Being on the field just doesn’t get stale for Lynn Burnes Bowers, being inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in January as a truly great official.
After a successful playing career at Penn State, it didn’t take Bowers long to realize that she needed to find a new outlet for her love of the game. Many former players gravitate to coaching. Bowers did some of that also, but found her true calling as a game official.
“I love the thrill of the game and the excitement of being on the field and being involved,” Bowers said. “My excitement actually starts from when the assignor gives us our games, and then from being with my colleagues and preparing to be on the field.”
Given her attention to detail and her propensity for organization, keeping games safe and fair by enforcing the rules of play seemed like a natural calling. After earning her initial Local rating as a women’s game official in 1992, Bowers began moving up the ranks and has been recognized as one of the best in the nation over the past two decades.
As evidence of that, she has worked 11 NCAA Division I national championship games and 18 Division I semifinal games. She has also served as the lead official for championship games in the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, CAA, and Ivy League, among others. More recently, she is one of the small number of officials working in Athletes Unlimited, the women’s professional league.
Those who know her best say there’s a clear reason that Bowers is among the elite.
“She's competitive, and she’s brought that forward into the officiating world,” said Ericka Leslie, a 2021 Hall of Fame inductee who frequently works alongside Bowers in marquee games each season. “She's driven to be the best. She's never lost that competitive desire.”
Leslie notes that working a great game starts well before arriving at the field for Bowers.
“For Lynn, everything starts days before our assignment,” Leslie said. “Lynn is the organizer. She always has a plan for where we need to go, and she started that weeks before. And then on the plane ride or car ride, it's always prepping the whole time. During the entire trip, she's throwing game scenarios at us. She's got great knowledge of the game.”
Bowers has always felt that sharing her knowledge is an unselfish way to help make all of her colleagues better. That’s why, through the years, she has accepted leadership positions in both the Collegiate Women's Lacrosse Officiating Association (CWLOA) and the Philadelphia Women’s Lacrosse Umpires Association (PWLUA), and has served in training and mentoring roles for women’s lacrosse officials at all levels. Bowers has also been a frequent presenter at the USA Lacrosse Convention.
“I know I have benefitted from somebody paying it forward to me by sharing their knowledge, so I want to do the same by sharing my expertise with others,” Bowers said. “We need to go through the scenarios of ‘what if this happens’, and how are we going to manage that?”
It's all part of the process of being mentally as well as physically prepared for each game.
“For her, it's about constant communication,” Leslie said. “She just helps benefit us all in that way. She always just brings it for every game.”
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Tickets are now on sale for the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, hosted by USA Lacrosse on Saturday, January 6 at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. All tickets must be purchased online in advance and include open bar, hors d'oeuvres, dinner, and dessert. The event begins with a cocktail reception, sponsored by Axia Time at 5 p.m.
