Title IX Opened Up Sports For Women

In 1973, the world of competitive high school and college women's athletics was improved by the passage at the federal level of Title IX of the Education Act, later renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act. The state of Illinois adopted similar legislation shortly thereafter.

The new laws quickly changed the competitive girls' athletic programs at Grayslake High School, said Elaine Frantz of McHenry, who was a physical education teacher and adviser of the Girls Athletic Association at that time at the school. Title IX required schools to offer competitive athletic sports to girls teams the same as was offered to boys teams for years.

The Title IX story and how it changed women's athletics at Grayslake High School is being told, along with stories of Grayslake athletes in the sports exhibit .

A new era dawned for competitive women's athletics. Earlier, Victorian society frowned upon women engaged in physical competition. The few exceptions for high society women were tennis and golf. Also, female bowling became very popular after World War II.

Competitive sports for girls prior to Title IX "were very low-key when compared to the boys" programs, Frantz said. Prior to the new law, girls sports were limited to GAA activities which included "play days" with other schools and cheerleading for the boys teams.

Under the new regulations in 1973, Grayslake High School offered girls team sports in volleyball, golf, basketball, softball, track and field and gymnastics. Added later in the early years were field hockey, bowling, tennis, cross country and soccer. Some programs were dropped because of lack of interest. The coaches were the high school's physical education teachers.

"The girls had been waiting for it," Frantz said. At first it was mainly the Girls Athletic Association members that participated in the news team sports. "They were happy to be part of a team."

The Girls Athletic Association was disbanded a few years later. Frantz praised the support given to the new girls programs by the school administration and school board.

Joyce Norton of Grayslake also was involved in the early days of transition. She was a teacher and coach at Grayslake High School at that time and was involved in umpiring softball at the high school level and at Lake Forest College for a short time.

Title IX "was wonderful," Norton said. "It changed the environment and built a sense of self-worth."

She noted the girls learned to compete on a team basis. "It was different than being in a clique," she said. "It was a valuable tool for them to be the best they could be."

There were some early problems with the inclusion of girls major team sports, Frantz recalled. There were the problems associated with scheduling both boys and girls sports, transportation woes and not having enough gymnasium or athletic field space. Many times the boys and girls teams traveled together. Space became less of a problem once school additions and buildings were constructed.

Norton recalled the problems with team uniforms. At first there were none and the girls competed in their gym uniforms, wearing what were called pennies, apron-like shirts with ties at the waist with numbers of the back. There was no such thing as a home or away uniform — they were all one color. She said the coaches usually washed and mended the gym uniforms.

The museum sports display is open to the public in the , 164 Hawley St., from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and during downtown Grayslake community events including the farmers market on Wednesday afternoons and evenings.

- Contributed by the Grayslake Historical Society