JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================nK" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?eB_]: i 6\ WҹЊp5{Y[yΎ ;[xTW\3I$WՎ)kAj?jfU1T\n =i7a.[9כVVw 6r褚wiٕN"j(z~OsTRx^yi04G#Cl;Bp?M,.6yl)+2w< Iqƨ`*z$:Y,>h-0X%1Vb<0^ŧ&41Zt>jj29`PN2wfz匊gRq^'ӞV3%и#8#O1RN5Æ;P+:]wMq5>[JdsxV2Q̒nǩXmM+I>)$NCc{(.m$Pӎk>$ͮç*q]+U/s-c3tsW`%esڢGkH͋qoES_X|Ӯ=<{tf$K}7OW;7ELs26WV2/bRt#j@ =1VԢq:xD֋]b' V8Ѥ:r+OjÖ9j!c%l0^1 xj u`I"g6\$ݟ\ ׅ|=ָΛy28vWNL#*@oÑݹ'r i׍{=I]6?cÚ0umrIyA=?`utwGU\ʺ%H[<Ê`E3CkQBtQbHV቙IdɨoP!CSnP:5TnS TI+p`4yߋ3{ݾg.*s(ǽp=S9;v<}Oz -x7GEAak  @c#XH֢Ff!$qQ$=kkţ8ׂ|83*nXִ1,N̋nUbצ|:Җ"]A.jD_9y˜S\׬8[s wuU'#Uo`:W!OZoGypb 2I z-r})WP͝f ʰu_7mI~z+^l*`1v Ծ2)h͌+GDOԨ4yO"YS[ɋ3בM:M|}SSZX-%HG& ]RȅKJdw eEؐ;_ι]^F:-kA?/5I 8=ǯZ}zd@sXp䌵OP2YvֳFSݳZb-Rl8 FM$He]!x=3PJ"I*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