Celebrating Title IX: CHSSA moves forward as Title IX comes into existence (1969 – 1981)

Three years before Title IX became law, Sharon Wilch, a Jefferson County physical education teacher, began working on creating an official girls sports program. According to the Denver Post, Wilch, now 85, was the only woman on CHSAA staff, “but there were plenty of people ready to make girls high school sports official. “

“Colorado was progressive,” Wilch told the Post. “There were strong women in the state. Those women would push me to move faster and create more team sports.”

Before CHSAA sanctioned school sports, the Girls Athletics Association — which was formed in the early 1900s — was all that provided physical activity opportunities for girls. According to the Post, only Illinois had sanctioned girls sports when CHSAA started considering it. In 1970, gymnastics became the first CHSAA-approved sport. In 1973-1974, 11,000 girls played high school sports in Colorado, representing 17% of all high school athletic participation, according to the Post.

---

---

Today, CHSAA data indicated that 61,000 girls enjoyed participation across 16 sports in the 2018-19 school year and represent nearly 45% of the participation pool.

1972: The Dec. 22 issue of the Vail Trail claims that the “first high school meet in Colorado where a girls’ team has been awarded,” occurred in Vail. Durango’s five varsity girls outmatched Middle Park and Summit County to take first place. Lisa Zdechlik, of Summit, was the top girls Nordic skier, and Mike Kuss — a familiar Durango last name for cycling and ski fans — won the skimeister award for having the best results in the slalom, giant slalom and cross-country over the two day event.

---

---

Sandra Albert was the top girl on Linda Jones’ Battle Mountain girls team, according to the story.

1973: In March, Battle Mountain hosted the Colorado state ski meet, an event that recognized boys and girls skimeister awards. Durango, Middle Park, Summit County, Lake County, Clear Creek, Eagle Valley and Kremmling competed.

1973: A Nov. 23 Vail Trail headline reads “BMHS Ski Team is Coed,” and states that “for the first time this year, girls’ scores in high school ski team competition will count toward the total team points.”

Huskies coach Bob Haagensen, in his seventh year at the helm, explained that eventually girls’ and boys’ scores would be separated. His team contained 14 boys and six girls. “Training is strenuous and girls must go through the same workouts as the boys,” the article states. Running outdoors, lifting on a universal weight machine and playing soccer were the dryland season tools of choice. Every member of the team was required to participate in both Alpine and Nordic events.

1974: A March 21 Steamboat Pilot reprint of a Rocky Mountain News story declared that a couple of girls’ state high school tournaments were in the works. Volleyball was pegged for fall of 1975 and basketball for the last week of February 1976 according to Sharon Wilch, administrative assistant with CHSSAA. Twenty-nine of the 36 leagues were playing regular schedules, and according to Wilch, 80% of the coaches were women.

1974: The next day, the Vail Trail ran a story discussing the possibility of increasing girls’ athletic offerings at Battle Mountain. The CHSAA board of controls meeting discussed proposals for state and/or district level tournaments for girls in gymnastics, skiing, tennis, track, swimming and volleyball.

Principal Dick Malmgren boasted that Battle Mountain’s girls’ ski team had been active for 10 years and “was one of the first girls’ ski teams in the state.” The track team had been active for five years and had 24 girls out.

“The reasons other girls’ sports have not been added are facilities, equipment and financing, according to Malmgren,” the article writes.

“We need more money. We are now operating our athletic programs on 20-60 percent of what other schools use,” Malmgren said. “If we add another sport, this further dilutes the money we have allocated for these programs. I don’t think we should take money from the programs we have to start new programs. It’s going to take new money.”

Superintendent Leonard Hammock noted that the district is unable to spend more than 107% per child of what it spent the previous year. “Hammock said the reason the programs for girls have been scarce is because the girls themselves did not express interest until last year,” stated the article. “Some of the ladies coaching have helped develop more interest in the sports for girls,” he said.

Coaches were another problem. “Some of the teachers at the school are interested in getting these programs started, but the burden of keeping these programs going years from now may fall on their shoulders,” Rusty Pierce wrote, noting that one teacher, Mrs. Dave Schiessl, offered to coach girls’ gymnastics for free a year ago.

“It’s my feeling that a program should be done right, if it is going to be done. If we couldn’t afford to pay a coach for her time, we shouldn’t have the program,” Malmgren said. Mrs. Schiessl estimated that 10 girls would come out for gymnastics and 12 for volleyball. One reason Malmgren was hoping to expand programs was behavior.

“I believe that athletics and activities would take care of 90 percent of the discipline problems in the district,” he said.

Hidden in the budget-related notes was this seemingly prescient line in the battle for equality: “Last year the high school spent about $8,200 on athletics but the school got an additional $2,800 from the school board for football equipment.”

1974: With the state’s first volleyball tournament one year out, The Eagle County RE 50J School Board gave “a boost to girls athletics” at its April 24 meeting.

The board approved high school principals to proceed with scheduling and negotiations for a girls’ athletic league for volleyball, one which is “geographically concise.” Aspen, Basalt, Eagle, Glenwood and Carbondale would join Battle Mountain High School for the volleyball league, with basketball, track and possibly gymnastics being proposed by Malmgren as sports that could be added later.

