Sept. 19, 2002

BY JERAMY YOUNG
UNLV Sports Information

Senior Lora Crammer has two passions: the open air of the soccer field and the open space of blank walls and canvas.

Her on-field talent is not in question. As a native Las Vegan, playing at UNLV became a goal for her as soon as the school announced it would start a women's program in 1998. As an inaugural team member, she has seen the team grow and improve over the past five years.

Her decision to redshirt during her freshman year is not one she regrets. The chance to play on this year's team more than makes up for the year she spent on the sidelines. Playing in her hometown has been what she describes as a "wonderful experience." She even has her own fan club. Lora's immediate family not only attends every home game, but makes the out of town trips to as many of the team's away games as possible, which turns out to be almost all of them.

Though she has solidified her place on the team, Lora doesn't plan to play competitive soccer after she graduates this spring. Instead of trying out for the WUSA, she will return to Bishop Gorman High School, her alma mater, and get a look at soccer from the other side of the game as an assistant coach to long-time head coach Victor Arbelaez.

Her second passion has usually been forced to take a back seat to soccer, but has been prevalent in Lora's life as far back as she can remember. Since the first grade, Lora has been a doodler. So much so that it almost caused her some trouble early on in school. "I thought I'd really angered my teacher," she said of being caught one day, while scribbling pictures instead of paying attention. But instead of berating her in front of the class, her teacher held up the drawing for all to see. The attention was now paid to little Lora Crammer.

But art goes even deeper into Lora than that, it's in her blood. Both of her parents are artists and Lora and her mother occasionally collaborate on projects, including a mural of an airplane-filled sky for a little boy's bedroom last summer. It only seemed natural that with an artist heritage and her habit of sketching and doodling that Lora chose to major in art at UNLV.

Her main focus is on murals because, "there's always something new." Each project let's her explore, experiment and express herself creatively. She has interned with local businesses and hopes to work as a muralist upon graduation. But, Lora also finds portraits to be very fulfilling.

"I get to capture the expressions and uniqueness of each individual." she said. "It may sound clich?, but everyone is different and it's the little differences that make us all interesting."

Lora does not keep her two interests separate. While some may say she plays the game with a sense of art, she has brought her love of the game into her art. Some of her creations include an armored plexi-glass soccer ball and an intimate scene of soccer players finally achieving a moment of peace.

It appears that life not only imitates art. For this young lady, life yields art.

Artwork by Lora Crammer