Title IX celebrates its golden anniversary this year. It was signed on June 23, 1972. In honor of this milestone, events and discussions were held throughout the year. Even a Sports Illustrated blanket.
And, as with all good things in life, there is an Indiana angle to this bill. It was introduced by Birch Bayh in February 1972. Yes, this Bayh. Senator Bayh wrote the 37 words of Title IX which prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. This was an amendment to the Higher Education Act.
It changed things because athletics is one of those activities.
To know News:For Caryn MacKenzie, coaching is a profession that has earned him induction into the Football Coaches Hall of Fame.
It’s here that Kelcey Ervick enters the story from another local perspective. Kelcey was exceptional in her field of football. Today, she is a professor of creative writing at IU South Bend. In her own very creative way, she wrote a graphic memoir of her days as a goalkeeper, “The Goalkeeper: Football, Me and the Law That Changed Women’s Lives.” It is published by Avery, a Penguin/Random House imprint.
Writing is big business, but she also illustrated it. She weaves thought-provoking chapters with her art, journal entries, history lessons on early female athletes, literature, pop culture, soccer advice, and commentary. It’s funny. It’s about feminism. It’s about growing up in general, becoming a woman and being an athlete.
This is the journey we all travel. And where do we go from here.
Some memories are noteworthy when it comes to roles. She remembers a souvenir booklet of school days distributed every year at primary school. One page asked the child to choose a job in the future. Boys can be astronauts, soldiers or athletes. Girls can be singers, nurses or mothers. No sports categories listed.
Kelcey added his own category: football.
Most of the memories in his book come from videos taken during games by a football father. She also said that her mother saved everything from her playing days.
“Our real estate too”:Notre-Dame women reflect on 50 years of undergraduate diversity
Prior to this book, Kelcey’s stories, essays, and comics appeared in numerous publications, including the Washington Post, Notre Dame Review, and Colorado Review. She has written three award-winning fiction and non-fiction books. She received her doctorate from the University of Cincinnati.
Before all that, she was a four-year NCAA Division I goalie at Xavier University (1990-93).
She has been on a book tour in recent weeks and has attended Title IX events. She stopped long enough to give an informal talk about the book at IUSB.
Safe fall:10 Tips to Keep Your Pets Out of Danger in Fall
“I actually wrote a few essays about being a football coach about 10 years ago,” she said. She had become a soccer mom. A very involved soccer mom. “I wanted to explore more about Title IX and how it has shaped my life.”
It’s time for a little history lesson about the writer. Kelcey started playing soccer as a freshman in 1977. She wanted to play soccer, too. She played in mixed football teams and later was a member of a select team which traveled and won many matches. In 1987, she was a member of the United States women’s national team. There were four top teams – and one of them was his Ohio team.
As part of the tournament, a press conference was held with a group of unprepared journalists. They were facing females. “The press didn’t know what to ask us. They asked us who would get married first. Would you like to ask the members of the boys’ team this question? she says.
She didn’t know much about Title IX when she was playing. “I wrote ‘The Keeper’ because I wanted to learn more about Title IX and how it shaped my life and the lives of women of my generation. How it has shaped the lives of today’s generation. And what it was like for the women who came before us,” she wrote on the Keeper website.
Kelcey said that because of Title IX, she was a writer and professor. It opened many doors. “I’m lucky to have been born at the right time,” she said.
Contact Kathy at [email protected].
