JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================fK" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?Ս>^0@w\GrȊd{Wö#<0#sFNM&p)8f4aw\@Ch`~ܣp9/RI#ǘC]ƱF&y]/,8Wםu^σC"%ЊVWcXiDJd- 'oݤbׂ`?JJ=WɎུ1ˁ֮vj1Cr2zVSFI 3W?Pz[~$9eTcoQYXN 2+Hc& ZpBNὩD`{Ts+hs9вv<@CiҎ6>:cI =w@?ưSBx nM -1?wcNբ &5F{_MF"}X|!-QUpgOԵ;mJv#(h ?ri Bs7fqM핯ڜ+AnnYh5~}>YmᘠՁynӧ\TnװܵĈXG;dtp;nR)d<"7nNqS,Hd @<I uWy%d_! ceXOjeGSVAfEqkk,"N\:Bw5UGcj-ø'X#9- #9Bo>xǶ?mnes|h K\J[ 8)ukQgZːXF{'}ŻpkE!rX40- Q-]Mxtm:.FVuֻ\J!TG_F3eIP~j_Ck䕎iL 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 d