By Daniella Price
In the fall of 1998, I was a bright eyed, high school freshman sitting at the lunch table with new friends who encouraged me to join the track and field team. All I had ever known since the age of about two was ballet shoes, tiaras, and tutus. I welcomed the competition, and so did my father who endured over a decade of Nutcracker and Swan Lake performances.
And so, in addition to pointe shoes, I laced up my sneakers. I had a love-hate relationship with the sport, but it was mostly love. I would often say that running was every other sports’ form of punishment. Admittedly, I was an Allen Iverson athlete because “we’re talking about practice.” And like A.I., I loved to compete. At the starting line, everyone was equal. After completing the indoor track season that year, I believe my dad was convinced that I was committed to a “sport.” During my first outdoor track meet, my dad brought my first pair of spikes to the track. Almost ceremoniously, I unboxed them, laced them up, and ran the fastest 400 meters on the 4x400 meter relay. The rest has been sort of an indescribable his- tory. I would go on to compete in the Penn Relays, run alongside Olympians, such as Lauryn Williams and Marion Jones, compete in the summer AAU Jr. Olympics, and become a nationally ranked high school track athlete. During recruiting trips, I visited the plains of Oklahoma, the valleys of West Virginia, and felt the chilly winds of Ohio. Each school rolled out the red carpet to recruit me, a ballet dancer, to run track for their respective university. Eventually, I attended the University of Delaware on a full scholarship for women’s track and field. Immeasurable experiences were granted to me through the gift of thirty-seven words.
On June 23, 1972, thirty-seven words, conspicuously inconspicuous in the Education Amendments of 1972 changed education and athletics for millions of women and girls. U.S. Representatives Edith Green of Oregon, and Patsy Mink of Hawaii sponsored the legislation influenced by their own experience with dis- crimination. Representative Green wanted to be a lawyer, but, as a sign of the times, she was steered into teaching. Through the calculated efforts of these women visionaries, Title IX granted access to higher education and athletics to millions of women and girls, but gender inequity remains. I am forever grateful for the doors Title IX opened for me. I saw and met the world through sports. Fifty years ago, Title IX opened the door for gender equality, and today millions of women and girls are running, dribbling, putting, swimming, serving, and flipping through it. While we celebrate the win, the road to gender equity continues. Indeed, equality is the championship.
Daniella Price is co-editor of The Philadelphia Lawyer.
