[Announcer] Support for Nebraska Public Media's Title IX 50 Years in the Making come s from Huskers Athletic Fund and Union Bank & Trust.

(clock ticking) (frantic music) (film reel rolls) [Woman] I don't think they wanted girls' sports to make it.

To be a cheerleader or the president of the Pep Club was athletically about your pinnacle before Title IX.

[Woman] I can't imagine life without sports.

Literally cannot imagine it.

Sports has always been a huge part of my life.

[Woman] It's so hard to believe that women weren't allowed to play sports.

[Woman] I graduated in '71.

It seemed like you had three choices.

You don't work, become a mother, teacher, nurse, secretary.

[Woman] When women were given the opportunity, they stepped up every time, you know, it was this whole thing of, well, women don't wanna play sports.

Well, heck yeah they wanna play sports.

(inspirational music) (audience applauds) It's Title IX 50 Years in the Making.

And we welcome you to the Coliseum in Lincoln, Nebraska in front of a live audience for a very special program.

I'm your host, Erin Sorenson.

-Exactly 50 years ago -Title IX was signed into law changing girls' and women's lives forever.

On June 23, 1972 nationwide legislation created opportunities for women and girls across all educational programs and activities receiving federal funding.

Title IX has impacted several sports and many eras.

We are excited to get into this important conversation, but first let's meet our "Dream Team" panel (inspirational music) Alongside Angela Beck, I'm Brendan VanLengen.

What was it in the second half that the Huskers did to get the victory?

(inspirational music) (inspirational music) (inspirational music) (inspirational music) (inspirational music) (inspirational music) (inspirational music) (inspirational music) (audience cheers) (inspirational music) (inspirational music) We are fortunate to be joined by four all-stars in their field who have enjoyed decades of success in their respective sports and in life.

To my right is the first Nebraskan to compete in the Olympics, Carol Frost.

(audience applauds) A former local basketball star and national sports broadcaster for ESPN and Fox, Brenda VanLangen.

(audience applauds) One of the most dominant softball pitchers in history at the University of Nebraska, Peaches James-Keaton.

(audience applauds) Thank you.

(audience applauds) And finally, a three-time Olympic medalist and the 2020 Olympic Indoor Volleyball MVP, Jordan Larson.

(audience applauds) What an honor it is to be here.

So much so I already just said, Carol was the first Nebraskan, I should say first woman in Nebraska, but you know what?

I'm just gonna give you even more credit.

It's totally fine.

(Carol laughs) So let's go ahead and get started this evening.

In 1968, Carol, you competed in the Olympics in discus four years before Title IX became law.

How would you describe that era of women's athletics and the challenges that you faced?

Well, my first...

I grew up in a small town, Cedar Rapids, Nebraska.

They call me a pioneer.

I didn't wear my bonnet or my long dress today.

So, but in 1961, I was competing in Cedar Rapids, Nebraska.

They gave me 90 seconds.

So I'm gonna quick, do this, Did play volleyball, did play softball, had an English teacher that thought that some of us had some talent and started a track team.

Had never been further west than Cozad, or further east than Omaha.

I went to the National Junior Olympics.

He took us to the National Junior Olympics, funded by us, no real coaching.

And we went to the National Junior Olympics in the Los Angeles Coliseum, which was quite an experience for a farm girl from Cedar Rapids, Nebraska.

From there, I knew...

I placed well in the discus and the shot.

And he thought I was gonna be a hurdler.

Mm, no.

(audience laughs) But I did well in the shot and the discus.

That was in 1961.

I graduated from high school in 1963.

By 1965, I was on the United States Track and Field Team.

I was touring Red Square, followed by the KGB, I threw in Warsaw, Poland.

I threw in Kyiv, Ukraine.

I was national champion in 1965, 1966, won the Pan-American gold medal in 1967, graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1967, and never once took a throw off a university circle.

I would run from Pound Hall up to the fairgrounds and throw off the circles that they had the combines and the tractors on for the State Fair.

So I threw off of those, or you had to wait until after the high school boys were done competing.

I would throw at Lincoln High, Lincoln Southeast, Malcolm, anywhere where you had to wait until the boys' track team was done, and then I would take my throws.

So I went from 1961 to 1968, being on the United States Olympic Team.

And like I said, never once took a throw off of a circle at the University of Nebraska, never got one penny from any high school or university.

We fundraised ourselves and were sponsored by local... We were sponsored by Robert's Dairy way back in the day.

(audience laughs) And so my basic story is, then I competed in the 1968 Olympics, competed still until 1972, when my first son was born.

And then I just became a coach and a teacher.

(audience applauds) Brenda attended Roseland High School in the early 1980s and then played college basketball at what was then called Kearney State College.

After hearing Carol's experience, what was different just one decade later into Title IX?

Well, I was never in the Olympics, so that was different.

(audience laughs) You know, in Nebraska, there were sports offered for girls in the late 60s.

And the reason I know that is because my dad was a coach and teacher at Roseland High School and I was the little kid running around practices, being the ball girl and the water girl, and that's where my love for sports started.

But basketball did not happen at my high school until the mid-70s, a couple of years after Title IX was passed.

And so it wasn't until I was 10 years old that we even had basketball at my school.

So Title IX absolutely changed my life.

If we would not have Title IX, I would not have the life that I do.

In our small town of Roseland, you know, there were good opportunities for girls and boys and I think it was because in a small town, we had a lot of large families, and we had a lot of very athletic girls, and so I think a lot of the families thought what's good for the boys is good for the girls.

And so we had support in the late 70s into the early 80s in Roseland, and we went to the state tournament in basketball and competed and had some state track meet champions.

And I competed in the state track meet, and was all-state in volleyball and basketball, and a lot of support from the community.

But then I went to Kearney State College and was able to play basketball.

And that's where, you know, I found out that not everybody was as interested in basketball for women as they were in our small town.

And I got a partial scholarship.

I don't think that anybody got any full scholarships in the mid-80s at that time, at least at Kearney.

I put a list together so that I can... you know, I'm getting older, so I didn't wanna forget.

So we wore the same uniform all four years.

We did get practice gear and one pair of Converse basketball shoes The locker rooms that we had in the 80s, we shared with everybody that took PE classes and every other sport.

And our lockers, you know, were about this big.

We traveled, and I wanna turn this way and make sure you guys get to hear this.

(audience laughs) We had 12 players on our team, two coaches, and a trainer.

That makes 15 in a 15 passenger van with all of our luggage for the entire weekend.

And that was, in my freshman year, I was about six feet, and the four freshmen that sat in the back row were 6'4", 6'3", 6'2", and 5'11" in the back seat.

By the time I got to be a senior, we took two vans.

(audience laughs) And because our coach had driven through the night until 4:00 in the morning, 6:00 in the morning on many trips, we as the seniors on the team took driver education safety courses so we could drive, so that we wouldn't have to rely on our coach to drive back all the time.

So we, the players, helped drive back to campus and get there at 4:00, or 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning.

You know, the thing was, and we talked about this before, you know, we were just grateful for what we had.

We had the opportunity, I had an opportunity to play basketball in college, and I loved basketball.

And so it was amazing, you know, we didn't think about what we didn't have necessarily, but one of the things that was really disappointing to me was they would always have double headers for men's and women's basketball.

And the women would play at 5:00 and the men would play at 7:30, so even if they were interested in coming, it was very hard for people to come and get to a game at 5:00.

And I just remember finishing up a hard fought game.

We were winning the Conference Championship and we left the court and all of the fans were coming in for the men's basketball game.

And I would just remember them saying, "Oh, there was a women's game tonight?"

And it was just heart-wrenching that there wasn't that interest.

And the one game that I played for hundreds of fans, we went into overtime.

And so all the fans for the men's game came in, and I had one of my best games of my career and hit crucial free throws, and all those hundreds of fans were there cheering me on.

