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Title IX Celebrates 50 Years
Federal mandate proves to be major booster of PCH female athletics
Alyssa Ahrens, Tom Schaefer, and Shelby Devlin cheer on the Colts volleyball team. Photo by Christine Stricker.
February 1, 2023
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the government mandate that commonly translates to federally funded girls’ sports programs.
“Our male and female programs are going to receive the same budget when it comes to materials they need, transportation, paying coaches, and everything else that has to do with sports,” new athletic director Eric Schroer said.
“I feel like I can say with 100% confidence that the coaches of our female programs here prepare themselves just as well and take things just as seriously as the coaches of our male programs. That’s something that I’m very proud of,” Schroer said. “Title IX has kind of paved the way.” Our athletic director isn’t the only one who notices the benefits. Junior Kaitlyn King has been a part of both the soccer and basketball programs for three years.
“Instead of looking over at the men’s sports teams and thinking that I wish I could receive the same opportunities as them, I am receiving those opportunities,” junior Kaitlyn King said. Her experience varies from that of her older relatives as well.
“My mom, when she played sports in high school and college, was at the very beginning of Title IX. She was receiving those benefits, but very little because they were still being built up and introduced,” King explained.
Although we’ve come a long way, there is still room for improvement when looking at equality for girl’s sports.
“Our boy’s sports competitions are currently attended at higher rate than our girls,” Schroer said. “I think the best way to attack this problem is to get students involved. We want to understand why this is happening, what we can do to fix it, and get perspectives that vary from athletic directors or administrators.”
King agrees, saying “We’re pretty good technically but I think we have a long way to go socially. If you say you’re going to the basketball game tonight, most people would assume you’re talking about the boy’s game. It would help if we could change our mindset.”
Still, many of our female athletics found success in 2022. Parkway Central picked up a state title in track and a district championship in volleyball. In addition to excellent coaches, athletes, and programs, the success can be attributed to what King believes is a key benefit of Title IX.
“It’s about the confidence it brings girls. It’s great for them to see that their programs are equally as valued.” King said.
For the full story check out “Title IX at PCH” on PCHTV’s Youtube channel.
