JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================oK" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?$A3kgV{A°9frz?ֹ-66I չ¬bFxv.7V6l9$נG]'n}"tjseE9l3;TZoLji 1 FYF4m:6 ̬{rF~Ur>Ui#ֻ#WbPXF"cI#Ӟ ͲΛvgzT`Eoe FO3pkд^G2*Yy$We(D۳+z%8z-Hy2+6xhy?\5Ap;1Kț#7l5 sU}~CQӎU8`qj._V;^#Ad_;CaszWWAChVC,a+Szͥچ"# u}#\Y "YOcڦ04Τr+>,;YS] \ĘR[zWb3HPN+5!a.؇:B:q?E ;FLZ}x[1WacMYT_QFh$|ƾZMIyk%͡Hed~5 2Qg^Mf>u,Uh8ZM9o4阍P "%jP:|մ*e63Ww *qE$+ݯ4Geq*E$ZV$`g$uk>4 ,gb;` A=FsrN 0\$栭Lѯi\sP:lc☺w XIq?,="=zԉa<֌'+*W`n$#bKGH.nm;E8eZe *T\/uQg~bwnp+zaB22@%}:{xCI#n{ujKO),Yݎq™FPFM+ZGn}kN(W=M.֑*[ey*1O֭H>PNJh2, ֱbHaqPU_O Eٛ(srAjǶ!yk4~yn?Z6K,ɢO"tל?Iinz_y"(lmVLuxNԋBYܒ#w_+έؤJ S/.wsC؆ÙnI^Hkm]4N2ET KjFA3D|Ab;Ҩ#6fRB B Oz7՘Rq隈AizώX܃#gCVLr yU'VL8Rb[#5nK1'ޮ PsT<88 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 return 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 ever before, that celebratory feeling ca