And that was a real special time.

But I went on to coach here at the University of Nebraska in the early 90s.

So, you know, can talk about that time too.

And I feel like, you know, my career has spanned all 50 years of Title IX so I'm really honored to be here to be able to talk about it, thank you.

(audience applauds) Well, you did bring up the 90s, so let's look at the late 90s.

Peaches put together one of the most dominant pitching careers at both the high school and collegiate level at Nebraska.

What challenges did you face and overcome throughout your career?

Well, I would definitely say, just being an African American female kind of comes with a couple different challenges, you know, in softball, you know, growing up and not really having anyone that looked like me, as far as the girls or the coaches.

And so just navigating those waters and really then on the flip side of playing a female sport, not always having the same resources as baseball, or the same training facilities, I just remember growing up, in the winter of course in Nebraska, it's really hard to get outside and practice.

So you gotta go inside somewhere and I would go into different batting cages and there would be, you know, seven, eight cages of baseball and one fast-pitch cage.

And a lot of times I would just hit in the baseball cage because they had a variety of speeds and as I got older, you know, girls are throwing harder and I needed the speeds to be different.

And so just having to hit in the baseball cages because there was only one softball cage.

And so, although I did have challenges, I realized though what a blessing that I have and I didn't nearly have the challenges of a lot of the women that came before me.

I realize that they really paved the way for a lot of the opportunities that I had and so I'm grateful for that.

(audience applauds) I'm gonna let everyone clap for all four of you all night, just so you know.

Jordan, your career now spans three decades, and you've seen a lot of change.

What has landscape change been like for you in those three decades?

Yeah, yeah.

First of all, just really honored to be here and a part of this, and yeah like Peaches said at the end there, I can't even fathom what, you know, riding in a van, and I just, I can't even imagine that.

And I just feel extremely blessed to have the path that I've had.

But when I think back to when I started and just the exposure, you know, club volleyball, and the scene of club volleyball at the time, there were just so many unknowns and the path it would take to get a scholarship and how that was gonna look.

And then, you know, I knew that I wanted to play after, but there was really no vision of what that was.

And so I think as much as social media and platforms, you know, have some negative connotations as well I think there is some positives in that it's allowing a lot of exposure to things that maybe we just didn't have a lot of knowledge about before.

And so I think, I credit a lot of that to social platforms and then just allowing me to kind of have those avenues and pathways to really grow.

But nothing compares to what has come before us and just really, really grateful to have had the opportunities that I've had because of these wonderful ladies that have sacrificed so much and put us, put me and a lot of young athletes in a great place to achieve great things.

(audience applauds) So I'm gonna give each of you the same question and we'll just go in order.

So we'll start with you, Carol.

What is your most memorable moment from athletics?

Well, I'm sure I would say two things, probably.

One, winning the gold medal at the Pan-American Games in Winnipeg.

And then the other of course, the opening ceremonies, the whole experience of the 1968 Olympics.

That's something that very few people in the world get to do.

And the '68 Olympics were memorable because we had the Black Power, we had a lot of outstanding events.

And so those two, and then I gotta tell you, in the hotel in 1997 when they announced Nebraska won the national championship, that's up there.

(panelists laugh) (audience applauds) Let's go to you, Brenda.

Wow.

I think my most... my favorite moment as a player was I helped guide Kearney State College to our first appearance in the NAIA National Championship.

And we were the 16 seed and we played the number one seed, and I hit the shot that put us into overtime against the number one seed.

We ended up losing, but they went through the rest of the tournament and won the national championship.

And so, you know, finishing my career on a really positive note was a really cool part of my playing career.

You know, in my broadcasting career, I've had so many great opportunities over 27 years and probably the most special is going to Russia for the World University Games in 2013.

You know, knowing that it was my voice going back to the United States, and Jordan Hooper who played for the University of Nebraska, started for that World University Games team.

And I got to use Matt Coatney's "You betcha" call because she hit a three pointer to start the scoring.

And it was just such a thrill and, you know, a lot of great memories in my broadcasting career, but that has to top it.

Peaches?

You know, I'm gonna be like Carol.

I have a couple that I'll say.

I think the first one is my freshman year in high school actually.

And I didn't even pitch.

I pitched most of my career, but my freshman year in high school I played second base.

I didn't pitch, but it was my first opportunity that I got my first taste of what championship felt like.

We won four state championships, and that was my first.

And so that was such a, just a great feeling of, "Oh, this is what it feels like."

And then I would say my second one is when we got an opportunity here at Nebraska to go to the World Series.

Over the past few weeks watching the Women's College World Series, it just brought back so many memories of that feeling of being there in Oklahoma City and having all the fans there supporting you.

And I would say that was my second best memorable.

And you were Odyssey Alexander before Odyssey Alexander.

Oh, thank you.

(Peaches laughs) Jordan.

Oh, man.

(audience applauds) Ah, it's so tough.

I always struggle to find the right answer for this one, but I would say the first two that come to mind is winning the national championship here, I think coming back and playing in front of, I think at that time was the most fans ever, like 17,000, and winning a national championship was pretty surreal and a dream come true for a Nebraska girl coming home, and being in front of my family and friends, and then all of Nebraska fans.

And then I would probably say the recent gold medal.

I think what a lot of people didn't see is you saw a 3-0 result, but what you didn't see is during COVID we sat on Zoom calls once a month and we were vulnerable with one another, we dove into one another as far as who they are as people, and I think we created a culture that I think a lot of people didn't know if it was gonna be possible, because it was over Zoom.

We didn't get to see each other, and you see a gold medal, but, yeah, what you don't see is all the work that was put in behind and what really, our sports psych talked about, you know, medals are just a snapshot in time.

And, but what we remember is the relationships.

And I think that team will always remember what it took and how much it took to get there.

So I think that's what I'll carry on.

(audience claps) There are four trailblazers in their own rights, on this stage.

But when you look back at the original pioneer of women's athletics, Louise Pound stands above the rest.

(piano keys playing) [Narrator] Before Title IX some women found a way around the obstacles to compete and succeed in sports.

In Nebraska, few accomplished what Louise Pound did.

Prior to her degree from the University of Nebraska in 1892, Pound was a two time tennis champion, defeating both men and women along the way.

She is the only female in school history to earn a men's varsity letter.

After attaining her PhD, Louise Pound became a professor of English at the University of Nebraska and her academic accomplishments rivaled her athletic achievements during a 50 year career.

[Host] Louise Pound proved that women could compete with the men in the sports world.

I will open this up to whomever would like to address it first.

How did that impact the movement toward Title IX?

I'll start.

And I don't know.

I don't really, you know, obviously I'm not that old.

(audience laughs along) I didn't meet Louise Pound, but I did live in Pound Hall at the University of Nebraska.

So, you know, I've talked to a couple people that are in my age group and they talk about her being the true pioneer.

I have the pioneer award on my wall, but that's the the true pioneer.

And some of the people said, Judy Johnson, some of you may know her she's in education.

She said that, and this is something I was even unaware of, Louis Pound was a golfer.

She said that they couldn't compete.

Women couldn't play on Lincoln public golf courses in her day and age.

And I'm going, what?

You know, I didn't know that because coming from farm community and Cedar Rapids I didn't even know what golf was.

We didn't have golf.

We had cows and corn, but we didn't have golf.

And so for her to do that, that many years ago, is truly amazing.

And I would've liked to played her in basketball.

Would've been fun.

You know, I'm working on a docuseries right now called, "If Not For Them."

And so I've been doing a lot of research on this topic and especially how things came into be for college women's basketball.

And so if you want to watch the whole docuseries it's coming out in a year and I won't go into all of it.

But I think there's a lot of things that people really don't know.

People like Louise Pound and others in the early part of the century women were playing basketball and they were playing, they played a different style of game.

It was actually split into three courts and you had to stay in your court and pass it ahead.

