Women sport winning edge
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It’s forestry in the West Indies, where forests have
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It’s home economics in the one-fifth of the world
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You measure results not in dollars and cents but in
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By Tony Hazarian
Of the Emerald
While the men's athletic pro
gram has experienced pain and
frustration similar to that of the
Great Depression in recent
years, women's intercollegiate
athletics at Oregon flourishes
with the vigor of a post-war
economic boom
Since its inception in the early
1970s, the women’s athletic
program has evolved into one of
the nation's most successful
The cross country and track
teams are perennial contenders
for the national title while the
women's basketball squad has
established itself as the top
team in the Northwest The vol
leyball and gymnastics teams
have also gained national
prominence in recent years.
But without the passage of
Title IX in 1975, the women's
athletic programs wouldn't have
a chance at any limelight They
weren't even mentioned in the
same breath with the men's
program until the new law
opened the collegiate sports
doors for women
It reads: “No person in the
United States shall, on the basis
of sex, be excluded from par
ticipation in, be denied the ben
efits of, or be subjected to dis
crimination under any educa
tion program or activity receiv
ing federal financial assis
tance.”
"It (Title IX) was wonderful,”
says Chris Voelz, director of
women’s athletics and coach of
the volleyball team "Whether it
was used as ammunition or a
support program, people used
it But it was never used against
women.”
Economically and psy
chologically, the times were
right for the mandate, Voelz
says Universities had the funds
and men finally accepled
women as athletes
"It was timely, and in my
opinion, it was absolutely
necessary But it would have
been timely a century ago,'
Voelz says. "One of the things
that you must remember is thal
we were in a golden age of af
fluence and it was a logical step
Survival was a given
"We were very fortunate Haa
they waited and been less ag
gressive and more conserva
tive, we'd be in trouble right
now," she says
But if Title IX was a nation
wide appeal for successful
women's intercollegiate athle
tics, why has Oregon's program
risen to its present level while
other schools have failed?
"Oregon had an excellent
athletic program before Title IX
because of Becky Sisley (former
director of women's athletics),"
says Tom Heinonen. head
coach of the highly successful
track and cross country teams.
first Of SIX COIISBl/UUVC icyiunc
titles and finished seventh at the
nationals while the track squad
finished second in the region
Heinonen’s cross country
teams have finished seventh or
better at the national cham
pionships in each of his years at
the helm, including second
place finishes in 1979 and in
1982.
The success of the track pro
gram was the result of a series
of "steps that added up to ack
nowledgement of our pro
gram," Heinonen says. The first
of these steps was the recruiting
of track stars Melanie Batiste
and Debbie Adams, now an as
sistant coach with the women s
basketball team, in the fall of
1977
"All we could capitalize on in
the beginning was the Oregon
tradition," Heinonen says. But
in the fall of 1978, Heinonen
says he "had the best recruiting
class in the country."
The steps continued in 1979,
when Heinonen says fans start
ed coming to the meets and
noticing the womens' high level
of competitiveness
"We got to the point where
people began to recognize what
a good performance was for a
woman athlete I can remember
when Jody Parker hit the tape at
a meet in the 3,000 and a buzz
went off in the crowd, recogniz
ing she had broken the school
record." Heinonen says.
The track team has strung
together five consecutive
regional championships since
1978, and four consecutive top
ten finishes at the national
championships, including a tie
for third in 1981 and a fourth
place finish in last year's NCAA
championships
"We've come from a novelty
to a legitimate program," Hein
onen says
The women's basketball pro
gram couldn t fall back on
tradition — because there was
no tradition In the three sea
sons from 1974-1976, the team
suffered through three losing
seasons and a cumulative
record of 10-23
In the 1976-1977 season. El
win Heiny took over the strug
Continued on Page 7B
CHRIS VOELZ
"One of the first things she
did was give the coaches
salaries that kept them here,"
Heinonen says. She also used
Title IX funds wisely, bringing
"stability and continuity to the
program," he adds.
"That's why we have been the
lead program in the Northwest
for the last five years," he says
Heinonen became the head
coach of the women's cross
country team in the fall of 1975,
and took the reins of the track
team In the spring of 1977.
When he arrived, he says,
women's "cross country was
non-existent and the track pro
gram was excellent by the stan
dards of the game
"The first year I was the head
coach I was a grad student and
it damn near killed me," Hein
onen says That year Heinon
en's cross country team won the
asiarTamerican student union present
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