A salute to the first Lena-Winslow High School Girls’ Basketball Team
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the landmark law, on the 23rd of each month this year, I’ll write about trailblazers who opened doors for the next generation.
Title IX was signed into law on June 23, 1972. It reads:
No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
In the fall of 1975, during my freshman year of high school, we learned a girls’ basketball team was starting. The first year we had one coach who taught a couple dozen eager teenagers how to play the game.
Our only role models set the bar
While we freshmen and sophomores learned the basics, the first varsity team won all six games the first year. The next year they won all 12 conference games. After winning the first game of the Regional, the program saw its first loss ever in the second game.
A few of the girls on the varsity team had played basketball at the park, often with boys, but none of them had played organized basketball. Our coach, Marvin Kaiser, taught them how to improve their skills and run a variety of offenses and defenses.
Women’s college basketball was not televised, and I certainly never saw a game in person. The girls on our first varsity team were our only role models, and they set the bar high for the rest of us. While compiling a record of 19-1, they showed us what can happen with hard work and determination.
And Title IX showed us what can happen when people have opportunity. Yes, we learned how to play the game. But we also learned about ourselves. And we learned what it means to be part of a team. I’m sure every woman who played on the first high school girls’ teams in the 1970s has her own memories and lessons learned.
Me with our coach, Marv Kaiser, during a timeout
Last year I wrote about Why Title IX is important to me. For me, the chance to play made a huge impact on the person, friend, spouse, mother, and coworker I became. My life story would be much different if I had not had the opportunity to play, to observe the varsity team, and to learn from my own teammates.
That is why my book, 50 Years in the Bleachers—What modern sports parents can learn from a Title IX pioneer, is rooted in my experience, the values I learned, and benefits I got from playing sports for just four years.
I’m getting close to announcing a sale date. Watch for my cover reveal next week!
Photo by Larry Nelson