But it was popular.

My grandma, Esther Tjarks was her name, in Glenvil Nebraska in the 1920s, played basketball in the state of Nebraska.

But there was a movement throughout the country in the twenties that sports, especially team sports and women's basketball, was seen as unladylike.

Women shouldn't be competitive.

There was concern that it was going to harm their childbearing ability.

And so there was a move all across the country to cut women's sports in high schools and colleges from the 1920s until the 1970s.

Until Title IX came about.

Now, there were pockets of the country especially in the fifties and sixties.

There were AAU teams that competed and there's some great stories about it.

I don't have enough time to tell you all of that.

But also the physical education women that were leaders, they wanted women to be active.

And the AAU leaders and the PE leaders came together at the end of the 1960s and said "women are ready to compete in national championships."

And they went to the NCAA and they said, "We're ready to compete for national championships."

There are women around the country that are ready.

And the NCAA said, "We are for men and by men and we're not interested in women's sports."

And so the women had to come together and form their own organization called the AIAW.

It was called the CIAW for a few years leading up to it.

But if it weren't for those women in the 1970s that formed an organization so that women could compete in college athletics, we would not have what we do today.

And that was formed about the same time that Title IX passed.

And so Title IX, most people do not know this, was not originally anything about sports.

It was an education amendment.

It was passed because women weren't getting into medical school, law school, engineering school and so they passed a law so that women were treated equally in education environments.

And a couple years later the NCAA asked Congress, "Now does this apply to sports?"

And they're like, "Well, yeah.

Sports is in educational institutions, yes."

And all hell broke loose.

The NCAA fought against Title IX, spent millions of dollars against Title IX.

And it took the women of the AIAW for us to have college women's sports.

And it took Title IX to have high school sports to be able to feed those college programs.

And I just wanna make sure that those women get there just due, because if not for them we would not have what we have today.

(crowd applauds) Peaches and Jordan, both of you sort of mentioned this when we were talking about this before, acknowledging the women who came before and hearing what Brenda said, how it's important and what Carol said, how important is it to continue to honor these women, to tell this history, to remember this, especially for girls today, who might not know about this?

You know, it's absolutely so important to recognize those that have come before you.

It helps keep it in perspective.

You know, we might, we know that there's a lot of work that still needs to be done for our future but at the same time, we know how blessed and what we do have because of those that have come before us.

That have fought and what they did in the 70s, to what Brenda spoke about.

And that's super important, to never lose sight of that, as we're working for change to move forward.

But there's a lot of work that has been done over the years and that has given me, and I'm a, you know I've benefited a lot from the work that those women have put in.

Yeah.

I thought she said, said it very well.

Yeah.

I mean, I think it just gives us a great perspective.

And I think even just having conversations like this it allows opportunity to, I mean, even for me.

Like, knowing more of the history, like I think it's just adding another layer of gratitude and just, how can we continue to push this forward?

And, like you said, there's still room to grow.

But I just think that, I don't know.

I've traveled a lot of places and we are ahead of the game.

And, but I also know that there's room to grow.

But just a good perspective.

50 years into Title IX and women are still fighting for equal footing.

This year marked the first year that the NCAA women's basketball tournament was included under the billion dollar March Madness brand.

While the women's basketball tournament was a huge improvement, the quest for more continues.

[Announcer] So many fans out here in Minneapolis right now.

I think college basketball for women has always been something that people engaged on.

But I don't know if it's ever been this big of a stage.

It's the biggest game of the year and we're all trying to win the National championship.

Title IX is something that gave us all an opportunity to be able to play and do sports that we love.

And so for us to be playing right now in college during the 50th anniversary, it's like, wow look at the progress that we've made over time.

The person who hired me, our athletic director was John Toner.

And he was the president of NCAA at the time.

And he helped write the Title IX legislation.

The difference between now and then is like the difference between horse and buggy and jet engines.

And yet we've still got a long way to go (serene water flowing, birds chirping) Since that moment.

I've definitely grown up a lot.

I feel like I've come into a person just because, you know everybody's watching me and listening to me and I have this massive platform now where I can, you know kind of be a leader there and advocate for change.

I got something to show y'all.

So for the NCAA, March madness, the biggest tournament in college basketball for women, this is our weight room.

Let me show y'all the men's weight room.

Now when pictures of our weight room got released versus the men's.

The NCAA came out with the statement saying that it wasn't money, it was space that was a problem.

Let me show y'all something else.

Here's our practice court, right?

And then here's that weight room and then here's all this extra space.

If you aren't upset about this problem, then you're a part of it.

(ambient orchestral strings playing) To have visual evidence of like the disparities was something that really did shock the world.

It was actually special to see people not only look at it, share it, post it but they also like made a change and they actually went ahead and put in this nice, really nice facility.

Guess what guys?

We got a weight room!

Yeah!

We got a ton more dumbbells, look at that.

Look at all these racks for squats and whatever we wanna do.

We got a bunch of pans look at this guys.

And we got some equipment!

Ay yo, thank you NCAA for listening to us.

[Host] How long did it take for you to kind of stop and look around and be like, something's not right here.

I think it's been a problem since I started basketball.

And that was the, the frustration that came from it that it wasn't just that one moment that it was a buildup of all these little moments of like, 'Hey, this isn't fair.'

You know, 'This isn't cool.

We shouldn't be treated like this is not equal.'

So all those little moments just kind of built up and in that moment with the weight room, you know that's what kind of just puts you over the edge.

It was like, so frustrating.

I was like, come on Were you kind of shocked that other people were shocked when they're like, wait this is the reality?

This is what's been going on?

Yeah.

Kind of like on Twitter, a lot of people were like oh wow, this is, you know, this is not right.

And I think it, it shows in just how much attention it got because people really were like, we knew it was a problem.

It's obviously been a problem in sports for so long.

But now that it's, you know, right here we're looking at this and it's right now people were like, whoa, this is, this is crazy.

Since that moment, I've definitely grown up a lot.

I feel like I've become a new person just because I have this massive platform now where I can you know, kind of be a leader there and advocate for change.

[Erin] When you went and you tweeted that video and you put it on TikTok, did you have a moment where you thought, 'People might not have my back on this one?'

I'm gonna be the only one fighting for this.

And, and my voice might be alone.

I'm gonna be strong and and be confident because I really believe in this.

I saw like just this massive like overflow of love and support by my teammates.

And they were like, 'Hey, we're here with you.

We support you.'

[Jaz] We've been really close for a long time.

She is incredible for what she does because someone with such a strong voice and someone that wants to be that platform for others it also comes with a lot of heat and it sucks.

But as a teammate, it's, we see them as regular people.

You know, she's an incredible person and it's it's great to support her.

And she needs that support around her Fighting for the things that you believe in and standing up and using your platform in a positive manner.

That's never gonna be viewed as a distraction in my mind and will always be something that I encourage our young women to have the courage to do is to use their talents, use their creativity and use their voice to stand up and and make change in positive ways.

(water gently flowing) (hip hop beat playing) (hip hop continues) (crowd cheering) The excitement is there.

The passion is there.

People just have not had the opportunity to shine on that stage.

[Dawn] I think it's a nice touch for having been called out and all the inequities how we move forward, how we grow the game how we get to a place where the men's tournament is which is a billion dollar revenue producing sport is for us to be treated as a sport.

If you give women the platform and the same opportunities that you're giving to everybody else, watch what builds from there.

[Paige] Any opportunity and any mark for change and any step in the right direction is amazing.

I know that there's a long way to go, but moving forward in a positive direction is extremely important.

[Aliyah] You think about people on social media and they always have something to say about women's basketball.

Nobody watches, nobody really cares, but I mean 18,000 people for March Madness was amazing.

And when looking at the little girls in the stands, it's like, wow, like we were in those stands.

I remember being in the stands watching the Final Four games.

