JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================K" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?ΰWЯHHWkڍX`zֆ}k"(8)4v.dgG-=\N fC}h)uo?(>J@ln5+tkMԭFF1QXGoeh֖`\` _z gxsM{n)^7Xs8M&q̀n0 ]^̷6D.#&kq#X6р3S'.)WjS,|,i}=d8#/y]"E~S\WĨ":ܳ\nV̹Y)]M3L썏\"ec ,wd *RfI$Ͱf>EljI55!}+烜f(*&)6l[$Bdv]mp?b槊PH/Y JOcֵk.^WXܩcF)$vS!j}OHx[3#7ߊϴmuQz2FwX^V;F&O19-OL@#Ձ֜+ʲL0&h)֬QIe:428@TK"yiuQMcKc}}yq(<6{Z7"Z+sA&SS:~5B ^sԹo ^ߑ%*CSG u]yY \*>-Jr.h| 5#w~1Ǔޥ3ssHײqodQV޿~;VjM#\FZwWv,jI} @Kn ק>dWM't?J +3ae9Ge'4y/Z?W6ntx@Cj*h9S{wF`K)ڹMވsgLoʸmy 0F?{ ]KZtM>>{7S`є,C>5R}O&)'0k4;yXP,X`W"2?1kpJ +DY9;G:|z,;{s4Q{ڼ=>];Vx ,q¤Ī@u?{R[iFJ rƼn[4( Pw:5-68R@#q]4LiQuZqC,[D[T TZ_KBBG;?t\?kP}fpk+ 7-#p+M9N{O °*Oò}kѥMZ#SЎ&N>QVZ銷y?k u4<j۷%SGrh/@I?Zk?Oۭ\@jߋsGu~oK X,d%#^y׊%*~|s5DVXl9C6>W6em?Ri4N'~0:}D-QE(Ys^J2|CMޞq+/[ Tnt@g#T,U2T kF8Z"hGS_U1dWhDߌȫS\Z9k&VԮŔ[;/ST2niVI%7՛ыg~7q/^fiJuL)Zň `7ƺmtDCj;#S7d U.X98iiIym!YcpʎQ5eJ5s^e6eD$Adsƴo%- [hk7{X3\?$$v qugde|K)PTzv0=qM<@Rhe@^GN'b>io)L\D,~jc14Q@)KPKO%'RƑĘ qRyP]/޴Q@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.<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