The "Revolution" of Title IX

Tuti Scott - Thursday, August 23, 2012

This year was a huge success for women who outnumbered men on the U.S. Olympic team and won more medals..  I was so enamored by the level of excellence that was portrayed by all of the female athletes. I kept thinking about Title IX and the 1996 Olympics as the public’s first view of teams that were fully supported by Title IX.  Fast forward to 2012 and the world (see article on global women's sports shaped by Women Win's Maria Bobenreith) had its eye on women as competitors on every playing field.  Thankfully, some of the young women leading the next generation are also aware of the magnitude of Title IX.  A wise group of girls, Priya Ramamoorthy, Maanasa Nathan, Kavya Ramamoorthy and Smrithi Mahadevan have used their talents and voices to showcase what Title IX means to them and why they took on this project;

“Dr. Donna Lopiano has often said “social change takes about three generations…” This was the underlying theme that tied our website, Title IX empowerment, together. The 2011-2012 theme of National History Day was revolution, reaction and reform; our topic Title IX.  As we delved deeper into this project, we realized that today many people are not aware of Title IX and how it has played a huge role in the educational and athletic opportunities we have today.  From being able to take higher level courses, to leveling the playing field, Title IX has opened the door to many new opportunities for women and girls. We participated as a team in the National History Day competition, where our web site won first place at the national level.

Now girls can pursue a career in any field that they desire, be it sports or STEM (Science, technology, engineering or math).  Title IX is the people’s tool and for it to be used to its absolute potential, it is important that people know about it. We also realized that Title IX was a hard fought battle for opportunity that can be easily taken away; another reason why we need to remain vigilant and educate more people about Title IX.   By spreading the word about Title IX, our team hopes that for many more years to come, Title IX can continue to provide equal opportunities for both girls and boys in education as well as sports.”

For additional resources on women’s history or to support a young women in your life to embark on a journey of understanding the past as well as some good outlets for girl voices, here are some other sites of interest;

International Museum of Women
National Women’s History Project
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Creative videos on history set to music!
Videos on the History Channel on women’s history in politics
New Moon Girls
Girls Make Media
Off our Chests /Feel more Better
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Benefits of "Playing Team"

Tuti Scott - Thursday, March 22, 2012

Being an athlete and part of a team has been an integral part of my entire life.  I sometimes walk through the world thinking that everyone knows what “team” means and how it manifests in our lives.  As many people may not have had the honor of being part of an orchestra, dramatic performance troupe, or been a member of a sports team, I am sharing a few team concepts I believe can be adopted for any group that works toward a common goal.

1. Define your legacy and go after it!  Any team or troupe is clear on what success means to them as a group and in their work.  They take pride in and value their contribution to their school, their community, and people who watch them in action.  They agree on a goal and a process for getting there (win the conference championship and do it with dignity, class, and respect for the opponents) and hold each other accountable to the team values and process. 

2. Trust that your teammates are there for you!  The camaraderie and support from being part of a team is wonderful when it works and people play to each other’s strengths.  When each player has been given a role or defined their contribution as a ‘player’, then the fun begins.  A highly functioning team exchanges messages of encouragement and feedback which are easy to receive as they have the team’s highest good in mind.  Put an emphasis on “positive” and “encouraging”;  teammates who challenge each other to rise to new heights rather than pulling teammates down.

3. Everyone is part of team success AND team failure and every team member understands that practice does make perfect!  People understand the concept of repetition of a task over and over again leads to success.  At least, in theory they do!  I often work with groups and ask people what their idea of “practice” when it comes to speaking your vision or sharing your connection to the work you believe in.  Ninety percent of the time people think that if they say or write their story once, that is the ‘practice’ they need.  Teammates know that repeating the effort to tell  your story many times is the difference between good and great.  Any good athlete or team member knows that together everyone achieves more so they encourage each other to practice.  And, we all know that there is something to learn from every loss; it is just how you use and share those lessons that matters.  Being good is not about not making mistakes, it’s about never making the same mistake twice.

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"March Madness" All Year Round!

Tuti Scott - Sunday, March 27, 2011
BasketBall - scorephoto © 2005 j9sk9s | more info (via: Wylio)

March Madness – I call it 'March Moving Mountains!' After playing basketball every day for more than a third of my life, the sounds and feel of the game is in my ‘bones’.  And yes, I was recently in the gym, shooting around and contemplating getting in a pick up game with men three times my size.   