And so to be playing and girls coming up to me after the game, asking me to sign something or take a picture it's like, we're really making an impact.

And women's basketball is definitely something that's gonna just continue to grow.

[Sedona] We work on our whole lives to be in this moment and then having it be everything you dreamed of everything you've, you know, thought of as a little kid.

Seeing like the NCAA March Madness on the middle of the court and you know on ESPN and all this coverage and, and what we deserve.

I think that's my most special thing.

If we can continue to grow our sport and get people excited about the exciting brand of basketball it is, we'll see growth and just continued increases in opportunity for our women.

[Geno] We went a lot of years without making no progress.

And now we're making some every single year and we're closer to where we want to be than we've ever been.

So I feel good about how far we've come and where we're going.

[Host] I have to say having had the opportunity to report on this story with Nebraska Public Media was life changing for me.

I had an opportunity to hear from some incredible young women who are pushing the game forward for not only women's basketball, but for but for all sports.

So when we are sitting here tonight discussing Title IX and where it's been and where it can go, Brenda, I have to ask when you hear Sedona Prince, we're 50 years into Title IX, how can we relate to her today that she's, she's fighting for change in women's basketball, but beyond.

Well, I love it that she is and not just women's basketball, but volleyball and softball and all of us need to work together to continue to promote women's sports all around.

But, you know, if I would've had social media in the back of that van with the four people (audience laughing) you know, maybe we would've gotten two vans earlier.

I'm not sure, but you know really it's the combination of, you know we all have our opinions about social media, you know, the the bad and the good of it, but it it's the combination of having that platform and being able to get the word out and say, here's what our weight room looks like.

Here's what the guy's weight room looks like.

And we're at a moment in time when people care.

And so it outraged people.

It outraged people that a set of dumbbells could be the women's weight room and that's the men's, but that stuff's been going on for 50 years.

We just haven't had it on video.

And so the combination of putting it on social media and the fact that we are at a point where it's like, people care about it we're at the time where things can change.

And because of what she did, you know there was a, a, an independent investigation.

The way that corporate money has come into the NCAA for years has excluded women to have opportunities.

And did people even know that we couldn't use March Madness?

I've been a broadcaster for 20 years.

I knew we couldn't say March Madness on our television broadcast.

It was very clear do not use the term March Madness that belongs to the men.

But that video made the change that this needs to be a more inclusive NCAA for the women to benefit.

But also all the value that we bring to the table should be being recognized.

Peaches, I'm gonna ask you, because when this video came out it also sparked a lot of conversation about other sports, including softball, and a lot of a lot of softball coaches came forward and said we've been having conversations about the equity in softball for a long time versus the men's College World Series.

What was your experience with, you know just playing the sport and maybe what you saw?

Yeah.

I can definitely say it has changed.

You know I remember really the only time we were televised was at the College World Series.

None of our regional games and hardly ever any of the regular season games, here and there you might see that, but I know that has definitely changed.

It's so wonderful now to see not only the entire College World Series, but the regionals, the semi-regionals the similar things that we would always see in baseball now being televised.

And so I think that is definitely a step in the right direction.

The other thing I noticed is just the timeframe and what a lot of times they didn't realize was that softball players needed that rest time as well trying to fit in, you know 10 games and four days or, or whatever it was, you know we need our bodies to recover as well.

You know, the, the length of time that the College World Series would last for the guys was a lot different than what our world series would last.

And so it was nice to see, especially this year, that that length of time to give those women that recovery time as well, that they give the men.

And Jordan, when we talk about volleyball, you know how does this expand into volleyball when we look at what we've seen with women's basketball?

Yeah.

You know, again, I think the lens in which I have seen it and experienced it hasn't been to this extreme.

I think volleyball has been very blessed.

Like when we go to the Final Four, we have a lot of great opportunities and yeah, I'm, I can't really speak to that much of it, because I think we've also been very blessed to have great opportunities.

And Carol, I have to say, you know so much change was made in just one year.

And obviously you've seen a lot of change over 50 years but how can we then keep this change going forward?

Well, I think it's up to the young girls and and probably their parents to make sure that every opportunity that their sons have that their daughters have.

I, I don't, I don't see the difference.

You know, I've been teaching and coaching.

I've taught in, in Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska I've taught football, basketball, track in all four states.

And to be honest with you in the last 10, 15 years of coaching, I, I can't see the difference.

I cannot, I'm sorry.

I can't see the difference in high school sports right now.

Everything that my track team had in Texas I coached, I was head coach of both boys and girls.

I was head coach of both boys and girls track teams in Iowa.

Head coach just over here at little Parkview Christian.

There is at this point in time I don't know if I'm saying something that I shouldn't I don't see the difference.

The girls have every opportunity that the boys have at least as far as I can see in high school sports.

-And I credit it to Title IX -because back in 1972 when it first came in Girls' sports was awful and we have come so far.

And as long as the high school sports stay where they are I see no way, although I'm not sure the NCAA isn't dead.

I don't know how far, you know what the NCAA will say from here on.

You know, but I just wanna say, the schools that you've been at, hired a woman to coach the boys sports teams.

So you you've been at some schools that are progressive.

There aren't a lot of high schools around the country.

A lot of teams, men's programs that will hire a woman to coach.

And so the fact that you've been at those schools that they see your talent and they've hired you to coach both men's and women's team that's that's the way we need to move right?

I mean I don't know how far this conversation goes into you know, women's sports, we need more women coaching women.

We need women coaching men.

(audience clapping) And there's no reason not to because obviously you're highly capable, right?

Highly capable of coaching men's sports that needs to continue to progress.

And I, I do think there's still improvements to be made but I think there have been a lot there's a lot of progress.

Absolutely.

Right.

But I think that's one of the areas where, you know women can be recognized for their talents and have the opportunity to coach boys' and men's sports.

And, you know, we need more women coaching women too.

Yeah, and I'm going to bring up a male coach, not to, but I have a point here, Terry Petit.

I feel like what we're getting at here is Nebraska's very unique in a lot of ways especially when we're talking about finding talent recognizing that talent, elevating that talent.

Terry Petit definitely has made a big impact in this state.

I know Brenda, we've talked separately from this, about him.

What can you say about what he has done to elevate athletes in this state when we're talking about this?

Yeah, well, you know, first of all, as I mentioned earlier I'm all for men coaching women as well because my dad's a coach, my brother's a coach of women and girls.

So big supporter of having quality coaches coach girls and boys, just think that we need to swing it a little bit and more women should have the opportunity to coach men as well.

But I'm glad you brought that up about Terry Petit because I think he was such a pioneer, in this state, and we all love Nebraska volleyball, right?

And I know we're going to get to that segment next.

But a lot of people don't know what Terry Petit did to plant those seeds.

You know, I came here, I went to volleyball camp in this coliseum in 1981.

And he was doing so many things, in the eighties, to plant seeds, throughout the state, to really train coaches on how to coach and teach volleyball.

And I went to a Nebraska coaches clinic in the late 80s.

He had Christie Johnson, who ended up being an All-American, of course, at Nebraska.

And now as the head coach at Iowa State.

As an eighth grader, she was his demonstrator, showing coaches how to teach setting and the skills surrounding it.

And to me, what he was able to do, in the eighties, planted the seeds for what we have in Nebraska volleyball, now, at this time.

It's no secret that Nebraska volleyball has enjoyed or that volleyball has enjoyed many decades of success across all levels at Nebraska.

So I met with three of the best volleyball coaches, in the state, to discuss Title IX's impact on the past, present, and future of the sport.

Thank you all for being here.

We are gonna get started in this round table, John, with you.

As you have looked at the landscape of volleyball, in the state of Nebraska, how would you describe the level of volleyball being played here across all levels?

Every year, last several years, two teams are ranked in the Top 10, Creighton and Nebraska.

All right?

