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SPRINGFIELD — If you ask Marilee Woodrow what motivates her to give back to the community, her answer won’t be simple — because neither is she. “Have you heard the…
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Dreher COTTAGE GROVE — When Alex Dreher stepped up to the plate, the Cottage Grove City Council was “blown away,” city officials said. Earlier this week, she was unanimously appointed…
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2 Feb 2023
In case you missed it…
Title IX still inspiring leadership, change
PJ Rees, left, and Bev Smith pose together at the Kidsports field, where Smith works. Both Rees and Smith played sports at the University of Oregon in the 1970’s during the first era of Title IX.
BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
These 37 words were passed into law in 1972, changing the course of history for millions of girls and women around the country.
In the Southern Willamette Valley, the lasting legacy of the law weaves its way through the stories of four women who continue to represent and perpetuate its goals:
– Bev Smith, former University of Oregon women’s basketball player (1978- ‘82) and coach (2001- ‘09) and current executive director of Kidsports;
– PJ Rees, former UO volleyball, basketball, and softball player (1973-‘77);
– Jessica Crawford, Pleasant Hill High School volleyball coach and former New Mexico State volleyball player; and
– Keri Green, Springfield High School volleyball coach and former Bushnell volleyball player and golfer.
These women had their lives changed by Title IX in different ways and different eras. Title IX gave them something they didn’t have before: opportunity. While the law was initially drafted to prevent gender discrimination in education, perhaps the most notable change is how it influenced athletic and career opportunities for women.
Pierre Weil is the sports reporter for The Chronicle, covering primarily high school sports. He grew up in a small town in SoCal called Ojai before studying at the University of Oregon, where he graduated in June of 2022 from the SOJC program. His favorite journalism experiences before The Chronicle were being a production assistant at the 2018 US Open Tennis Tournament and interviewing runners at the 2021 US Olympic Track and Field Trials.
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