JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================z" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?ZybO"B1PΉrk)CJi`F@VgWlTMNqTc*eWQ d>b8̱9zW/UutQRFr$\¦STxJOjIaOҤVZڥVp)zaO AJPHGQz <#M.=)`?*c0JFaF3U1XAS< @@1砢crI+RPfby$Ҳ x>"޹XWVʛ?j^,J uj~5taqoj{ު[noǦ? V@čz"y=@~"LJR\l #b%\Ӟ = yw<=7B2[ɓ}붍nmm_Ξ86;@}s ShpHRJ[=4QsHX{sN= `9=OQ?#1Tl #1SQI&NhsR)X0݅HTղo+U ?y8ʖvΈR惝GKwg< 6F Vd667Լw6ŵVcH}y׈5=bo;: pɝy ȲM<5ErR 2`VǹWaF/ ԔCK'QnP[U p c qJN@zΐiSL$v'4r:li `8ٹLBjl 4n5 抍)OY896) ]''`JNJƮ6Zs{7BrG jXp.%#f3\8z\y:*D;"\rkp3W5Y wAw8Ƞd縦1zinp1M$ڀ=J╉Q5BaTNJy֘ cQMViC_ҺAk\?<ҟ]P5qTמ< sE|zxv8[TGy ';nRK+ mSzzt,QpP1j-;WN*y*Q|9۵"g~s+]X3ںԛy'jxgi&|Izʣv ʺBAzcx 1w!ch=ϭF+>Nk<14;$z+ ɽE?@V:^8RiWpc֦*AjfLG8x ~2Fy P3tռIuuKi\*؊QhKqyOʲ ˜oS֠ -I-cc?0Cm;W_iMIQ\KtoNiEŒ#6rWS]\8I㎇O I#Tp+09=w7^qix$XZCk|{.KuuB7DO*`T?Ch4ub2#?\ '@X*RG<ZΣ5k5B9q@<2~5HXcLNQNI% -ì1Vv +> `T硞AmtJNqzx =k.d啹,&wo9tCE=>S9, =(8)֊wP551֣{ۥHd7Xe"g^8#nג=l+:,主7pzUGAz/{ehڕՍ̋" $[d-%8Bp9qڼ[ e,OnUIg_(l?֡ӋwQHm\+)$~9ΪP\0\)&Fq4y;K ]yOLS*;J!#p 0`i<¬bV =$dKWc4CYZo ϗc 63xVV`\?S'zS/5{ZO^;T >QLh$yֲlI/\,c2*;+_,JH'59ۖ=7lW6.ڨ`aGUdx͉Y1Tɡr5rg@,r;S5ޡv+1pX3`PY"Uk㐧W|1Jd R |Q}G3M}F%~XgRk]Rhb8?UV5fV}wwkJMw8QM ^^0ʌ1igڰG֘dqދ#oA'9 A0MߦkJց`5G w2qEXMd 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.<br>Did Title IX have any Olympic influence? Just ask Dot Richardson, who with her teammates won gold in the first-ever women's Olympic softball competition at the 1996 Games, and gold again at the 2000 Games. When she was 10, Dot's exceptional playing was noticed by a Little League coach, who asked if she wanted to be on his team. Sure she did! But the coach said they'd have to cut her hair short and they'd call her "Bob." Later, after Title IX was in place, Dot went on to become a four-time All-American in college and was named NCAA player of the decade for the 1980s. Do you think that would have happened without Title IX?<br>And just ask Cheryl Miller, who won an Olympic gold in 1984 for women's basketball. "Without Title IX, I'd be nowhere," she admits. In 1972, there were only 132,299 girls playing basketball in high school. Twenty years later that figure had more than tripled. Now women's basketball is receiving the attention it deserves, especially after the thrilling wins by the U.S. team in the 1996 and 2000