And I always say, "What if Creighton Men's Basketball and Nebraska Men's Basketball, were both ranked in the Top 10?

This state would lose its mind.

That's just a common thing that happens every year.

In division two, Kearney was ranked number one, most of the year, they're always ranked number one, at some point.

Wayne State's up there.

In NAIA, I think, at one point I checked, there was six teams ranked in the top 20, at one point last year.

And then you go high school.

If you look at Prep Volleyball Magazine, at the end of the year, there were seven teams from the state of Nebraska.

And this is all in the state of 1.8 million people.

So I think, you know this is why we call volleyball here as state treasure.

Because it is at all levels, and is successful at all levels.

And so it's something we can be really proud of.

John was mentioning Renee, you know, you are in the thick of it right now, with Skutt, but you also grew up in the state of of Nebraska playing volleyball in the 80s and 90s.

What is it like now being on the side you are but seeing the change the evolution of the sport over that time period?

Yeah, I mean, there's a ton of stuff that's changed.

I mean, from the amount of kids playing the game, to the uniforms, there's more butt huggers.

There's like nice spandex.

I mean there's those kind of changes, where everything's like performance and technical.

The state tournament numbers have significantly increased.

You know, the opportunities are there for kids to play that maybe weren't there before.

John mentioned how the clubs, right now, are flourishing.

Those are all kids getting opportunities to play.

And when I was in high school there wasn't really clubs.

It was like high school coaches running, you know, smaller groups in high school gyms.

And now you have these big facilities.

So it's really cool to see how much it's grown in the state.

And it has grown quite a bit Kirsten.

But when you look at the coverage that in the state of Nebraska on the high school level, and all the way up to collegiate, and beyond, where do you see maybe room for improvement in this area where we could expand, not only for volleyball, but for other sports to continue to gain that traction?

Well, I think you see a growth in women's sports, for sure, since title nine, right?

And some of that has gone to television but we need to see more growth.

You know, I think you're seeing that.

I mean, let's take this year's NCAA tournament with women's basketball.

It had unbelievable growth, but television got on board and televised every game.

They put 'em on major networks.

They started to do pieces on the athletes.

Cause again, you wanna tell a personal story, and they saw their numbers skyrocket because you know that's what they've been doing for a lot of men's sports.

Now do that in volleyball.

I mean, volleyball has built its brand on its own.

Some sports have been able to, you know, basketball has has always gotten compared with men's basketball, so they've gotten some things.

Volleyball's had to do it all on our own.

We don't have a male counterpart, unfortunately, that is that's the bigger beast.

We're the beast and we're establishing these numbers.

the Big Ten and maybe John can talk about this, the Big Ten numbers on television, because the Big Ten has committed to women's volleyball, are astronomical.

But if you give us the runway that women's basketball is getting, some other sports, softball's getting, I think we can do some amazing things.

Kirsten's right.

The Big Ten has made a commitment.

And one of the reasons they made a commitment is because it became the most popular women's sport on the Big Ten Network.

So now it, we don't have to fight for it anymore.

They want to televise it.

They're trying to televise as many matches as they can.

We're going to Thursday nights, Sundays.

We're moving all around.

They're doing non-conference matches.

So the Big Ten is all in.

They love it.

And they're getting, you know, great numbers off of it.

Kirsten, you brought up the women's basketball tournament and this year they said it was the most amount that's ever been spent on the women's tournament.

The viewership obviously followed when you build it, they will come.

One of the things that came through that is there are a lot of volleyball coaches across this country who were saying, 'What kind of spark is needed?

What can we do to make that possible for the for women's volleyball?'

I'm not answering that.

(laughter) I think, you know, it's multi-faceted, right?

But one thing, that I think viewers can do, is social media is powerful.

We need our voices to be heard.

If you are a volleyball fan when Coach Cook or Coach Booth or Coach Saunders puts something out on a social media that is talking about growing the game, we need you to to retweet it or put it out.

I mean, again, look, let's take the example of the NCAA tournament with the women's basketball and the strength and conditioning room.

You know, there's reasons why that happened, but it didn't matter.

That caught like fire on social media.

So I think there's a power with that right now.

Social media can go for bad things and good things.

But I think letting our voice be heard.

There are a lot of people that want to watch more volleyball.

And some of it is getting in the ear of people that make the decision.

You know, it might not be this total formulaic thing.

And then what happens is, what happens with the Big Ten Network, is they start doing it and now they see, now it's the top women's sport on the Big Ten Network, and they're trying to move things around And then the fire goes and it spreads.

When used in a positive way.

It's a very powerful tool that can get people's attention.

It could be used to support your teammates.

It could be used to hurt your teammates.

It could be used to grow the game.

It could be used to hurt the game.

I think what we all have to take into consideration is, volleyball participation numbers, it's the number one sport for girls.

40% of the athletes in the United States are women but yet only 4% of their events are televised.

And when you're looking at that discrepancy, you have to find a way to use your voice, whatever way that is.

That could be through social media, it could be letters to ESPN, you know to the major networks, whatever way you can show that you want to watch it, but then you also have to follow through and watch it, cause ESPN's not gonna continue to put games on, if we say put it on, put it on, put it on and we don't watch.

We need to do it as a concentrated effort.

So ESPN knows, oh yeah, there is something for this.

Cause I think the bottom line is money.

And like Kirsten said, volleyball's done it all in its own.

And so coaches like her need to get up and vent loudly.

And you know for the, especially with the Title IX aspect of that.

I'll vent.

(laughter) Okay.

So here's the deal.

Title IX does not say that it has to be sport to sport.

So this is a really important concept that I think administrators know but it's just easier to compare soccer to soccer, basketball to basketball.

You don't have to do that.

So if you look at what the NCAA spends, on their championships, volleyball is not by far the lowest by any stretch.

We're well supported but not close to where women's basketball.

Women's basketball, actually out of 88 NCAA division one championships, is 88th on what they you know, the cost as far as revenue into their costs.

They're the most expensive sport.

So NCAA is fully committed to making the women's basketball championship incredible.

And that's because they're just making the decision.

Men's basketball gets this.

Women's basketball gets this.

It doesn't have to be that way.

It just has to be opportunities.

So, and let me be clear, I, my daughter plays basketball.

I love basketball.

So this is not, this is trying to elevate all women's sport.

My point is this, when you support women's basketball, you see those television ratings go up.

What we're saying is we are doing us all on our own.

If we get the kind of support, we can be, I think we can surpass those numbers significantly.

I think that's what we've, the Big Ten has shown, our attendance has shown, our growth, from a youth standpoint like Renee said, we're the largest team sport in the country right now for little girls.

So, you know, again, it doesn't have to be one sport to another, it's opportunities.

So if you wanna compare how you commit to your soccer program, to your volleyball program that's all well and good.

It just needs to be girls to boys or men to women has to be equal.

So that's why I say Kirsten needs to fight this Cause I've upset a lot of people.

Cause I've been doing this fighting for this a long time.

I mean, I've been a advocate for Title IX, women's volleyball.

Kirsten knows that I've tried to, you know, get us to go to the spring, maybe we can get more TV.

I mean, I've been really pushing it.

But you, you still need to fight.

I do.

I'm just going, I'm like a guerrilla fighter now.

I'm in the shadows fighting.

(laughter) But our women's, these, Kirsten, and there's a great group right now.

And especially, you know, these coaches and her generation can really, I think make a huge impact.

Cause I think we're ready, ready to go.

And with the focus on Title IX, I mean shows like this.

I mean it's gonna be everywhere.

And so there's a great opportunity right now.

Jordan, you knew I was gonna come right to you.

You're the face of volleyball in Nebraska and in arguably worldwide.

So what stood out to you most from that round table discussion?

Oh my gosh.

I mean just a ton of great points.

And I think what comes to me first is using your voice.

And I think we, like Coach Cook touched on at the end, Like we have a great opportunity now and like it's the most played sports like in youth sports.

