But I get it. We dont want to be noticed and anything I can do to blend in — I like it when I leave the field and people go I told you that was a girl." Thomas has two boys and an 18-month-old girl. She said her sons are most interested in her nabbing some NFL attire or autographs, "I cant do that," she said. Her children have never thought about their mom being anything other than an official, so they dont really grasp that she could make history as the NFLs first female official. "They just know mom officiates and its nothing foreign to them or pioneering or anything," she said. "I do this." ___ AP NFL website www.pro32.ap.org Zapatillas Baratas España Online . The Austrian ski federation said Morgenstern was "conscious and well responsive" and his condition would be monitored in the intensive care unit of a Salzburg hospital for the next 72 hours. The federation said it was "way too early" to judge Morgensterns chances of competing in Sochi, and that an update on his condition was not expected before Monday. Zapatillas España Baratas Online . Webb birdied the 18th hole to take the outright lead, then watched as Choi, who shot a course-record 62 on Saturday to take a share of the third-round lead, pushed a 10-foot putt wide of the hole at 18 to miss the chance for a playoff. http://www.barataszapatillas.es/. The Oilers will try to get back in the win column on Monday when they continue a four-game road trip with a battle against the Buffalo Sabres. Edmonton won its third straight game last Wednesday against visiting San Jose, beating the Sharks 3-0 as Scrivens stopped 59 shots to set an NHL record for saves in a regular-season shutout. Zapatillas Baratas Outlet . Calgary finished atop the CFL standings with a 14-4 record and earned the right to host the West Division final at McMahon Stadium on Nov. Zapatillas Baratas Online . They showered him with "MVP! MVP!" chants. In many ways, it seemed like hed never been gone.Omaha, NE - Austin Chatman scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half as Creighton rallied for a 65-63 upset of No. 18 Oklahoma on Wednesday night. The Bluejays (3-0) used a 24-4 run to erase an 18-point deficit early in the second half. They took the lead for good with 49 seconds remaining when Zach Hanson caught Devin Brooks baseline airball on the other side of the basket and put it in. Brooks missed two free throws with four seconds left and a chance to put the game away but Jordan Woodards running 3-pointer at the buzzer for Oklahoma came up short. Buddy Hield had 21 points to lead the Sooners (1-1) and TaShawn Thomas scored 14. Ryan Spangler added 11 points and 11 rebounds in the loss, but had just three of each in the second half. Final Score: (2) Arizona 71, UC Irvine 54 Tucson, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Rondae Hollis-Jefferson brought McKale Center to life with a highlight reel jam early in the second half to jumpstart No. 2 Arizona after a lethargic start, and the Wildcats used a dominant final 10 minutes to run away from UC Irvine, 71-54. Hollis-Jefferson, widely considered the best sixth man in the nation and a first-round pick in next years NBA draft should be declare, injected some life into Arizona at the 14:57 mark of the second half. Trailing by three, Stanley Johnson drove baseline and dished to a cutting Hollis-Jefferson, who rose up and threw down a lefty slam over 7-foot-6 center Mamadou Ndiaye. The Wildcats outscored Irvine 35-17 from there. Hollis-Jefferson scored a game-high 19 points, T.ddddddddddddJ. McConnell filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, nine rebounds and six steals and Johnson posted his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Arizona (3-0) trailed by 29-26 at halftime before outscoring the visiting Anteaters (2-1) by 20 in the second half. Final Score: (3) Wisconsin 84, Green Bay 60 Madison, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Frank Kaminsky had 20 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks as No. 3 Wisconsin rolled to an 84-60 win over Green Bay on Wednesday night. Nigel Hayes posted 25 points and 11 boards, while Sam Dekker netted 19 points for the Badgers (3-0), who have won their first three games by a combined 99 points. Keifer Sykes led the Horizon Leagues Phoenix (1-1) with 20 points. Final Score: (13) Gonzaga 94, Saint Josephs 42 Spokane, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - Gary Bell, Jr. led five players in double figures with 18 points as No. 13 Gonzaga decimated Saint Josephs by a 94-42 count on Wednesday. Josh Perkins picked up 13 points, while Domantas Sabonis registered 10 points with 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs (3-0), who will next face St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday in the next round of the NIT Season Tip- Off. Byron Wesley added 12 points and six assists, with Przemek Karnowski pouring in 11 with eight boards to help fuel the rout. Aaron Brown posted 14 points for the Hawks (1-2), who have to wait until Saturday to square off against Vermont and erase the memory of the worst loss in program history. ' ' '