[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 8 (Thursday, February 3, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to note 
that today is the eighth annual celebration of National Girls and Women 
in Sports Day and to express my appreciation for the hard work and 
dedication of America's female athletes.
  In 1992, the Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 329 and the House 
passed House Joint Resolution 546, both designating February 3, 1994 as 
``National Girls and Women in Sports Day.'' This legislation was signed 
into law on October 28, 1992 and became Public Law 102-252.
  The Women's Sports Foundation first organized this day of 
commemoration in honor of Olympic volleyball star, the late Flo Hyman 
who led the U.S. women's volleyball team to its first medal during the 
1984 Olympic Games. Flo Hyman's life was cut short when she died of 
Marfan's syndrome on January 24, 1986.
  Each year, the Flo Hyman Memorial Award is given on this day to a 
female athlete who has demonstrated Flo Hyman's ``dignity, spirit, and 
commitment to excellence.'' Past winners have included Hall of Fame 
golfer Nancy Lopez, basketball great Lynette Woodard, track star Jacki 
Joyner-Kersee, as well as other outstanding women athletes.
  Several other major organizations have joined in coordinating and 
sponsoring events for today's celebration. This year the Women's Sports 
Foundation, Girls Inc., the National Association for Girls and Women in 
Sport, the YWCA of the U.S.A., and the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. have 
all worked together on events for this day honoring America's female 
athletes.
  National Girls and Women in Sports Day emphasizes the importance of 
athletics in assisting girls and women in developing confidence, 
initiative, self-discipline, and leadership skills that are crucial not 
only in the field of athletic competition, but also in the keenly 
competitive world we all face today. Athletics teach the value of hard 
work, dedication, and perseverance in the face of any kind of obstacle. 
It provides lessons in the importance of physical fitness and teamwork 
that prove helpful throughout life.
  Last fall, it was announced that in preparation for today's 
celebration, a poster identifying a number of women who have achieved 
firsts would be created. Among those honored by the poster are Julie 
Krone, the first woman jockey to win a Triple Crown race; Wilma 
Rudolph, the first American woman to win the 500 meter speedskating 
event at two consecutive Olympics; Trischa Zorn, the first blind 
athlete to receive a full athletic scholarship, and so on.
  Mr. President, we Iowans are justifiably very proud of our State's 
female athletes, so I hope it does not sound too presumptuous in 
stating that we our female athletics are likewise first in many areas.
  As a prime example, just this past October, ABC News showcased the 
University of Iowa as, and I am quoting, ``a national model of 
acceptance and commitment to gender equity.''
  The news story was about title IX, a law passed over two decades ago 
to provide women athletes equal opportunity in participating in sports 
and in the availability of funding and scholarships. Unfortunately, 
much more progress must be made around the country, and in fact, a 
number of lawsuits have been filed to enforce title IX.
  But let me share with my colleagues what ABC's reporter Armen 
Keteyian said, and I quote:

       Other schools are finding it doesn't have to be that way. 
     Here at the University of Iowa, where Hawkeye football is 
     king, there has never been a need for a Title IX threat or a 
     lawsuit, for Iowa has become a national model of acceptance 
     and commitment to gender equity.
       In fact, Iowa is ahead of its time--one of only seven 
     schools in the country with its own women's athletic 
     director, whose department boasts nationally-ranked field 
     hockey and basketball teams and women's participation levels 
     among the highest in the nation, with plans to go even 
     further. By 1997, Iowa has declared it will be the first 
     school in the nation to reach complete gender equity, even if 
     it means cutting men's sports.
       Women athletes at Iowa are winning, thanks to a university 
     that's acting, not reacting to Title IX.

  Mr. President, it is important to note that the driving force behind 
not only Iowa's progress toward gender equity in athletics, but also 
efforts nationwide, is the University of Iowa's women's athletic 
director, Christine Grant. She assisted the Office of Civil Rights in 
drafting the original title IX guidelines that apply to women's 
athletics, and has testified before Congress about the need for further 
progress. And she led the fight to gain the Big Ten Conference decision 
to become the first athletic conference to adopt a position of gender 
equity.
  Furthermore, under Christine Grant's leadership, the University of 
Iowa's women's teams have won or shared over a dozen Big Ten titles. In 
yet another first, this season, Iowa's women's athletic department has 
issued a nationwide challenge with the first National Women's 
Basketball Attendance Challenge.
  Mr. President, I realize that the Flo Hyman Memorial Award given on 
National Girls and Women's Sports Day is presented to athletes of great 
achievement who have served as great role models for girls and women 
across the country.
  But perhaps in the coming years, eligibility for this award can be 
expanded to include great pioneers like Christine Grant who for years 
have literally fought in the trenches to pave the way for a better 
future for American female athletes. She has provided the inspiration 
and the perspiration in the cause for gender equity. I hope the Women's 
Sports Foundation will take my suggestion under serious consideration.
  Mr. President, Iowa can be proud of many, many other efforts toward 
encouraging and supporting female athletics. The State of Iowa fields 
over 2,500 girls high school teams competing in the 10 different 
sports. And every Iowa high school participates in at least three girls 
sports--softball, basketball, and volleyball. In all, these 2,500 teams 
provide the opportunity for 71,600 girls to participate in 
interscholastic athletics.
  Iowa is the only State in America which sponsors high school co-ed 
tournaments in golf and in tennis. Also very noteworthy is the fact 
that this spring will mark the 75th anniversary of the Iowa Girls' High 
School State Basketball Tournament. Iowa girls softball, golf, and 
tennis celebrates their 39th anniversary; track and field its 33d; 
cross country its 20th; swimming its 27th; and volleyball its 25th. And 
all of these programs were implemented well before title IX mandated 
girls' activities in 1972.
  Mr. President, in closing, it is abundantly clear that Iowa takes its 
female athletic programs very seriously, and it is a privilege today to 
pay tribute to Iowa's accomplishments during National Girls and Women 
in Sports Day.

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