Pickleball Magazine 7-2 | Page 51

the confidence she gained in an athletic setting because of Title IX . Yale tennis was the first time she had been able to play on an all-women ’ s team . Prior to that she played in the National Junior Tennis League with boys . Tennessee ’ s Sally Thornton was one of the first women to receive a full scholarship for basketball . Now she brings playing and coaching experience to the pickleball courts .
Young players including Anna Leigh Waters , 15 , and LeEllen Lane , 20 , come to pickleball with experience at the top level . For them , opportunity is a given . They know the value of intensive coaching . Both of their mothers are outstanding players with coaching experience . LeEllen played her first pickleball tournament when she was 10 years old . Now she talks about forming lifelong friendships in a sport she loves . Her mother , Stephanie , said , “ Without Title IX , and the equal opportunity for girls , I doubt my daughter would have even experimented with sports .
LeEllen Lane , a sophomore at Lipscomb University , benefited from Title IX . She now plays pickleball at the 5.0 level alongside her 5.0 mother , Stephanie Lane .
As Title IX provided opportunities for women ’ s sports , it also helped women network . Each year the Yale tennis team gets together . This year they played pickleball in Naples , Florida . From l to r : Pam Wolf , Kathleen Haigood , Ellen Markowitz , Stacy Pardue and Suzi Liebowitz .
What a life changer ! It has truly helped our relationship as we have traveled and competed all over the country together !” Pickleball is providing so many of the good things that Title IX brought to women ’ s sports .
Thirty-nine percent of pickleball players are women . Pickleball has benefited from the participation of female players throughout the evolution of Title IX . Senior women are so grateful to be given the chance to compete and they have helped to increase tournament participation . The women professionals have a chance to design and build a new sport and make a living doing so . As young players reap the benefits of 50 years of Title IX , they have a responsibility to the next generation of women athletes . Ladies , make it even better for those who follow . Title IX was not a gift — it was a hard-earned achievement .
Alice Tym is one of the five original founders of Super Seniors International Pickleball Association ( SSIPA ). She was secretary of the International Federation of Pickleball ( IFP ) and started the women ’ s tennis team at the University of Florida . •
MARCH / APRIL 2022 | MAGAZINE 49