So I think being able to use your voice in a positive manner and I think using social media to really get that voice out.

And I don't know, I'm also, I just am overcome with gratitude because, I think I, the experience that I had, has been wonderful.

And to see where it is now, it's really incredible to watch.

But I think, I don't know if I'm misspeaking here, but I believe that when they put the Final Four on, it was like the most views like on TV overshadowing, I don't remember what sport was on, but I just the viewership is there, the following is there.

Nebraska fans alone, like we can, you know, it's unreal.

So I just, I think we can use our voice now more than ever.

And even just being now on the professional side and seeing like the expansion and the, the people that wanna talk about it.

It's really, really cool to see.

And like people are invested in how can we make it a professional sport here in the United States.

I think it's, it's been tough, right?

Being almost 13 years and being away from family and friends for most of my career.

How can we bring that and have that a part of this, you know, part of the United States because it never has done before.

So I think people are bought in and they wanna talk about it and they wanna put it on TV and the thought is there.

So how can we get it out and get it more widespread?

Listening to each of you speak, it's clear, how much your athletic journeys have impacted you outside of athletics.

So this is a question for each of you.

We'll start with you, Carol.

How has your athletic journey impacted your growth outside of sports?

Well, if it wasn't for sports I grew up a farm girl in Cedar Rapids, Nebraska.

My two older sisters graduated from high school and went to work in Omaha.

And that was pretty much what everybody did.

You got married or you moved to Omaha and you got a job.

But because of track and Mr. Randall Lambert, who was our English teacher, he was the one that encouraged me to go to take Physics instead of Home Ec.

Oh, I shouldn't say that.

I took Home Ec and it's the only C I got in high school (laughter) was Home Ec.

But anyway, taking Physics and Math, I took Trig by correspondence from the University of Nebraska and through that was able to earn a Regent's Scholarship.

Otherwise, there is no way, my sharecropper parents could have afforded to send me to college.

They gave me my first $800 check to go to the university.

And after that, I worked, got my Regent's, work scholarship, all of that kind of stuff and was able then, through track and field, like I said as a junior in high school, I'd never been any further west than Cozad.

And three years later, I was in Red Square only because of athletics.

And because there was one person who saw some talent, in small town, Cedar Rapids, Nebraska, and got started, got us started in, in track and field.

I wouldn't have met my husband, who was a University of Nebraska football player.

I can't even tell you how my life changed because of athletics.

You know, my whole life has been about sports and advocating for girls and women in sports.

And I'm, it makes me emotional, because I'm so honored that just by enjoying dribbling a basketball around the court, on my driveway it's taken me all over the world.

And I've had a voice, to be able to promote women and girls.

And I thank my parents who are here tonight.

My dad being a coach, my mom, being one of the most competitive people I know, that didn't get to participate in sports, but people in this room know that she could beat you in poker anytime.

(laughter) But I also wanna say thank you to Nebraska Public Media because I got my broadcasting start with NETV.

The leaders here at NETV, when I left my job, at the University of Nebraska, I came back and I said, 'I don't have a broadcast journalism degree but I know the game.

I know the coaches.

I love to talk strategy.

I love to talk.

Would you gimme a chance?'

And Nebraska Public Media gave me my start in broadcasting and 27 years later, it's been an incredible career.

(applause) Peaches?

You just, ah, well following that up, I hope I don't cry hearing that story, but gosh I could talk so long about just how athletics and being involved has really changed my life and how it's helped me just grow as a person.

One thing that comes to mind is just teaching me how to deal with adversity, when my back is against the wall when I'm dealing with challenges, how to really deal with that.

Cause I wasn't very good at that.

And failure really got me down and learning and growing that, you know, failure is an opportunity.

What did I learn from that?

It doesn't mean that I can't come back from that.

And that's really taught me, in my life now, I still deal with that now.

Of taking some of those skills that I learned in that aspect and using them in my career, in my everyday life, of how am I gonna deal with these challenges that are ahead of me?

And I just think that another aspect is leadership.

So by nature, I was always a very shy and introverted individual.

And so for the longest time, I was one that you know, I always said, 'I'm gonna lead by example.'

And I feel like that's important, leading by example and how you carry yourself and what type of player you are and what type of character you have.

But what I've also learned, through sports, is that my voice matters and really using that and how impactful that my voice can be in leadership, as well.

And so I've really, it's really helped me out in my career now, you know, as I have grown when I was a junior and senior really trying, finding my voice, it's really helped me now.

Not only do I try to be a leader with my actions but now using my voice more.

(applause) Are you inside my head?

(laughter) Yeah, goodness athletics.

It's been my life and something that I'm just immensely grateful for.

I was also gonna say learning how to handle failure and being able to, how to cope and how to recover and really get back on my feet and get going again.

And also leadership, learning how to really expand, how to build relationships and try to still be authentic to who I am.

Cause I think I'm very much similar to what she said.

I lead by example and I think as I've gotten older, in my career, learning how to vocalize how I'm feeling versus maybe a facial expression.

So yeah, just being able to expand that.

But then I also just, seeing the world.

I mean, I think every time I come back to the United States, I'm just, we live in such a beautiful country and a lot of things, we have a lot of advantages that a lot of other countries do not have.

And it's been a really awesome experience to have conversations with people all over the world of how did you grow up?

What did life look like for you?

And this is what my life looked like and how you can relate and somehow meet in the middle and realize that sometimes what you don't, what you see on TV is not, you know, maybe, often reality.

And so I think having that perspective has really deepened the meaning of athletics.

It's been a bigger thing than just playing a sport.

It's it's about the people and kind of how, and to say you have friends in Turkey, is kind of a cool thing.

So yeah.

Yeah.

It's been cool.

I think I speak for everyone watching, whether in person or on television when I say that every woman sitting up here tonight is a mentor and role model.

There are people who are sitting here or watching right now, who are looking at the four of you as their mentors, their role models.

So let's talk mentors.

Who are yours, what are the impact that they had on you?

I'm who, whoever wants to go first.

I see you all thinking.

So that's why whoever wants to jump in first.

I'll go ahead.

I would say for me, it's really been my parents for the longest time.

My mother and father, you know, between the two of them they have eight decades of wisdom that they have instilled in me.

And I still tap into that whether it's about sports or parenting or, You know whatever it is, they're usually the ones that I lean to first, and they've really just taught me so much throughout the years and still teaching me so much and just tapping into that wisdom.

They have so many life experiences, and have been through, and have seen a lot in eight decades.

And I just still, like I say, I would say they're probably my two most important mentors that I tap into.

I can just pick anyone at any point.

(laughter) Brenda.

All right, all right.

Well, I've already said my parents and they definitely are.

But you know coaches throughout the years, I had a couple of great assistant coaches at Kearney State College.

Laura Tietjen and Irma Odell that were great mentors for me.

When I coached here at the University of Nebraska, Angela Beck was the Head Coach.

She served as a mentor.

And then just navigating through this broadcasting world, you know, it's a male dominated world, and finding women along the way that have broken barriers, and learning from them and being inspired by them, there are just so many along the way.

We'll go Carol and then Jordan.

(Sigh) Not my parents.

I'm sorry.

(laughs) That's the standard answer, but my parents were farmers.

They really didn't even appreciate me going off to California to throw.

That wasn't something that a farm girl from Cedar Rapids did.

The person that got- gave me my opportunity, well I've mentioned his name was Mr. Randall Lambert.

He was just an English teacher, boys basketball coach, at Cedar Rapids, Nebraska that saw some talent in a few girls that he thought, you know, were good at softball, they're pretty good at volleyball, maybe they can be pretty good at track.

And he's the one that got me involved with track and field.

I- had I had the opportunity that people have right now, first of all, I'd have been a basketball player (laughter) 'cause I didn't have the chance.

