JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================GK" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?jB@'W\Smjѫ 0Gnԛ%s^P ס'T[$v/۝8zu4sB:{cGV(ݓ{իΆYPO=ޤGYr{ˊP5 ojA[{xc'~?;z(^i,v\I=~Ym] p 6$vaȫ3:Z7ZThI'>qǡ-Geʥ!#ұSm[Ė3%8;P q]gczT-WDw]COhv9\bnTBoYnK{2m2F+^_A.Jssp  b$ qZuo2 f01=Oj5{&= YЩ* <W.otS)+g Ǧ+:Le#a! \j$F9O՚LD`d8GP?>ƋC]7sb ҦVFD4}Z m<@ylʲS+CEd0q̎9Q@h:|ݾ/R(#>EQEover 14-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 qu.<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 re