JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================mK" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?%=9n"iJ`pF1=$2m?Z~WĨ[p %Y1"tx 4C,j:fPFQdr1<[-os'gvIE." @ǭuF5#y@<67g_*FOB;WViO<3W3IeO }T.#&XH<v9K *rxhzR|PUFX}b>K|1Ƭ/zu}'[JtLo‰eR7y8(aڛijB3'䢮lLawnqZ0Nrub Z'?I}+ĩ=35Rmy"`#;Vܓa< FvȇE, Hn6S#qoyE>q Ў*ާhB>"ARRQUYN*J_]p625))H##ry;Kgi3:7ovYR. 5A 3\%"[*2G2;kn75g9~z%VqmSrqrȤJyڶo~[}*:' ~jѼlz|M?n˻y]܎Z쉢c_qFA,K#d#Q*3ii P_4qItud$T:3* $p8=jRofңޥ9:ҏ¿㞯k Om;<]7 F:33^wb>h5vv2~whW~a$9ǂ~yI8Z WoV}h LJ8_Z)I _oct렦x VP|@^Q)>88p)O9gt.a_5;sgC[>gc7dW U_O "'gq{撑!,Q̙t64Ȁgdbi]e0T3$pLAnSbx%γƍmu+sA[EFNAtbi*iN 8<ˌѣm Kۋٲdi;1ƪ7IMA9ZX1SG ޓ4{f5f1 ?SZ+˒Zely 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 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 carried through the entire Games.