Tales From The Inbox - May 14, 2009

Victory With Honor: One of my favorite bloggers sent me this interesting piece about the legendary John Wooden. Coach talks about his views on winning and being a "teacher coach".

Surf Community: Do you belong to any social networks that have ning.com in the address? One that I follow is Surfer Shot's Surf Community. The very cool thing about this site is that they've added a surf reports section to the website that compares Surfline, Magicseaweed, Swellinfo and Wavewatch all on one page per each surf break. Instead of checking these websites one by one, use theirs to see them side by side.

Fair Play: Yes, I usually abbreviate press releases and share the most important details but I wanted to give all of this to you:

Women’s Sports Foundation and ACLU Hail Signing of “Fair Play” Bill

Washington State Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law the “Fair Play” bill (SB 5967) to prohibit sex discrimination in public community sports programs. The Women’s Sports Foundation and ACLU-WA worked for its passage as part of a partnership to promote equal treatment for women and girls in sports.

“Females who are forced to accept second-class treatment in sports are conditioned to accept second-class status in other areas as well. This bill will ensure that all athletes have a fair and equal chance to participate in community athletic programs,” said ACLU-WA executive director Kathleen Taylor.

“The bill goes a long way in assuring gender equality for those in community recreation programs in Washington. Equal opportunity and access are critical foundations in developing confident, healthy girls who will become the next generation of athletes, government, business, and community leaders,” said Karen Durkin, CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles was prime sponsor of the measure. Rep. Christine Rolfes sponsored a companion bill in the House.

“Girls who participate in sports have higher levels of confidence and self-esteem, lower levels of depression, and a better body image,” said Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, who has taught classes on Title IX and gender and equity at the University of Washington since 1985. “We must do everything we can to level the playing field and ensure fair play for females as well as for males.”

Under both state law and the landmark federal Title IX law enacted in 1972, sex discrimination is banned in education programs. As a result, the number of girls participating in high school sports nationwide has increased tenfold, and the number of girls participating in college sports has increased fivefold.

But females in community recreation programs have not had the same protections against unequal treatment. Sex discrimination has persisted because of traditional favoritism toward male sports programs and outdated stereotypes about females’ athletic interests and abilities. Too often, girls and women have been relegated to poorer facilities, less experienced officials, and less desirable practice and play times.

The “Fair Play” bill requires cities, towns, and counties to adopt and publicize policies that explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in community recreation programs.

Additional supporters of the bill are the Northwest Women’s Law Center, the National Organization of Women of Washington, the Washington Association of Cities, and the Washington Recreation and Parks Association.

The Women’s Sports Foundation and the ACLU of Washington partnered for the “V is for Victory. So is IX.” campaign to ensure that the historic Title IX law’s promise of equality is fulfilled. The multifaceted campaign includes free educational workshops for public school coaches, athletes, and parents, viral videos, publications, and an interactive website. Women’s Sports Foundation is also spearheading this campaign in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. For more information, visit Vis4Victory.org.