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| from website below |
It is Iowa Girl's State Basketball Tournament week in Des Moines. I haven't paid too much attention - as usual. Not like back in the day (I'm thinking of the mid-70's - my high school years) when the six-on-six game was king. Or should I say queen. And there was only one class - so there was one overall winner for the whole state. The small schools dominated because they had been playing girl's ball for years (sometimes in uniforms that looked like skirts). The big schools were playing catch-up, as they had just figured out that we girls were "robust" enough to play such sports.
To set the stage, when I was in high school when Richard Nixon signed Title IX of the Education Amendments into law. Of course I was oblivious - but that signature changed everything! Until then, boys got had nearly all the sports fun in Atlantic, Iowa. Oh sure, girls were already playing golf and tennis. They might have even started softball. But the ultimate team sport - basketball, didn't start until my sophomore year 1973/74.
I was a sophomore, and had never had formal coaching on shooting technique - nothing. A real project for Coach Dale Allen - just like most of the 60 or so girls who went out for basketball that year. I was in seventh heaven when I made the junior varsity squad. Of course our team was a project - like me. The J.V. team played hard and cheered on the varsity. We even won a game or two over other teams just starting up. We had a blast along the way - breaking new ground for girl athletes.
The Atlantic Trojanns (yes - a dumb team name - but we decided it was better than Lady Trojans...or WAS it?) were one and done when it came to playoffs of course. That year Mom offered to take Sally Rodgers, Jennifer Deter and me to watch state games during the school day at Vet's Auditorium. Frosty Malt anyone?! The traditional Girl's State blizzard slammed Des Moines so we were forced to secure a room at the Howard Johnson's on Merle Hay for the night - no luggage. Mom was a trouper.
A tradition in Atlantic was to take in the Championship game with the Girls Recreation Association (GRA). Yep - that's the group we had before we were allowed to play real sports. Boys - you get all these sports with uniforms and fans. Girls - you get GRA. Maybe you can pretend to play some stuff. And then the school will provide buses to transport GRA girls to the girl's state tourney.
At least 40 girls headed to the big city for a whole day of big city downtown shopping followed by the pageantry of the semi-final and final games. Girls' Hoops finals day was like a holiday to me. I worshipped the basketball stars like rock stars! Some of them scored as many as 75 points a game. How I would have loved to be them.
The buses would arrive and park at Vets - then hoards of girls would head east to the downtown Younkers and other area stores and restaurants. I remember seeing girls from other towns in their letter jackets. That was about the time the "petless"leashes were all the rage. People had these starchy leashes with a little collar at the end. The leash would stick out in front of them like they were really walking a dog - but here's the funny thing. There was only air there. haha. I'm glad I didn't invest in one of those!
One year, some of the girls (not me) chose to attend the movie "The Exorcist" before the basketball game. Those chicks freaked out all the way home on the bus. Oh the drama of talking them down - "Oh no...I don't think that really happened....it's just a movie!"
When it was time for the game, we were seated in the cheap seats on a number on plywood in the end zone. Above us was the Iowa map showing lights for the towns that were still playing. You had to make sure to sit by your pals and to purchase all the good stuff - frosty malts, peanuts, soda. The consolation game was played first. I recall the thrill of seeing Adel star Julie Goodrich in the crowd awaiting the final game - signing autographs. I'd read the program cover to cover - as if I could absorb basketball skills by reading about the girls and staring at their pictures.
Title IX opened up a whole new world for me an millions of other girls. A world I didn't have to fight for. But I know the difference between before and after. Many people did fight the tough battles in order to get that legislation passed. And now it seems women are still fighting for our rights - and slipping back in some cases. So when I'm feeling all nostalgic about how great things were back in the day - I can't forget that.
The six-on-six game went by the wayside in the early 1990's. The Iowa Girl's HS Athletic Union has been using a class system for girls sports since the 1980's. I thought they went for a money grab - splitting into five classes. Really?
Times change. Chicks rule! I haven't seen anyone with a petless leash lately but you never know, they'll probably make a comeback with pet rocks.
I found a cool website with 6 on 6 records from Iowa Girls hoops and photos. I had Googled a player I remembered - Julie Mingo. This site popped up. She was from Glenwood and scored a bunch in one game.
Iowa Girl hoops
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