JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================bK" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?G\LM^Z 0QaBYx8ϱ}Q}ٙqUIZOv[W肯K,gnŭH6>A棒#ԏ¢ϯ79兡Uj\kRpP\DbzMip9cAKLHM.ǐ1~jb m3eҷ!E n9'5yl̬Ḑ*wӟLQT5Nm=́!S!x;wDCx+CFDs֯d 8fZE' ړHҮdQV="ݼMXg~n; R7GF ! 55{[Dj;}v:s۲uxPFPZxS@MXy%܁TrEԩ5BZ[i­08 1EP&w ervvV:GmHc1ZZ@3u'ibS>Fg^ִߵ\jHX]/WH Һָy\OBܢVWS(:GɆ%1̇@r7Z.&o&XI36 o"$xf=j|:RLq\5W8']Kyq3'dYH*8h_x.K<T{CWPoVe9 on#)MoomUm BIƨ(Ydڹ9y)4iIsgimlaQQv+9Y;aΗnxzK}7MidhlRyug7Rov+pku[#Pҟ)48TdIc`pjN&nrSo, 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 participat