The Yale Oarswomen Who Changed Everything

Last month, on March 3, 1976, nineteen Yale oarswomen walked into their athletic director's office, removed their sweats, and revealed "Title IX" written across their bodies. They were cold, they were tired of waiting on buses while the men used the only showers, and they were done being invisible. The next day, their protest was in The New York Times. Within a year, Yale had built them a locker room.

I was training for the Montreal Olympics that spring, preparing to compete in one of the first women's rowing events in Olympic history. The Yale women and I were fighting the same fight on different fronts: them on campus, us on the international stage. Title IX was just four years old, and most institutions were still pretending they hadn't heard of it. 🚣‍♀️

Fifty years later, I look at women's rowing today and see the fruit of that courage. Scholarships, facilities, coaching staffs, national championships. None of it came because someone decided to be generous. It came because athletes like Chris Ernst and her teammates refused to be silent.
Who are the women who opened doors for you? Take a moment to thank them... or to become one yourself. ✊

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