As the President of the Point Guard Club of the Americas, I was excited to see the touted freshman point guards from Louisville, Tennessee, and Baylor. When these women were seven years old they were given an extraordinary gift.  Their childhood was spent watching role models in the WNBA. They had ample opportunity to play and be coached as future ‘pro’ athletes thanks to Title IX, and they have the desire and heart to play through ‘no matter what’… including the size of their opponent! 

Whenever people ask about my size and being a point guard, I gently remind them - quickness, smarts and speed can come in any size.  That said, the physical size and power displayed by 10 women on a basketball court is an expression of strength and feminism like no other!   Where else but during a women’s basketball game do you see women taking up space with such spirit, force, and courage?  

Early in March, a collegiate ski jumping championship took place in the U.S. for the first time in 31 years, but this time, the competition included women. In February, the U.S. Senate, passed a resolution in honor of the 25th National Girls and Women in Sports Day. It states, among other proclamations on the importance of sport in girls’ and women’s lives, that “women’s athletics are one of the most effective avenues available for the women of the United States to develop self-discipline, initiative, confidence, and leadership skills.”  I would also add to this resolution - the confidence to display their power, voice, and strength in all settings.  

Stay up to date on the women of the NCAA, WNBA, boxing, hockey, rugby and every other sport you’re interested in by checking out Women Talk Sports and the Women’s Sports Foundation now and throughout the year.

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International Women's Sports Themes

Tuti Scott - Friday, May 21, 2010


This post is shared with gratitude to the smart women from Wellesley who did this fabulous summary of what is happening at the International Women's Sports conference we are attending.  I had dinner with Sarah and Lindsay last night and enjoyed their quick minds and passion! Here is their post which lives on the blog - FairGameNews.com

By Sarah Odell and Lindsay Rico

Have you ever considered access to athletics a human right? Do you wonder why it it matters for women to play sports? And, what the heck is Netball?

These are a few of the questions being put forth at the Fifth World Conference on Women & Sport. Some 500 people from 60 countries have made their way Down Under to Sydney, Australia to examine the implications — and complications — facing the worldwide women’s athletic community.

The four-day conference is raising challenging issues, but there is already one overwhelming response: Women’s access to sports is more than just a game.  FairGameNews.com is on site and blogging (watch for Q&A’s with key leaders coming up).

While female athletes (and would-be female athletes) may face particular barriers in their home nations, it is striking how much about the nature of the struggle for access, equity, and support are common across the globe. Some big themes:

– SPORT IS POWER: Women’s access to sport is not just a privilege, but  a right. This has been recognized in official declarations for years, but increasingly, this is not just about fitness, health, and the right to control one’s body, but about the political, economic and social tools that come as part of involvement in sports and sports culture.

– EQUITY IN SPORT IS A PUBLIC MATTER: Governments DO have an interest and a role to play in seeking — even regulating — gender equity in sports, several presenters have suggested. And one — Kate Ellis, Australian Minister of Sport — is actually taking action. She announced at the conference that her government would track and publish the gender make-up of sports governing boards and compile a Women in Sport Register to counter men who say they can’t find any qualified women to fill leadership roles. “If it’s really that hard for sport to go out there and find these women, then I’m prepared to work with them to do it,” she said.

– WOMEN’S SPORTS ARE MISSING FROM THE MEDIA: Female athletes around the globe are poorly covered and represented in the print and TV coverage (several studies showed a reproducibly predictable breakdown or representation: 80% men; 10% women; 10% other – horse racing typically gets more coverage than women, several speakers noted). What’s more, researchers say it hasn’t gotten any better in the past 30 years. As a result, said Toni Bruce, PhD, “we are teaching girls to be happy watching boys [play sports] and  teaching boys that they don’t have to watch girls [play sports].”


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Lead Forward with Courage

Tuti Scott - Sunday, December 20, 2009


Anais Nin said “Life shrinks or expands directly in proportion to one’s courage.”

When you are trying to influence someone, when you are trying to have power, it helps to share a vision of the future – to take them some place, and better yet, to use archetypes, stories, and images while painting the picture of a new future.

People love archetypes because they conjure up the notion of all things that stem from that original prototype. Images, literally imagining the outcome you want, helps mobilize unseen energy - a phenomenon which has actually been proven through the study of particle physics.

