"When I started out as a referee, I started in boxing. It didn't feel right, but I was trying to force it. One day, I was at the gym and I was helping a heavyweight boxer prepare for an upcoming bout and in the next ring was Ken Shamrock's Lions Den. I was trained in Martial Arts, new the rules, and Ken was gracious enough to let me in with his guys while they were training. He told them not to take it easy on me because I had to learn how to stay out of the way. That is where I learned my movement. I was going from one ring to the next and it was very clear to me at that point what the right place for me was. I finished training with the boxer, but never did another boxing match after that. I was made for MMA. I stayed with the Lion's Den and worked with Ken Shamrock Productions as an amateur referee," stated mixed martial arts referee Kim Winslow, who talked about how she got her start in the sport and much more. Check it out!
PC: How are you doing Kim?
KW: I am well, thank you.
PC: I gotta ask you, what do your prefight hand gestures mean?
KW: I was inspired to become a referee because of Mills Lane, who was a well-known boxing referee. I have a great deal of respect for him and his sons, Terry and Tommy Lane, told me it would mean a great deal to Mills if I would adopt the same hand gesture that he used before starting his fights. It is very personal and a private message that I send out to him before each fight.
PC: I'm ashamed that I didn't pick up on that being from Mills. I understand you have done some training in martial arts. Could you give us a little background on the levels of training you have had?
KW: I started training in my first art form back in 1991 with Tae Kwon Do. This was prior to the UFC even coming to fruition in 1993. I watched from UFC 1 on and decided to modernize my training and switched to The Reno Academy of Combat and The Charles Gracie School of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the same time. I studied Muay Thai, Grappling, Kickboxing, Street Fighting, BJJ at one school and just Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the other. I have taken a little Capoeira, Krav Maga, Basic Judo, and continue to look for anything new or different that comes into MMA. MMA is constantly evolving and even though I may no longer be able to be a permanent student, it does not mean I cannot study or learn a new submission or moves.
PC: You are truly the only female in a male dominated arena. Is that difficult at times or have you grown accustomed to it?
KW: Let me correct you. I used to be the only female, but I am proud to say that there are ladies that are brave enough to follow me into this domain. Danielle Curzon is the first female ref in the U.K., Michelle Browning is the first female in Texas, Katrina Belcher from Tennessee is the second female referee in the world, and Donna Atchison from Indiana joined the rest of us last year.
PC: That is pretty cool that you know them all. It has to be encouraging to be a trendsetter and see other women get involved in the sport.
KW: I love seeing women get involved in this sport, regardless of how. I love this sport and seeing them enjoy this sport, whether as a ring girl, promoter, time keeper, trainer, fighter, cutman, or doctor, it does not matter. I just want them to know they can do whatever they want to do regardless of their gender. Do not let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do!
PC: Obviously Mills Lane had a major influence on you wanting to become a ref. Was it a tough process being that you are a female?
KW: I missed being an Air Traffic Controller. The adrenaline, stimulation, challenging, never knowing what was going to happen and when, enforcing rules, safety regulation, that was a job that was made for me. When I started out as a referee, I started in boxing. It didn't feel right, but I was trying to force it. One day, I was at the gym and I was helping a heavyweight boxer prepare for an upcoming bout and in the next ring was Ken Shamrock's Lions Den. I was trained in Martial Arts, new the rules, and Ken was gracious enough to let me in with his guys while they were training. He told them not to take it easy on me because I had to learn how to stay out of the way. That is where I learned my movement. I was going from one ring to the next and it was very clear to me at that point what the right place for me was. I finished training with the boxer, but never did another boxing match after that. I was made for MMA. I stayed with the Lion's Den and worked with Ken Shamrock Productions as an amateur referee.
PC: You have taken a lot of heat in the past for your officiating. How do you deal with the scrutiny and does it bother you?
KW: I knew going in that, being the first female in a male dominated profession, I was going to get the fish bowl effect. I had a choice: let it destroy me or rise above it. I choose to stand tall and proud. I can't please everyone and I am human. I will make mistakes and all I can do is try to make them as minimal as possible. I do not go on the forums and read the negative, mean-spirited things people choose to right. They are keyboard warriors that treat people as if they have no soul or feelings. I find it sad that this is all they have.
PC: Have you ever been intimidated in there, because you really have a tough job?
KW: No. I signed up for this. This is what I find challenging. The tough part for me is the spotlight. I am a rather shy person. I want everyone to focus on the fighter, not on me. I thought initially there would be a bit of notice, then people would no longer care. When people come up to me and call my name, I feel I should know them. That is the tough part.
PC: You mentioned you were an air traffic control specialist. What was that like?
KW: Hours of boredom filled with moments of sheer terror.
PC: What are some of the things that you enjoy doing outside of the Octagon, and do you watch MMA outside of the days you have to work it or is it strictly a job for you?
KW: I really treasure my personal life and don't really want to share that. I do watch MMA because I am a fan of the sport and I learn from others by watching as well, so I get to watch something I love and it's continuing education. When I consider it strictly a job is when I think it's time for me to go on to something else. I only do things I love, therefore you never Work a day in your life.
PC: Fair enough. I really want to wish you the best of luck. I understand the level of difficulty that your job can bring and I think you hold your own very well. Is there anything else you would like to say before I let you go?
KW: I would like to say that most fighters that I deal with are very respectful and professional. They are highly trained athletes and it's insulting to assume they are going to go crazy doing something they have trained so hard to do. I have never had a problem with a fighter refusing to stop when told to. Give them more respect than that!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]