Before I became a Coach, I had no idea what Title IX was. I had no idea who Kathrine Switzer was and that the women I so admired weren’t expected or allowed to race in the years my grandmother and mother were growing up. As a mixed race child, I knew that my existence was illegal at one point and my parents’ safety was at risk just for being together. This is history that I knew but I knew nothing of women in sports.
It makes sense to me now that there were so many firsts when we were in middle school and high school. We often knew or heard of the first girl on the boy’s baseball or football team, the first girl’s sports teams and the first women to do X. I had no clue just how important that was until now.
It has been through my conversations with other mothers that these realities have come to me. Mothers are working hard to make sure their daughters have opportunities that were never offered to them growing up. Many are facing the backlash from their own mothers and aunts who have yet to see the value and embrace the growth. The boys were put into baseball from a very young age. The boys were offered balls of all sorts and encouraged to watch sports on TV to start building their dreams. The girls were offered dance classes, cheerleading, art and music lessons, sewing and homemaking classes. Moms of today aren’t accepting those as the only options any longer.
“Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance.”[1]This gave way to increased participation of girls and women in sports in schools and educational programs. Before that, Kathrine Switzer, a year older than my father, became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an official registrant. She was physically and verbally abused on the course when runners realized she was a female, because they believed women could not complete those distances. I heard the story retold from Kathrine’s own mouth when we attended the first Every Woman’s Marathon in Savannah, GA. My heart ached for everything she went through and the triumphant value that she’s transformed that pain into. Her nonprofit, 261 Fearless, now creates women runners and races all over the world. I cried in her arms at the end of my marathon realizing all that I had accomplished and everything we continue to fight for as women.
Looking back, I remember that I got to go to the batting cages and play catch growing up, because my brother was playing baseball. Our sport of choice as a family was bowling and I was good when I was young. I don’t remember ever having conversations about other sports but I had female friends who played baseball and softball. (I got ambitious and tried out for softball in high school but I was about 6 years behind on my skills, lol. Now it makes sense.) Our high school had powder puff for the girls to play one football game a year. We had girls that were pursuing joining the wrestling teams, etc. but girls in sports wasn’t nearly as popular as it is now.
In 2026, we’re working to make sure gender doesn’t determine what options you’re offered. Our kids deserve to chase the arts, sports or careers of their dreams. Mom’s are also working to make up for the time we lost. The average age of participants at races is rising. Women in their 40’s and 50’s, who didn’t grow up playing sports, are looking for ways to fill their time now that their children are grown and they’re finding value in outdoor activities. As the research and guidance on aging is advancing, women are also looking for ways to age stronger and hold onto their independence. We’re realizing the value of endurance and strength. We’re aging with a dedication to enjoying our longevity and looking for ways to improve each day instead of fading into the back drop. We want to enjoy travel and outdoor activities with our families and friends and know that caring for our bodies is the best way to make that happen. The view from the trail is always better in person than in the pictures. My hope is that I can continue to open the doors for myself and others to enjoy the activities we didn’t grow up enjoying. Just because you didn’t walk or run in high school, doesn’t mean you can’t learn to do it now. Just because you’re 40+ and never lifted a dumbbell doesn’t mean you can’t try now. You’ve been lifting kids, and laundry and holiday turkeys for years. Let’s continue to build that strength so that when our teenagers decide it’s time to rearrange furniture, or you want to put together a new desk, you don’t have to wait for someone stronger to come over.
You can do whatever you put your mind to. I can help!
[1] Title IX and Sex Discrimination, https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/civil-rights-laws/title-ix-and-sex-discrimination#:~:text=Title%20IX%20prohibits%20sex%2Dbased%20discrimination,that%20receive%20federal%20financial%20assistance.
Positive Results by Sabrina 
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