A practical way to start this process of visioning is in every meeting, whether it be with a donor or a staff member or your boss, in relationship to any project or goal, ask them: "What would success look like?  What would “winning” look or feel like?"

If you can imagine your goal and give it texture and shape, it is much more likely that you all will achieve the outcome you are seeking. It’s all part of “shared power.” If you build it, they will come…

People frequently ask me about female sports champions and what I've learned of their careers and their success. I often share stories about coaches who have their athletes visualize themselves at the gold medal ceremony and how this practice motivates and focuses their efforts.

All of the successful athletes I've met had this in common: they worked incredibly hard and diligently at their skills and their sport. If you want to reach your goals, then you must believe that if you work harder and smarter, you will win.

Sure, you and all athletes know that you may not win every time and there will always be someone who is more powerful, but in the long run, longevity and “stick-to-it-iveness” will prevail… potentially even over those who may be more powerful! This has been shown over and over in many advocacy efforts for social change.

Look forward with courage, play with ‘winning’ in mind and work hard - these are three essential components for realizing your goals.

“Follow your passion with persistence, magnified by intense preparation. Use compassion and courage to weave a strong web of connections. Use focused excellence to drive achievements and gain wisdom. It is through the combination of all these things that your power will reveal itself.”

- Shirley Ann Jackson, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President





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Confidence Building

Tuti Scott - Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Each time I have had the opportunity to lead a board retreat or staff management seminar, the question comes up from at least one of the women attendees – “How can I keep my confidence at a consistent and /or higher level in _____ situation?”

I had the privilege of being an athlete and playing numerous sports roles such as coach, sports administrator, and colleague to many world class athletes.   I know the sensation of ‘walking like I own the earth’ – feeling that I could accomplish almost anything no matter what the odds.  This is just one of many elements that all of us can model from being around athletes as a participant and/or fan. 

Here are three characteristics of high performance athletes and some cues that I find the most helpful to offer folks who may not have had the chance to compete or may have overlooked the connection between their performance on the field to their work product and practice. 

1.  Visualizing Success – Every athlete goes into a game imagining they will win.  They have practiced the same skill for hours on end, they believe in their abilities, and they have visualized success.  As part of a team, they have a level of surrender and trust that their teammates also have the skills for success.  This positive team attitude is led from the top (coach, manager, owner) and expressed on the field by the captain. 

Application – whatever your next ‘performance’ at work is, visualize what a ‘win’ looks and feels like.  Be specific!  Perhaps it is people applauding a speech, staff being motivated to work smarter, a proposal being approved, a check or new client coming into the office, etc.  Model this behavior in how you stand tall and proud, how you look people in the eye with confidence, and how you express a “captain’s positive attitude” to others around you.  Your self-esteem is an extension of what you say and think about yourself so choose your thoughts and words wisely. 

2.  Discipline and Goal Setting– I can remember at age 12 having a list of drills and exercises that I would do every day.  Each time I got to 10, I would push myself to get 15 with a new twist on the drill.  There is something to setting a goal and then seeing what happens when you ask yourself to do more or to do it in a unique way.  Putting your goals in writing and reviewing these regularly reminds you why the ‘daily drills’ are important. 

Application –Each time you create something (speech, letter, budget, etc), pay attention to the detail and see how you can bring the product to a new level.  When you have finished your project, read it one more time before you go to sleep and one more time when you get up.  Repetition and ‘practice’ makes you better. Put in writing what your goal and intention is for a project, for your career, for your organization, etc.  Review your goals with loved ones and encourage them to support you in ‘doing the drills’ to achieve success.   

3.  Risk Taking and Empathy – There is nothing like sports to teach you compassion.  When a good softball batting average is .350, this means you miss 65% of the time.  Same with basketball with the best player making her shots 40% of the time.  There is no team or player that has not experienced a loss and then gotten up and played the next time with a desire to win. 

Application – Possessing empathy for people when someone loses, understanding the feeling of being on both sides of an issue, having a willingness to take risks; this is the type of emotional intelligence that employers and leaders look for in members of a successful team.  When you enter a conversation or negotiation, imagine what it feels like to hear it from the other side of the table.  Express yourself with words that honor the experience of the recipient.   As well, when the opportunity arises to move a step closer to your goal, don’t hesitate to ‘grab the ball’!

There’s an athlete in each of us because confident performance truly is a state of mind.


 

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Tuti Scott is a thought leader on women's philanthropy, leadership, and social change. These are her ideas...

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