JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================cK" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?JZJ((I*ݲU^~ršHZ;$Yy΋6S]ZHA)2կ"M^KEyܔ p7'ðkZ{Ks+sS'A^G;<[N̅$CYf;Fgmp{ҩ]%NVxJiՙ>&=jvy#MJ>_8ϯ"bY$i_7]BS=S k뛝Aݑ\ȞX]'nO9&nFID5k=o.'[B\zOƙ$< 3#fi K\*)k#2G᧭ MN]p^ "Џٕ|'J|kzlp>};fAQч^2h"@u@Idic>RA^:R]$ |YbjIJmPqw;Y@.dnr]NA*Qȯ$%UAuS7&2(oLSW3Vy6}[P1%fK >"WťEsf&r[,G\Êr9dvNzѵ֮N`Hrʺx$ZhSҬmO?7Oji+8r͉dT`p}㊂IL,9,!ʬ^'̕ ۶"ڈ^H& *SE$zӞG4'wU:Ė$TC{kg$kBKcv=VbQ-8\g|ۻ-ܣܲnTAJE(TҢ dEPJCE(D*2"P$p=E 4-foot-high bars. Such thinking likely caused many an old codger to grin in secret delight that a "little" educational amendment would placate the feminists yet result in relatively little impact on the status quo.<br>So, on June 23, 1972, with little controversy, President Richard Nixon signed into law the Educational Amendment Title IX, which contained a section prohibiting discrimination against girls and women in federally funded education, including sports. Like a snowball on a downhill run, what seemed insignificant at the beginning created an avalanche that has completely changed the status of women in sports today.<br>If those old codgers are still alive, I bet they're not grinning now.<br><br>The Sydney Games<br><br>Let's retun to the present. The recent Sydney Olympics were a shining example of the dramatic changes made possible by Title IX. The opening ceremonies set the mood when Cathy Freeman was handed the torch from a series of her Australian countrywomen (who had all been Olympic athletes) and took center stage against a backdrop of shimmering water and flame. The moment was a deliberate celebration of the female athlete, and with more women participating and breaking records than