Title IX opens many doors at Green River

On June 23rd 1973, Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink wrote a law known as title IX that explained that no one could be excluded from any school program based on gender. Since it was written, Title IX has led to a high increase in female athletes in colleges like Green River.
Since women’s sports first came to Green River in 1976, the male/female ratio for Green River athletes has skyrocketed to 51 percent of the athletic population being male and 49 percent of the athletic population being female. That’s 1 percent away from being even.
Whether it is noticed or not, Title IX continues to provide more athletic opportunities for all students. In the last four years alone, the male/female student athlete ratio for Green River jumped from being 61 percent male and 39 percent female in the 2005-06 school year to being 51 percent male and 49 percent female in the 2008-09 school year.
“Title IX certainly opened the athletic playing field to give women more opportunity to play competitive sports,” says Green River athletic director Bob Kickner “All students should take the chance to get more involved in extracurricular activities. Being part of a team and pushing yourself physically helps you to find out more about yourself. Sports are educational, artistic, and original. Every practice, every game, every play is a new piece of work that is different from every other one.”
But women didn’t always have to equality they do now.
“I was there in the beginning when women’s sports were first allowed,” says Dennis Olson, head coach of the Green River women’s basketball team “The women’s basketball team had half of the gym to use for an hour and a half, which they had to share with the men’s JV basketball team. They didn’t want the women’s sports programs to “interfere” with the men’s sports programs. I really had to fight to get semi- equality for the female players. But now, everything seems pretty even. There are no major inequalities that I can see.”
“What you endure is who you are….Life doesn’t have to be unfair.” Said Patsy T. Mink regarding Title IX and women’s rights. Because Patsy T. Mink didn’t endure the gender inequality that was happening in the U.S. at the time, women all over the U.S., women in Green River, now have the freedom to participate in what can be considered by some to be one of the most amazing experiences of an academic career.
 

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