Sharing Saturday
I am bawling as I am watching now-Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn win the women's downhill race. Until two weeks ago, when she graced the cover of my favorite brain candy, People Magazine, I had never heard of Lindsey. Now I'm cheering her on, secretly hoping that her German and Swiss rivals crash (the Swiss one did and now I feel guilty) and am eagerly waiting for NBC to show the medal ceremony so I can really wallow.
Honestly, I don't really care about the Olympics. I never watched them as a child. My parents were not at all interested in sports, and they sneered at anything that was so prosaic that millions of Americans would watch it on tv -- even the incredulous, other-worldly athletic ability on display at the Olympics. So I had never given them much thought.
But I married a sports nut. And I am raising three children who are all interested in sports, both as players and as spectators. It's a foreign world for me, and it takes all strength not to allow my ingrained disdain for sports, especially televised sports, ruin my family's pleasure.
The thing that these Olympics are sending home for me, however, is my utter gratitude for Title IX. I was nine-years-old in 1972, the year that the Title IX was enacted, which stated that "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..." Up until that point, girls and sports were, for the most part, an afterthought, if not incompatable. And woefully underfunded. You had to be a real athlete to overcome the bias against women and girls in sports.
My memories of gym class in elementary school consist of standing in straight lines stepping sideways to the Alley Cat, and playing dodge ball, may it rest in peace. Junior high school was spent dreading gym days, when we were forced to don burgundy and white gym suits, complete with elastic waistbands separating the striped tops and the plain burgundy shorts, along with the lovely matching tube socks. I would pray for "that time of the month" (as the gym teachers called it) so that I could sit on the sidelines of rope climbing, basketball and the absolute nadir of my gym experience, softball, where Erin Maloney's ratted hair and cracking gum would mock me every time I was up at bat or tried to run. A forward-thinking high school thankfully offered me the opportunity to take only dance classes for my gym credits.
I grew up in Brooklyn and did not play on any sports teams. Nor did any of my friends. I'm not sure there were any teams to join had I wanted to. I had no one who encouraged me to think about sports or athletics in any way. I think this was a combination of parental indifference, societal expectations and poorly developed physical education curricula.
But Title IX changed the landscape, and my daughter is a willing and happy participant in this new world order. She has played soccer for four seasons on a wonderfully diverse team of girls, a number of whom are moving onto a more competitive league this spring. While her soccer skills were pretty average, she always enjoyed being with her friends and teammates and has definitely improved over the years. Then this winter she tried basketball, and I believe she has found her game. Not surprising, given that it is her dad's game and the game of choice for both her brothers as well.
This evening, she made my jaw drop, when she agreed to try softball this spring. She has been convinced that she doesn't like softball, but after gentle encouragement she is willing to try. She is also planning to join the swim team at our neighborhood pool this summer, and plans to go to soccer and basketball camp. No lanyard making for her.
I am beside myself with delight. Although my athletic prowess is pretty much non-existent and I have little interest in the games, there is nothing more exciting to me than watching my 10-year-old daughter and her friends tear up the soccer field or race down the basketball court. They are strong and they are unafraid. They are beautiful, bright stars in the universe as they learn to assist each other and compete with each other, both invaluable life lessons.
This is what Title IX has wrought. Girls now have equal access to a kind of learning I did not have growing up. They are learning the wisdom of sports, the thrill of competition, the desire to win. They are learning about the resiliency of their bodies, and how to isolate the right muscle for the right move. They are learning about having fun together while being good teammates and good friends. They don’t have to be stellar athletes to enjoy and participate in sports.
I am so grateful for all of this. I am grateful for Lindsey Vonn being a role model for my daughter. I am grateful that my daughter will be entering middle school and thinks trying out for a team is a natural extension of her learning. I am grateful that she has friends whose moms and dads are feverishly encouraging of their girls' sports teams, and I get to cheer along with them as our daughters become athletes.
But most of all, I am grateful for the end of those burgundy and white gym suits.
Burgundy and white does sounds kind of awful. Maybe if the gym suits had been, say, orange and royal blue, like the Knicks' uniforms... :)
Posted by: Patrick | Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 06:31 PM
Do you dance around the house to "I Feel the Earth Move?"
Posted by: Scott | Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 08:37 AM