JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================^K" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?on`,$d`S-o"-{ K09SA9b/sV⹽Bpn<ƪGqʤNpTJĨ6uj3D4>D}jQuɽ%MV i@21xᾫsiZ`nԧvt ܅+0' V?Rv wQA lσU "2:O$n06aVYn$V(epGOҬLKx3s91㙤ϰ^km\!I'<b=b_2 ?>nBm1r]_ u# c<Zq#Mhiz/Mc{1fҒش Ҭn&uBC5Cƾ"ԬC '})o?,é;:}Ϛ +9IW;]KPӅeʳz(QBHcm.M#av#*社l3 5ݲ/F񧄵? -IL˟O7ֽ95[PGe;ÏFV>qt)fxatH9ezj͎us`q[VoΓI2?P)5O85~ 05hZD33C]>Mf+!F;moC85s"v*[Hv>פi ko qH柪[]]k+lj5ê IQGүuZ(ծF݋uۓZ_ *[scJ#O&(erޣZQ{u-^8+59c ޤ$Hger to grin in secret delight that a "little" educational amendment would placate the feminists yet result in relatively little impact on the status 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 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 a