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Lead Stories: Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Be True To Your School

Posted May 18th, 2008 at 11:30 AM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, College

“I got a letterman’s sweater
With a letter in front
I got for football and track
I’m proud to wear it now
When I cruise around
The other parts of the town
I got a decal in back

So be true to your school now
Just like you would to your girl or guy
Be true to your school now
And let your colors fly
Be true to your school”

I did not go to a track meet this afternoon.

This is an unusual situation for me on a Saturday in May. There’s always a meet going on somewhere, and my previous blog wasn’t written under the name of “The Track & Field Superfan” for nothing. But this wasn’t just any Saturday, and not just any track meet that I didn’t attend.

I ran at Bowling Green State University in the early 90s, and while I wasn’t particularly good for a college runner I thoroughly enjoyed taking on the extreme physical challenge of training and competing in the NCAA’s highest division. I liked my experiences in Bowling Green so much, I remained in the town for fifteen years after graduation, only leaving six months ago when my wife’s career took us away. I bled burnt orange and seal brown.
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TFS News Briefs: 10/06/07

Posted October 6th, 2007 at 12:39 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field

Chicago Marathon: Preview of Elite Athletes
LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon executive director Carey Pinkowski discusses the World Marathon Majors and his event’s place in it, saying, “I’ll have some good athletes. You’ve got to have a fast group (not just one fast runner). Hopefully, you’d like to see a group of guys pushing each other. Collectively, if we can get the right group of guys running fast, you have more bets on the table and hopefully, the chemistry surfaces.”
Read More at: [Chicago Marathon]

The Impending Demise of Track & Field
Here you go: a media feeding frenzy. Be sure to watch them pick the meat off Jones’ bones before it’s all gone. Apparently the demise of Track & Field is imminent. Read thousands of articles of negative media coverage about our favorite sport at: [Google News]
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Protecting the rights of pregnant athletes in the NCAA

Posted August 9th, 2007 at 11:45 AM by Kristin Bland

Section: News & Results

NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics met last month in Charlotte N.C. to focus on how best to educate athletes on their rights and protections. More specifically, the committee met to discuss rights pertaining to female athletes who become pregnant. Discussion of the issue surfaced after athletes at Clemson and Memphis were asked to sign a contract which stated that, in the event of pregnancy, their scholarships would be lost; such a contract influenced one athlete to choose an abortion over violating her contract and losing her scholarship.

Janet Kittell, the outgoing chairwoman of the NCAA’s Committee on Women’s Athletics, described the meeting as a very amicable, productive, and positive discussion, centered around the objective question: “How can we help?”

The committee focused their discussions on Title IX, an important federal law which requires schools to treat pregnancy and childbirth equivalent to treatment given for a “temporary disability”.

Read the rest of this article at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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Breaking the gender barrier in athletics: 35 years of Title IX

Posted July 6th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Bridget Sullivan

Section: News & Results, Columns, SPOTLIGHT

Active.com has put together a wonderful page devoted to celebrating 35 years of Title IX. Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 is the landmark legislation that bans sex discrimination in schools, whether it be in academics or athletics. Although athletics has created the most controversy regarding Title IX, its gains in education and academics are notable. Before Title IX, many schools refused to admit women or enforced strict limits.

The following articles take a closer look at Title IX and the breaking down of gender barriers in athletics.

A Look Back at Title IX with Joan Benoit Samuelson By Skip Cleaver
Joan Benoit Samuelson is one of the all-time greatest distance runners in the world. Best known for her Olympic gold medal in the Women’s Marathon in 1984–the first women’s Olympic Marathon–she also set world and American records. She won the Boston Marathon twice, setting course records both times along with a world best in 1983. Tremendously personable, she remains one of the most popular and highly recognized distance athletes in the world.

Read the rest at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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