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It's a girl's world at State Museum's exhibit
By KATE GURNETT, Staff writer
First published: Monday, October 21, 2002
ALBANY -- The bathing suit behind the glass case was thick, a blue
dress with bloomers, circa 1900.
Girls had to cover up a lot back then, said Symalinea Massey, 16,
walking through "New York State Girls," a new look at girls' history at the
State Museum.
No more. Girls are here.
"We're strong, smart, bold," said Sade Brace, 15, who attends Albany
High School with Massey.
"Talented," Massey said. "And there's equal rights to men."
But. But. There's a but.
"We can't play football," Brace said. Boys "get to play better sports."
"I like football," said Massey, who competed against boys in wrestling.
"So it's like: Don't tell me I can't play."
Nobody at the Oct. 15 opening of "Girls" would tell Massey she can't
play. Not the tiny members of Brownie Troop 270. Not First Lady Libby Pataki
or the coterie of power-suited female officials. Their mere presence
revealed the drastic changes in women's roles over the past century.
Which does not suggest that Massey could get up a quick game of tackle
in this crowd. Sports equality, she and her friends agreed, remains the
new frontier in women's rights.
"My friend had a really hard time when she tried to get on the
wrestling team," said Michele Brown, 15.
Guys are "reinforced," added Yovelah Eytina, a senior at Albany High.
"They do the littlest things and their parents are like, 'Wow!' "
The exhibit, open through next June, explores girl history and girl
culture through education, recreation and work. Additional programs, including
an Oct. 26 mother-daughter workshop and a Jan. 25 photo album class for
children and adults, are on tap.
Ruthanne Brod, supervisor of exhibit planning and design, fit a lot of
items into the small exhibit, from Native American clay pots to cross-stitch
samplers to croquet. More conversation-starter than in-depth look, they
reveal behaviors in education, recreation and work, from the days when
girls were simply prepped for marriage to the present.
All of which proved enlightening to the girls from Albany High. With
just one criticism. Brace and her friends had expected more than a 20- by
10-foot exhibit tucked into four display cases. She echoed a still-common
sentiment: "It looks they don't have enough for girls."
The State Museum is free and open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except
on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. For information, call
474-5877.
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By Aaron Coe
Herald Writer 10/2/02
EVERETT -- Maggie King demanded the best when she coached.
She not only expected the most from her athletes, but the best for them during her career at Mountlake Terrace from 1963-87. She was inducted into the Mountlake Terrace Hall of Fame Tuesday, not just because she won far more often than she lost while coaching Hawks volleyball, basketball, tennis and track. Her contributions reached well beyond the playing surface. Along with a group of parents, King demanded equality for girls' sports in the Edmonds School District during an era of change.
Title IX -- an amendment requiring equal opportunities in education and activities for all students -- was signed into law by President Richard Nixon 30 years ago. The changes, however, did not occur overnight.
People like King had to make the door open a little faster.
When King worked on her family farm during her youth in Friday Harbor, things were plenty equal. She was the only girl, but was expected to perform the same duties as her cousins, all boys. Her grandfather didn't need a law to dole out the chores. He didn't care who bailed the hay and tended the crops. But, it had better get done.
"On the farm, everything was equal," said King, 73, who in 1979 was The Herald's Women of the Year in Sports. "When I got into teaching, especially in sports, the boys got everything, and the girls didn't get much. So I was always kind of pushing the envelope."
A trip back to 1972 might be quite a shock for today's high school athletes and their parents.
These days, as many as 11 varsity sports are offered at state schools. In addition, girls have also been known to participate in traditional boys sports such as football and wrestling.
Thirty years ago the athletic atmosphere for girls was drastically different:
Mountlake Terrace, for example offered only three sports -- volleyball, tennis and track. Two of those were offered during the same season.
Girls generally had to schedule use of facilities such as gymnasiums around boys teams' schedules.
Stipends for boys' coaches were much higher than girls' coaches.
Most girls basketball teams followed rules of six-person basketball, which allowed only two girls on each team to run the entire floor. The other four were split onto offensive and defensive sides of the floor. The first state championship basketball tournament took place in 1974.
Training rooms were often inside the boys locker rooms, meaning girls did not have access to ice and other training aids.
Female athletes joined the Girls Athletic Association, which some athletes from that era liken to a social club.
"Fun and games, punch and cookies," remembered Terri McMahan, a 1972 Terrace graduate and current Edmonds School District athletic director.
Oh, but life was not dresses, bows, cookies and punch with King.
"She was 15 to 20 years ahead in terms of how she ran practices," said McMahan, who played college volleyball at Western Washington. "Turnouts were very specific. There was not time for fun and games."
King often observed how former Terrace basketball coach Merle Blevins -- who is also a member of the Terrace Hall of Fame -- got the most out of practice. She brought that level of intensity to her girls.