1974: The summer of 1974 was highlighted by Carolyn Mantzke’s trip to the National Road Bike race in Pontiac, Michigan. After winning the women’s state bike racing championships on June 30 in Niwot, Mantzke, who was coached by former professional Cesar Moretti, planned on paying her way to take her 10-speed Cinelli to Pontiac for the 35-mile race.

“My goal is to someday win the Nationals. Of course I would like to win Saturday,”: she said in the story. Mantzke started racing in Vail in 1972, shortly after her family moved to the valley.

“I had to borrow a bike to race in the local grand prix bike races that year, my first racing experience. I crashed and got lots of scratches, but I enjoyed it,” Mrs. Mantzke, an avid Alpine and Nordic skier as well, said in the story.

“It’s fun to compete. It’s that healthy, competitive spirit I enjoy I guess. When you’re really warmed up and in good shape it’s as exhilarating as skiing.” 

The end of the story notes a “special bike racing club” forming under the support of Garrett Smith of Vail Bike and Ski rentals. Jim Petering, Bill Walker, Reyn Finch, Etzel Mantzke and Mark King — all Vail locals — were also instrumental in the group.

“We’d like to have all those interested join us,” Carolyn was quoted at the article’s close. “Girls are particularly welcome.”

1974: Battle Mountain’s volleyball team begins practices, and this September 13 Vail Trail notes that three sports — volleyball, skiing and track — are currently offered to girls at the school.

1974: According to Kathy Heicher, president of the Eagle County Historical society, Mary Bowman was the coach who really initiated girls’ sports at Eagle Valley High School. In a Sept. 17 Eagle Valley Enterprise article, it was noted that Bowman’s girls volleyball team, in its first year, would be the first team to use the new gymnasium at the school in a competition with its Sept. 21 round robin against Roaring Fork and Glenwood Springs. The starters on the 13-member team were Dana Beasley, Cindy Satterfield, Elizabeth Chandler, Brenda Satterfield, Debe Schiessl and Susan Stevenson.

1975: The headline for the Nov. 13 Eagle Valley Enterprise read “EV volleyball girls travel to state.”

After defeating Nucla 15-7 and 15-11, in a match that the paper amazingly described as “not too exciting,” Eagle Valley earned the right to represent the Northwest League at Colorado’s first ever state volleyball tournament.

Tammie Smith and Susan Stephenson led in the scoring, with Cindy Satterfield, Liz Chandler and Donna Genett pitching in as well.

1975: The Mark hires its first female head tennis pro, Barbara Ann Mueller. “During 19 years of tournament competition she was the top-ranked player in every age class in Wisconsin for 17 years, the Wisconsin State Women’s Champion for 10 years, and No. 2 ranked in the 1959 National Girls Doubles with Julie Heldman. Mueller was also a ski instructor and former speed skating champion, according to the story.

1976: Eagle Valley girls volleyball, under Mary Bowman’s guidance, returned to the state tournament, but for the second straight year, they were knocked out in their first two competitions.

Against Crowley County, they lost their first match 15-4, won their second 15-9 and lost the third 15-13. Interestingly, a scoring “discrepancy,” went against the Devils. Both Eagle and Crowley County scorekeepers had an additional point for the Devils, but the official scorekeeper didn’t, eliminating any hopes of an overtime.

1976: At the 1976 state cross country meet, the boys and girls ran together. Ann Gay finished in 90th place, ahead of Colin Morgen (94) and Patty Rickman (95). James Martinez had the highest finish (71) followed by Fritz Mott (86).

“The interest in girls cross-country is there,” head coach Felipe Blea stated, noting that the state meet “may be divided into boys’ and girls’ divisions next year.”

1977: Ann Gay won the 1977 state cross-country ski title for Battle Mountain. The endurance phenom would later qualify for state in the mile, running 5:38 at the district track meet to qualify as the lone Husky female representative. Sherry Puls, Gay’s teammate, ran 5:41 in her last race to just miss qualifying. Puls and Gay would win athlete of the year — two girls and just one boy were named in 1977 in what the Vail Trail said was a “precedent-setting turn-of-events.”

Gay’s ski teammates were also successful at the 1977 state meet: Kim Nottingham won the giant slalom and took bronze in the skimeister competition while Cathy Moser took fourth in skimeister. The girls placed fourth as a team out of nine schools participating.

1979: Lisa Holden, an all-conference basketball player for the Huskies, said in a March 1979 Vail Trail that she intended on playing basketball at either Colorado State University or Colorado University. The 5’8″ multi-sport star and football team manager’s post-prep plans serve as an indication of the growing collegiate opportunities being presented to valley athletes.

1981: The new decade got off to a bang when Eagle Valley placed second in the state volleyball tournament. In the semifinal match, the Devils dispatched the three-time defending state champions from Limon in a three set match. In the final against Fowler, the teams were “marched into the Air Force Academy fieldhouse to Olympic championship music and each girl was introduced to the several hundred spectators.”

The Devils lost in two sets, but it was their best finish to date. The story also notes that the Devils had finished as consolation champions and in third place in prior seasons.