WOMEN IN SPORTS
Women's role in the history of sports began long before the other focuses of this story, and is still growing rapidly today.
For centuries, only certain sports were open to women and most of them had restrictions. The Olympics was strictly off limits. Monumental strides were made over eleven hundred years to change that.
In 776 B.C., No girls were allowed at the first Olympics held in Ancient Greece, but the Games of Hera', featuring foot races for women, were held every four years
In 396 B.C., Kyniska, a Spartan Princess, won an Olympic Chariot Race, but was banned from collecting her prize in person.
In 1406, Dame Juliana Berners, of Great Britain, wrote the first known essay on Sports Fishing, "Treatise of Fishing With An Angle", described how to make a rod and flies, when to fish, and the many types of fishing.
In 1552 - 1587, Mary Queen of Scots, was said to be the first woman golfer. She was also the one who coined the term "Caddy". During her reign, the famous St. Andrews Golf Course was built.
The 1700's brought us Sarah Kemble-Knight on her solo journey on horseback from Boston to New York. The diary of her travels, "The Journey of Madame Knight," was published in 1825, over one hundred years after her death. Other milestones in the 1700's included: The first woman fighter entering the boxing rig; three days of horse racing in Hempstead Plains, Long Island, including an event for women riders; ad the first solo balloon flight by a woman.
The 1800's gave us: Women Jockeys, Balloonists, Tight Rope Walkers and Lacrosse players. Women began writing books and Fitness Manuals. A new style of dress emerged, which included pants for women (which was previously unheard of). Croquet became the first game played by men and women.
Vassar College opened a school of physical training with training in Swimming, Boating, Riding, Gardening, Skating and Physical Education. Vassar went on to present the first two all women Amateur Baseball Teams.
Pikes Peak in Colorado, Mt. Hood in Oregon, Mt. Rainer in Washington, and, the 14,256 Foot Long Peak in Colorado were all climbed by women. Cycle Races, Rowing Matches, Tennis, Cricket, Roller Skating, Boxing, Archery, Tennis, Bicycle Riding and Rifle Shooting, Ice Hockey, Gymnastics, Volley Ball, Bowling, Baseball and Ping Pong teams became open to women.
The 1900's brought women competing in the Olympics, and with that, the first female Tennis Champion of international renown. Women began making aviator debuts, founding and attending flight school and flying over the English Channel, Diving and Wall Scaling by women became popular in the early 1900s.
Madge Syers, of Britain, entered the all male 1902, Figure Skating World Championship and placed second. This victory caused officials to ban women from the championships until 1908, when a separate ladies event was held.
Eleanor Roosevelt made history when she enrolled in The Junior League of New York, where she taught Calisthenics and Dancing to immigrants.
In the years that followed, women made history in: Aviation, Diving, Motorcycle Riding, Trap Shooting and Horse Pitching.
An Air Jumping Technique Demonstration was held in San Diego, California June 21st, 1913, for the United States Army by Georgia "Tiny" Broadwick, during which she pulled her release manually, becoming the first person to make an intentional free fall parachute jump from an airplane.
In 1921, Pheobe Fairgrave, became the first woman to hold a government aviation post, serving as a technical adviser to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
On April 20th, 1930, Anne Morrow Lindburgh, seven months pregnant, joined her husband, Charles, on a transcontinental fight from Los Angeles, to New York. They set a speed record of 14 hours and 45 minutes.
In 1931, Baseball Commissioner Judge Kenasaw Mountain Landis, banned women from baseball. (A ban that lasted until 1992), after 17 year old pitcher Virne Beatrice "Jackie" Mitchell, struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, in an 'Exhibition Game" for the Chattanooga Lookouts.
In 1950, Babe Didrikson Zaharis, was named "Woman Athlete of the Half Century: by an AP poll for her outstanding performances in golf, basketball, baseball, javelin, tennis, diving, bowling, 80 meter hurdles, shot-put, high jump and discus. She won the LPGA's first season, setting a record for women's sports earnings.
In 1965, Donna De Varona, a 1964 Olympic Swimmer, became the first woman Sport Broadcaster on National TV for ABC. She is also the founder of the Women's Sports Foundation.
In 1972, Congress passed Title IX, of the Educational Amendments of 1972. No person in the U.S. shall on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied, the benefits of. or be subject to discrimination under any education program or activities receiving Federal financial assistance." When President Nixon signed the act, July 23, about 31,000 women were involved in college sports; spending on athletic scholarships for women was less than $100,000 with the average number of women's teams at a college 2 to 1 ratio.
In 1973, Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in the infamous "Battle Of The Sexes Match."
In 1981, Betty Ellis became the first woman to officiate at a professional Soccer match. In 1991, The NCAA elected Judith Sweet as its first woman president.
The 21st Century has brought us so many great women athletes: Doris Haddock, Anne Bancroft, Jill Bakken, Vonetta Flowers, Sarah Hughes, Pat Summitt, Sonja Henie, Michelle Kwan, Peggy Flemming, Ellen MacArthur, Epiphanny Price, Effa Manley, Marion Jones, Jackie Joyner Kearsy. Florence Griffith, Jennifer Capriati, Venus and Serena Williams, and Annika Sorenstam. There are so many more women who have made an impact in the world of sports - too many to mention all of them without filling an entire newspaper, let alone one article, but they are too important to forget.