"We still use many of the same things she did," said 1980 Terrace graduate Susie Miller, who is the head volleyball coach at her alma mater. "She was a tremendous coach."
While bringing a nearly unheard of level of competitiveness to girls sports, King also fought the battle for equity. As a youngster, she wrestled hay bails on the farm. Taking on sexist attitudes required all her toughness and perseverance.
"They kept telling me, 'It'll come,'" King said. " 'You can't have everything at once."
King is not known for her patience.
Not long after Title IX was signed into law in May of 1972, a parent group presented a lawsuit at an Edmonds School District school board meeting.
"We could have never done that without Maggie's support," said Karen Miller, mother of six Terrace graduates, including Susie Miller. McMahan's parents, Patrick and Bev, were also a part of the parent group. The lawsuit was never filed, Karen Miller said, because the district agreed to make changes.
"It was a frustrating process," she said.
For King, any frustrations felt back then are wiped away when she sees how far things have come. She served as an honorary Hawks volleyball coach Tuesday, sitting next to Susie Miller on the bench as the Hawks fell just short in a match against district-rival Edmonds-Woodway. There were no punch and cookies until the awards ceremony after the match.
"It's a good feeling to know that I had a small part in that," said King, who once again lives in Friday Harbor.
Yes, King was tough. A downright pain at times. She expected her athletes to play hard every day and accepted no excuses. She was the type of coach you might have despised at times, but wouldn't trade for anyone when you look back.
"I wouldn't be where I am as the district athletic director without her influence," McMahan said.
McMahan points out that there is still progress to be made. A higher percentage of high school boys participate in athletics than girls. When McMahan attends Northwest District meetings, she's the only woman athletic director there. Male coaches outnumber female coaches by a large margin. Still, things have come a long way since 1972.
"When I entered Mountlake Terrace in the fall of 1969, Maggie scared me ... ," McMahan said during King's induction. "During tennis practice, she sent us out to the track to run a mile. I said, 'But Mrs. King, I've never run a mile.' She looked at me with absolutely no change of expression and said, 'Get out there.'"
Because of people like Maggie King, "getting out there" is an option for everyone.
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The Post sports staff takes on the women's rugby team
by Blake Whitney/Assistant Sports Director 10/24/02
As The Post sports staff took the field to challenge the Ohio club women’s rugby team Monday, they received one piece of advice from backs captain Kim Kastner.
“(Rugby is) dangerous,” she said. “But it’s not dangerous if you know what you’re doing.”
For some reason, those words offered little encouragement to staff members. Not knowing a scrum from a slum or a ruck from duck, and armed only with the knowledge of a half-hour’s worth of Rugby 101, the players took the field Monday to learn what rugby is all about.
“I was expecting there to be a lot of contact,” staff writer Eric Pfahler said. “I didn’t know what a scrum was. I didn’t know the terms coming in.”
The game seemed simple enough at first. Carry an oval-shaped ball and try to get into the end zone, only it is called a try zone. Forward passing is not allowed. And if a player feels like punting a ball, that is allowed.
After a few confused looks, the game was underway. Bobbing and weaving through the field, with the occasional slam eliciting “oohs” and “aahs” from the nearby men’s rugby team, The Post actually scored first when forward Kyle Jepson scampered into the end zone. Err, try zone.
But then it was the women’s turn. Despite being tackled mostly by males — who became more aggressive as the game progressed — the women’s team scored to tie the game.
After a near score by sports editor Paul Shugar, and after staff writer Lindsey Elling — the only female sports writer who showed up — “got drilled,” the women’s rugby team scored its second try to cement the victory.
Despite losing, The Postearned the respect of the team.
“They were a lot better than we expected,” forwards captain Kelly Dougan said. “They were better than some teams we play.”
The team also lauded The Post for its tackling, saying it got harder as the match progressed.
Whether it is being lifted up in the air to catch a throw-in, scrumming, or just plain being tackled, rugby is definitely a rough sport, Shugar said.
Take Christine King for instance. She has broken her nose three times playing rugby. It happened against the same team twice.
“It was the same dumb broad (both times),” she said.
But beyond the physical benefits, club president Amber O’Connor said playing club rugby has other pluses.
“(There are benefits) especially if you’re younger,” she said. “You can meet a lot of people outside of the dorm atmosphere. It’s kind of an alternative to sororities. There’s the social aspect. Obviously we play hard but we’re friends off the field too. It’s exercise with a purpose.”
Dougan concurred, saying the team has athletes from every sport, ranging from cheerleading to wrestling to band. And anyone is welcome.
“This is my core. When I think back to my friends in college, these will be the girls I remember,” she said.
The women’s rugby team practices from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the South Green Intramural Fields. Interested players are encouraged to come to a practice or call O’Connor at 589-6677