JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================_K" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?vN H ~czdt0SZNmP)$р qW/Md 㟯0/|ց29䚖AU-~i#\Hcʑخ' v6dLi VfVbv_ZHg.ଧBcam&*v0}2ܶnүWFtRO ϽX:U\dz楕p3AU'H)WO* PQϥ;Ғzd(F_n:ʫC OUE7 ~ .]8PrKqle,1w>SOҮ-уD͓X(;bkD4Xh*̆E2{m@*I?+&oFÔnrGj HVXAY#&A3oT'۟ T;Bb!Wȹ\p{6e-ta֔M|ѝ{W:h 7'@ԛE]9-('Kʬ0>}hip"89x+H.Evq}T}jٺ9b"ER1J<П!󷏮mԥ(*<OrҘns aEnx|U濚\cH"wrʥjҲ3l.&zT*4,<鷓OM1#.v{kPaO>Ie;HvӴ)z~X rUuktvUJ6{˧p ^ܮ@ }5F6H[rGkA>=}1eE$zcf{>xs9 ßUtF obof쓎6̸4\I%c',V(S5a\$JҿLd d#^~"CGʲ`$gsXަvDI"y$X3{IqkB{G :HP\ɻb߮OXĬ+*t!MAfMӶpb}@h?Y^)Ã֞ڰIY4GO ~#Ӳ{gk{̓$< Ow:bD}Ok4Y@xxsHB\'KCj}/sW!Vkop盇&Y>@ bm P徸x$ ^:u9nǣSGTtGu>Xb8iZխq࿾=+OSi0r׮7w-&K]oi'w)ֹw"7J*3[:qkxmϖOj9!\0AG^mcrr1ֶuD= IA?OҴk-"ȳPuf>)XI\伆(p}*cZ-PJzSڠD]6*#\+cME,<>[#atus 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 Cahy 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 f shimmering water and flame. The moment was a deliberate celebration of the female athlete, and with m