Second of all, I was pretty good shortstop but I didn't have the chance.

And I did have the chance in track and field.

And then I also have to give credit to my husband.

You know back in 1980, he needed a football coach because he came from Lincoln High and had a whole staff of like five or six.

We went to O'Neill, Nebraska and he had: he, and another line coach, Dennis Gall.

Well, he needed a receiver's coach.

And so he tapped me to be his receiver's coach.

And from 1980 to 2005, I coached men's football.

And a lot of people don't know because we didn't advertise it.

But back when we were in Shenandoah, Iowa the NFL Hall of Fame called and said we want to honor you to be one of the few women football - there's more now - one of the few women football coaches in the United States.

And so, you know, it wasn't easy for Larry because he took a lot of guff.

That's my husband, you know, why why would you have your husb- your wife?

But, he needed a coach.

And I was able to do that.

And I, I was his assistant in football.

He was my assistant in track.

And I don't know that you can call him a mentor as much as a partner, but it certainly did help in my career.

(applause) Yeah.

I would obviously say my parents.

Yeah.

I think very grateful for them for taking me to all the, all the practices and just obviously encouraged me along the way and supporting me in every avenue.

I would also say I can name every kind of coach in a, in a period of time.

My club coach, Gwen Egbert, who really set me up for success.

Obviously, John Cook, being here at Nebraska encouraging me to go on, to continue to play pro.

When I got to the national team Hugh McCutcheon who changed everything that I've ever learned and I wouldn't be standing here today and have had the career I had without him changing all those things.

And then Karch, I think he really taught me that obviously he's a fantastic player, but I think his, his marriage and what he values and relationships, I, I just really admire how he was with his wife.

And he just taught me a lot of things outside of, excuse me, outside of volleyball that I really hold onto.

So I think there's, there's been periods throughout my life that a lot of people have stood out but those are some that come to mind.

Jordan, I'm gonna stay with you.

What advice do you have for the young girls who want to get started in volleyball?

Yeah, I think I mentioned earlier there's just a lot more opportunities than I had.

I, I've been in and around the club scene a little bit now.

And I just remember there was kind of three or four major clubs and, you know, they had an age divis- you know, one team per age division, and maybe two and now there's multiple nationals and I'm just like oh my gosh, just the volleyball opportunities there are, it's unbelievable.

So but I also kind of preach to like be a multi-sport athlete like get out there, do other sports.

(laughter) (applause) I think we're, we're so committed to be to, you know, specify in one thing that, you know we burn out, you know, there's just so many things that you know, we lose sight of and I'm grateful that I was a multi-sport athlete.

I gotta do other things.

And I think for the body too, right, you're learning all these things, how your body moves and you don't even know if it's gonna be what you love.

And so I think just getting out there and having fun and it's only a short time in your life you don't wanna grow up.

So just, yeah, just trust in that process.

But there are a lot more opportunities than- that are out there.

And just gotta go look for them.

Brenda, I'm gonna very selfishly ask you because growing up myself, I didn't feel like I saw a lot of women in sports broadcasting.

I didn't have, in my opinion a lot of role models to look at.

So seeing you chase your dream is an incredible thing for you know, for young women right now who want to break into sports broadcasting, what can you offer them as advice?

Wow.

You know, it, it wasn't my chosen career.

I wanted to be a, a teacher and coach.

And then I coached at the University of Nebraska as I mentioned, but, you know, getting into it and and having the opportunity to sit court side best seat in the house and be able to, you know, call the game and describe the action and the strategies and and tell the stories, has, has been such a blessing for me.

And there are so many opportunities now for women in so many more roles than have ever been available you know, where we may have been, you know, pushed toward jus- only sideline reporter positions in the past there are opportunities for women to be play-by-play, to be analysts in various sports, to break down things in the studio, as we've seen great examples.

And because there are more opportunities with streaming platforms and, and just a lot of different ways that you can do that.

I think find your local sports team, whatever it is and get involved with the, the streaming of those games.

There are opportunities to get your feet wet and learn and kind of grow your career, meet people in the business, job shadow when you can, you know, reach out to them through social media.

I mean, basically all, you know, broadcasters are available through social media and you can reach out and and get to know them and learn how they carve their path.

And a lot of young people have reached out to me and I'm glad to be a mentor and help them in their careers.

And I just think there are so many opportunities.

When we look at coaching, Carol, and we think about like growing sports especially at the local level, how can we do that?

Coaches, you talked about parents, supporters.

How do we grow sport at the local level?

Boy.

[Erin] The million dollar question.

The million dollar question, because I, I think sports for both boys and women, this, this is heresy.

Okay.

I'm telling you, I'm not sure.

Ooh, can I say this?

I'm not sure we haven't gone too far.

We are pushing our young people into all of these sports at such a young age.

They're 10 year olds traveling every weekend to Kansas City, to Denver, to whatever.

I'm not, I don't think we need to push any further.

Again, maybe I'm- maybe this is heresy.

I'm not sure we don't need to back off.

There's so many opportunities.

(applause) Can I say that?

Sure.

(laughter) I mean, but that's true for everyone who's sitting here.

You've, you've been playing sport.

I mean, Jordan, you've been playing sport at a, since we talked about, since you were nine years old.

I mean, at some point there has to be a balance between allowing, you know, children to grow into that space and you're saying you don't even know if it's what you would love.

Like how do you balance that when you're trying to grow the sport?

Yeah.

It is tough, too.

'Cause I think about like, you know, I look at other countries.

Right?

Like I was just in China and, you know, they kind of hand pick, you know, Hey!

You're gonna be a volleyball athlete and that's just what you do.

You know?

And so it's like, we have a lot of opportunities that we have choices to make that.

And so I think, like you said, like giving athletes just a little breathing room and kind of figure out and navigate that space, but obviously that's, you know, parents' decisions and how that goes.

But I think it's just the fact that we have that freedom to, to make that choice is important too.

In the 50th year of Title IX, the Nebraska School Activities Association introduced a new high school championship sport.

Back in February, twelve girls made history by winning a gold medal and welcoming a new era of girls wrestling.

[Erin] The true measure of a girl's success or failure should not be judged by whether or not she can beat a guy.

She needs to establish her sense of value by competing against other girls.

(crowd clapping and cheering) (whistle blowing) (crowd cheering) For more than a decade, girls have been competing against boys on the wrestling mat, overcoming challenges and misconceptions in a fight to prove they belong.

[Ron Higdon] About five years ago, there were the big six.

So there were six states that had girls wrestling sanctioned at the association level.

The notoriety and the exposure that they got, kind of like sparked an interest.

With the big six, it has evolved.

It kind of doubled and went from six to 12, 12 to 18.

And then now, it's at 33, just, you know, five years later.

And we are one of the 33, now.

[Erin] During the summer of 2021, NCAA national wrestling champion, Felicity Taylor, toured across the Midwest to promote the sport of wrestling in Nebraska.

[Felicity Taylor] When I come to these camps, I just kind of wanna, like I obviously wanna share my journey.

I started my freshman year, so anything is really possible.

You have to take it one day at a time, one step at a time and really just do all you can to better yourself and get to where you wanna be.

[Narrator] At South Winneshiek High School in Iowa, Felicity started for the boys wrestling team winning more than 100 career matches.

The better I got and the more work I put in the more the guys accepted me.

There's a lot of doubt when it comes to women wrestling.

So obviously just creating that experience and allowing girls to join the sport, kind of just allows us to prove ourselves and show we can actually do it.

Giving us these equal opportunities is amazing.

(Crowd cheering) [Narrator] In 2020, as an emerging sport in Nebraska 300 girls competed on the mat.

In 2021, as a sanctioned sport, participation was up 150% to over 700 participants.

The past two years I've just done soccer and I've been kind of like feeling like there's something missing.

So I was always looking for a little bit more.

