'Equal Rights for Women Athletes' Index

Title

'Equal Rights for Women Athletes' Index

Description

There was a Women Athletic Association (W.A.A) at Pacific University that was involved with women's athletics. Anne Wagner wrote an article within the Index Pacific University newspaper to the editor Wesley Sherman. She wrote about the lack of acknowledgement that women were receiving from their athletic accomplishments. This piece was not only found in the Pacific University Index newspaper, but also within a scrapbook created by the W.A.A. during 1937-1938.
The W.A.A supported women's athletics and had their own cabinet. The members included: President: Winifred Fortner, Vice President: Jean Allin, Secretary: Doris Deemer, and Treasurer: Georgena Potts. There were even Heads of Sports and the writer of the newspaper article, Anne Wagner, who was also the head of tennis. The other head of sports included: Volleyball: Mary Rockwood, Basketball: Irene Redetske, Baseball: Allene Wilson, Archery: Hazel Stook, and Golf: Doris Gregg. This group was a major importance to the women's athletics at Pacific University. It was created post Title IX, but it shows the progress in how a group wanted to create a difference in women's sports.

The article described the amount of work women had to do in order to receive a jacket. There were so many qualifications that women had to achieve in order to receive the honor such as: pass a knowledge test with an 80%, pass a practical skills test at 90%, participate in 3 team sports, 4 individual sports, and 1 rhythmical activity. Women at least did have a choice in their sports. Women had to choose 3 out of the 5 team sports that included: hockey, speedball, volleyball, baseball, and basketball. Then their individual sports had to choose 4 out of the 7 such as: swimming, tennis, archery, hiking, golf, badminton, and ping pong. Then finally they had to choose 1 out of the 4 rhythmical activities such as: folk, tap, social, or modern dancing. There were so many things women had to do in athletics just to be recognized, but they still lacked the support.

This program was very significant for women's sports and pushed the issue for women to be valued in what they have done in athletics. They were the voice for women athletes at Pacific University when the article was published. This article pushed for an idea that women deserve that recognition. This group pushed the issue for women athletes to be valued and recognized and that is why it is so significant. This was about 30 years prior of Title IX being passed, but the W.A.A group at Pacific University still was in pursuit for that equality in recognition for women's sports.

Creator

Wagner, Anne

Date

1938

Is Part Of

The Index (Pacific University newspaper)

Identifier

PUA_WH_101

Rights

Copyright Not Evaluated

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

Type

Text