University Of Michigan

[chinamigarden]

Great article about Coach Hutchins and her personal experiences and how Title IX has impacted her and her program

‘The best damn coach on this campus’ - The Michigan Daily

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Thank you. I must be a year older than her. I graduated in 1972 and missed the beginning of HS women's athletics. We had something called Girl's Athletic Association and we traveled to various schools on weekends to play a variety of sports. We weren't a team. We were blended in with everyone from the other schools and then, divided up.

I am so used to waiting on the men. Even when I got to IL. State, there was a women's gym. Even when I coached at the junior college level, there were no scholarships and we drove the old van. Fortunately, we had our own field.

Thanks to Hutch and Coach Summitt for raising the standards in women's sports.

 

[JJsqueeze]

How about a little shout out to the govt. for getting something right for once with title IX?

 

[Cobb_of_Fury]

As Fathers and Mothers of Daughters we owe Coach Hutchens and other women of that era a ton of gratitude.

 

[Cobb_of_Fury]

How about a little shout out to the govt. for getting something right for once with title IX?

Every once in a great while the nearly imposable happens - I wouldn’t expect it to happen again any time soon

 

[RetiredCoach]

Thanks for the very touching story!

I grew up during this time frame when there was very little emphasis on girls/women's sports. It caused me to
believe that girls/women did not care much about sports--they just didn't enjoy them (sic). Also, I believed that
to enjoy the sports experience with my children, I would have to have boys. However, I was blessed with two
daughters who love sports and they love them every bit as much as I did! Anything that I dreamed of doing with
a son, I have done with my daughters. It is hard for me to look back and realize how much prejudice that I grew
up with and has been, blessedly, destroyed!

On other thing that I'd like to mention is that, because of the lack of opportunities for girls/women, I grew up in an
era where "throwing like a girl" was an insult. When I was an adult, and before having my daughters, someone
suggested that I watch a women's fastpitch softball game. I did and to my extreme surprise those women were
playing the game at an amazingly level. I was very impressed!

Now girls/women fastpitch softball is my very favorite sport to watch and I am so glad that things have changed so
dramatically since I was growing up for my daughters and myself.

 

[Indiana]

What a great story! Hutchins, Summitt, Billie Jean King - we are standing on the shoulders of giants. Reading these stories inspires me to keep fighting for progression and growth for all of our student athletes - boys and girls.

(Plus I just plain love Michigan. I read "Bo: Life, Laughs and Lessons..." a few years back. He gets it. If you want the full spectrum - great academics, inspiring programs and ra ra sports, go to Michigan - and I'm not even a Michigan alum! I was bummed that Michigan lost to Michigan State in football, but about halfway through the game I had to tip my hat to State - sometimes you just gotta say "too good")