Athletics

Yesterday would have been historic regardless of the winner: it was the first time women boxed for gold in the Olympics. But that the US boxer Claressa Shields won the first gold made it even more historic. A middleweight boxer from Flint, Michigan, Chelsea beat two-time world champion Anna Laurell of Sweden and Russia’s Nadezda Torlopova. Oh, and did I mention she’s only 17? She is the youngest to win boxing gold (men included) since 1924.

This year is the first time the US sent more women than men to compete in the Olympics. Thanks to Title IX, American girls and women like Claressa have had more opportunities to participate in sports. The rising number of women playing for and winning gold is a reflection of Title IX’s success. Though there’s still more work to be done, Title IX and the domination of Team U.S.A.’s women in London can be celebrated together. Read more »

I got a text message from my friend Amani last night. Our conversation went like this:

We then got into a friendly disagreement about football. (Being friends with a Giants fan is really tough when you’re an Eagles fan.)

I think all of here at NWLC are pretty bummed that the Olympics are coming to a close – especially because Team USA’s women have been doing so well. We’re pretty giddy about the Title IX Olympics! Some of us have even been diligently avoiding Olympics results spoilers so we can watch in full suspense during primetime every night.

We’ve also been sharing a lot of animated GIFs with each other of some of our favorite Olympic moments. So I thought, why not give a slightly early close out to the Olympics on our blog with some of those GIFs?

Megan Rapinoe after the US Women’s Soccer team took gold, via @SBNationGif

The Second Circuit has confirmed that Quinnipiac University ran afoul of Title IX when it dropped the women’s volleyball team and tried to count the competitive cheerleading team as a sport under Title IX. That doesn’t mean cheer isn’t a great activity or that it’s not athletic; it simply means that cheer is not developed enough at this point to qualify as a varsity sport under U.S. Department of Education guidelines. The court held that cheer did not qualify as a varsity sport because it did not walk and talk like other varsity sports. The cheer team did not conduct any off-campus recruiting, did not compete solely against other varsity teams, and had no progressive playoff system in the post season.

The other big issue the court addressed involves the standards for complying with prong one of Title IX’s three-part participation test. Following Department of Education policy, the court held that QU’s 3.62% gap between female enrollment and participation—which amounted to 38 additional spots needed to provide women with proportional opportunities—was large enough to field an additional women’s team and therefore did not constitute compliance. Read more »

Wow! Team U.S.A.'s athletes are amazing.

Did you see Alex Morgan's stunning game-winning goal in overtime? Or Gabby Douglas and the Fab Five making history? And who could forget Katie Ledecky — at only 15 years old — breaking the U.S. record and winning a gold medal in the 800 freestyle.

We are so proud of all of our athletes. London 2012 is the first time that the majority of Team U.S.A. is female, and there is no doubt that thanks is owed to four decades of Title IX. In the 1972 Summer Games, the same year Title IX was born, 21% of the American competitors were women. Forty years later the American delegation is a whopping 51% female.

The Olympic games are far from over. Show your support for what's been called the "Title IX Olympics." You can:

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This summer, women across the United States have been cheering for the fortieth anniversary of Title IX, the landmark law that opened the doors for women in sports and education. And now we’re joining women across the world to cheer women’s firsts at the 2012 London Olympics.

The London games mark the first Olympics where all 205 country delegations have sent a woman to the games – including Saudi Arabia, where women aren’t allowed to drive cars. Over 40 percent of the nearly 10,500 athletes competing are women. For the first time ever, Team USA is sending more women than men to the games.

And our biggest cheer of all, there is now no summer sport that is restricted to men. Boxing, the last of the summer games’ all male-sports and one of the most macho, has finally been opened to women!

Of course, there’s a caveat. As the New York Times reported, only 36 female boxers are competing in three weight classes at this summer’s games, compared to 250 male boxers in ten weight classes. Read more »

Many American Olympic athletes, despite being in incredible physical shape, face a tough time navigating the health care system and acquiring comprehensive coverage, just like us mere mortals.