(whistle blowing) So when I heard that wrestling was coming and my last year, my senior year, I was super pumped.

(motivational music) [Narrator] Adding a new sport doesn't happen overnight.

Like many schools across the state, the Grand Island high school administration had to act quickly and find creative solutions to many challenges.

Short on space, they converted an annex financial building into the new practice facility for girls wrestling.

We are We are (team chanting) [Sage McCallum] It's like our own little space and it's away from school.

It's away from everything else in our life.

And so we walk in here and it's like we're in the wrestling mindset and we're not in school.

This is, this is the place we come to wrestle.

Your uniform identity comes with your school colors and things of that nature and the members of your team but also comes with your facility.

For us, had we been finding places here and there where we had to scratch out an area we would never truly had that centralized identity.

And, and that feel with how the program needs to be built from the ground up.

[Sage McCallum] We have fun during practice, but when we need to work, we get we get down and dirty and gritty and we get to work.

And I just, I really love the atmosphere that this team has created.

Ready?

Just a straight stand up with a peel, pressure, Head coach, Jeff Evans, jumped at the opportunity to build the foundation of the Grand Island girls wrestling program from the ground up.

[Jeff Evans] Day one, as you can imagine, it was, it was literally step by step and, and they would be thinking so much.

They'd have to know, it's your right hand, right?

They get right to left, mixed up.

It was just so- had to do a lot of drills in order just to teach that.

Forget technique, let's learn about body pressure and positioning.

And we've had a large nucleus of our team of girls who had zero experience before in any sport.

And I think that's been a beautiful thing, honestly, to give them that shot.

(bodies slamming) [Erin] An hour Northwest of Grand Island in Amherst, Nebraska: junior Reagan Galloway competed in her 11th year of wrestling.

Reagan entered the 2021 season with back to back Nebraska Scholastic girls state wrestling titles.

[Chase Klingelhoefer] Reagan.

she's always been one to work harder than she needs to.

(body slam) She's the one, if, if there's like a snow day moving in or a snowstorm, she's texting me saying: 'We're still having practice.

Right?'

[Reagan] I have two brothers, I have a twin brother.

So we're always competing in everything.

I remember watching him down in the wrestling room and I was like, 'Hey dad, I kinda want to try wrestling.'

He was like, 'Alright.'

So next practice I showed down in this very wrestling room.

And actually my first pair of wrestling shoes were pink swimming shoes.

So I got made fun of that for that.

But then I made up first I was kicking the boys's butt.

So after that moment, I was just hooked.

(whistle blows) Stand.

Stand.

Don't stand up with her.

[Chase Klingelhoefer] About the last seven years or so was when we started adding girls.

And there's a ton of interest in this school too.

And so, you know, she's just she's just really helping pave the road.

You were hungry and ready for that one.

That was good.

[Erin] A highly competitive Amherst girls' wrestling program returned five medalists from the 2020 season including two state champions.

Head up, head up.

Swim back.

We always compete.

Like I never wanted to be taken down at practice.

I never wanna get put to my back in practice.

I treated like a live match.

So do the girls, I try to push the girls as hard as I can.

Try to push them to the limit.

'Cause I know they can take it.

And I want, I want to be a state champ.

They wanna be state champs.

We want, want a team title.

So we gotta work hard in practice.

So we can achieve that.

Let's win our moment right, guys.

Let's go.

Broncos on three.

One, two, three.

Broncos!

(dramatic music) [Erin] In the 62nd year of the NSAA wrestling championships, 56 as a state champion, but for the first time ever, 12 girls from across the state stepped onto the podium to receive a gold medal and to inspire a new era in Nebraska high school wrestling.

[PA Announcer] Reagan Galloway of Amherst.

(whistle blows) [Reagan] It's been a dream of mine to wrestle in Omaha, 'cause I just, I just wanted a chance like the guys like I want the same opportunity.

And so when I got the news, I just started crying.

Everyone's like, what's going on?

Like girls wrestling is sanctioned.

I get wrestled down in Omaha.

How cool is that?

Who wouldn't be excited about wrestling down in Omaha and winning a state title?

That's been the dream of mine forever.

[PA Announcer] A junior with a record of 36 and 0: Reagan Galloway.

[Chase Klingelhoefer] Yeah.

Reagan is the definition of intensity and tenacity.

[Sports Broadcaster] Reagan Galloway a state champ, for the first time as part of the NSAA.

[Raegen] Been waiting 11 years for this, so finally made my dream come true.

I think other girls, if they see me winning state titles I think they can like, 'Hey, I can win state title, too.

Girls wrestling is here.

If she can do it, I can, I can do it.'

They're the future of Nebraska.

They can accomplish anything.

They can be state champions.

I want them to be better than me.

There's you before wrestling and there's you after wrestling and there's been such a huge character development and attitude change within themselves.

And so having this opportunity was just huge for all of us.

[Chris Klingelhoefer] Those 12 champions that we crown this year are, are gonna be in the record books forever as, as the first.

(whistle blowing) [Jeff Evans] Outstanding that state Nebraska made this happen because we're giving these girls life positive memories and who knows where they go from here.

But those girls this year, they're they're the ground breakers.

And they're the ambassadors of the sport this sports program in the state, it's gonna explode.

Young women like Reagan Galloway, show us what is possible when opportunity is provided.

Peaches, I'm gonna ask you - when we look at opportunity and creating these opportunities for young women how important is it to continue to find something like girls wrestling to bring to young women in Nebraska and beyond?

Oh, it's so important.

And just watching that video just gives me chills.

You know, seeing that, that yeah, when you build it they will come.

And when you open that door just of what women can do.

And, and one thing that stood out with, with Brenda what she talked about earlier was, you know women being able to coach men's sports is another great opportunity.

You know, you open that door and just wait 'til how many championships you're gonna start seeing.

And so I just think it's so important when you start to open those doors, women are just gonna break them wide open.

And I just, I love to hear the confidence in the voices of those girls.

I mean, you know that they've had to endure some crap from people wrestling in, you know, a a non-traditional girl sport, but they have overcome.

They have thrived.

They, they have this beautiful confidence within and that's what Title IX is about.

It's about opportunity.

It's about providing opportunities for I love to see it.

(applause) Yeah.

I don't wanna keep cutting off applause.

Carol, I was gonna say, when you think of what you have experienced over the 50 years of Title IX where do you want to see changes for a better future as we look toward the next 50 years?

You know, I, I wish I knew the answers to that.

I worry about what's gonna happen to women's athletics with the institution of NIL.

I know that that has created a lot of problems in men's sports.

I don't have firsthand knowledge of what's happening with women's sports.

I know John Cook has had to handle that.

You know, how, how much do you pay the Penn State middle blocker?

You know, how much do you pay the offensive tackle to come from TCU?

Because I, I'm afraid that the NIL might shove women's athletics to the back burner again, and I don't want that to happen but I don't know until we get a governing body who governs how we're going to stop that.

So that, that's one thing that I worry a little about with the NIL you know, Can the college quarterback at Texas A&M get a million dollars, but the middle blocker at Nebraska can only get $50,000 or whatever.

And I'm, I'm afraid that with- unless somebody takes the reins, takes the bull by the horns and says: 'These are the rules,' that women's sports might get left behind.

And right now there are no- it appears to me- that there are no rules.

So where is that going?

That worries me a little bit about women's sports.

Well, unfortunately that is all the time we have.

And I could have sat here for hours asking all of you questions, but thank you so much to this great crowd and to our wonderful panelists for sharing insight and experiences with all of us.

I, I feel like I need them to clap for you.

(laughter) (applause) Visit NebraskaPublicMedia.org/titleix to check out more Title IX features and information, as we continue our year long coverage across the network Title IX has changed countless lives over the past five decades, but the battle for equality and equity for women will continue.

Thank you for watching Title IX: 50 Years in the Making on Nebraska Public Media.

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