Some Olympic athletes get their health care coverage through a Blue Cross Blue Shield program called the Elite Athletes Health Insurance (EAHI) plan. This plan covers the basics like preventive care and doctor’s visits, but of all things vital to elite athletes, it doesn’t cover sports injuries.

Given their high risk of injury and the EAHI’s high deductible, nearly all Olympic athletes have to buy a secondary plan that covers catastrophic injuries.  Not only do these athletes have to make sense of the different options and benefits, but out-of-pocket costs are based on their sport and level of competition. Athletes with less experience often face higher deductibles.

The EAHI doesn’t even cover all athletes. Each sport gets an allotted number of slots so those who don’t make the cut have to find coverage elsewhere. Athletes who don’t make the Olympic team usually won’t have access to EAHI and aren’t likely to have employer-based coverage.

American swimmer Dana Vollmer is exactly the type of athlete who could fall between the cracks in this broken system. At age 15, Vollmer was diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart problem known as Long QT syndrome. In order for her to keep competing, Dana’s mother had to bring an external defibrillator to Dana’s meets in case her heart stopped beating. Read more »

Me: Are you watching?

Kaitylan: Yes ma’am I am!

Kaitylan: OMG Gabby is SOO cool. B-)

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Kaitylan and I were texting last Thursday night. Last year, she was one of my students. I was teaching 4th grade in rural Louisiana.

Enter: Gabby Douglas

When Gabby Douglas won the all-around title at the Olympic trials in July I was elated. I got butterflies in my stomach, a lump in my throat, and tears in my eyes. I know – that seems pretty ridiculous given the fact that it was only the trials and I don’t know this girl.

Except that I do. After teaching 80 students over the last two years in rural Louisiana, I know they have been waiting for Gabby. Waiting for America’s Sweetheart to look like them. Read more »

“We’ve reaped the fruits of Title IX,” says Theresa Edwards, the U.S. chef de mission for U.S. teams.

Title IX certainly turned out to be the seeds of some pretty incredible fruit. As I sit on my couch (usually eating ice-cream, pie, or something else I bet those athletes have never even seen) watching the 2012 games, I am overwhelmed by the sheer power of Team U.S.A.’s female athletes. I mean have you seen McKayla Maroney fly, literally fly, on her vault? Or Missy Franklin make swimming at 1,000,000 miles per hour – okay, maybe not exactly 1,000,000 – look easy?

London 2012 is the first time that the majority of Team U.S.A. is female, and there is no doubt that thanks is owed to Title IX. In the 1972 Summer Games, the same year Title IX was born, 21% of the American competitors were women. Forty years later the American delegation is a whopping 51% female. Read more »

On Sunday, Kimberly Rhode not only made a record-setting step for Olympics shooters, but a giant leap for the U.S. and womankind. Rhode took the gold medal in women’s skeet shooting and notched a near-perfect performance, hitting 99 out of 100 possible targets.

Rhode is now the first American with individual medals in five straight Olympics games. She surpassed three other U.S. athletes who have been individual medal-winners in four straight Summer Olympics. Rhode demonstrates to us once again that female athletes, given the opportunities they need to succeed, can own the competition and bring home the gold. Read more »

“I’m on top of the world right now. I still know I can go faster.”

That’s what Dana Vollmer said last night after winning a gold medal and setting a world record in the 100-meter butterfly.

In addition to being an Olympic champion, Vollmer is a big supporter of Title IX, the 1972 law that prohibits sex discrimination in education.

In ESPN’s video, “Title IX Is Mine,” Vollmer says, “Talking with my mom about not having athletic teams even available to her made me realize how privileged I am at getting to have those. Looking at a younger generation, they might not even realize that this wasn’t always available, this isn’t how it’s always been.”

Vollmer isn’t the only Olympian championing Title IX. Last Saturday, Jessica Hardy won a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. She explains, “As a child, I probably wouldn’t have even had the drive to compete if I couldn’t really go anywhere with it. So getting the chance to go to college, be recruited, swim beyond high school is my life’s dream.” Read more »