Catching Up

(via My SA)

In case y'all missed it, Jimmy Feigen was on Tuesday's Q&A session at USA Swimming.  Catch up here.

10. Ricky Berens and David Walters working, making names out of the pool, what’s that like for you in Austin?

Jimmy: I am proud of them. I can’t believe Ricky is getting engaged, that is absolutely nuts to me – in a good way! And Dave off coaching and doing investment banking. I never saw that coming if you asked me to project five years down the road. But he is so amazing. We also have Brendan (Hansen) starting his own athletic complex. It’s good to see that drive to succeed after swimming.

The UIL has updated numbers in their 2013-14 steroid testing report.  More here.  Instead of zero positive tests, they now claim to have nabbed two (2) roiders.  That comes out to a quarter million bucks per positive.

Did y'all catch this amusing video?


USMS is thinking about adding 25's (and 4 x 25 relays) to their meet format.  Story here.

Heard of "The Old Guys for Title IX"?  They've decided to push proportionality on schools they don't have any personal interest in - and that have no desire for their involvement.  More here.

The complaint — filed on Jan. 10 with The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in Boston — was submitted by a member of “The Old Guys for Title IX” as part of a mass complaint including 100 New England colleges and universities, according to one of the group’s members, Herb Dempsey. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits gender-based discrimination in universities that receive federal education funds.

The complaint against Emerson claims that the school is violating Title IX by not providing “opportunities for women to play sports in numbers substantially proportionate to their enrollment.” The complaint’s author was redacted by The Old Guys for Title IX before it was sent to the Beacon, and Dempsey declined to provide the name.

Opportunities are there, Old Guys, it's just a matter of taking advantage of them.

Naomi Kramer, a senior communication sciences and disorders major who plays women’s lacrosse and soccer for Emerson, said she strongly disagreed with the Title IX complaint’s allegations. 

“Basically, if you want to play, you’re going to play sports here,” she said. “We just hired a female athletic director. That alone says something about this school.” 

Dempsey, a 77-year-old retired teacher and father of five from Washington, said that members of The Old Guys for Title IX have filed thousands of Title IX complaints against public schools and colleges across the country in the past four years. He declined to say how many members belong to the group.

Sounds like that old guy has way too much time on his hands.  How about focusing on equality in budgets, coaching, travel, facilities, etc. - and keeping them darned kids off your lawn - Herb?

I get comments and emails from Title IX'ers all the time.  I'm not sure they understand that I'm not against what Title IX was created for, I'm against what it's become - a quota system.

Here's my response to a recent email:

xxx,

Thanks for the email.  I certainly hope xxx adds boys/girls high school swimming.

Unfortunately, if/when xHS's male swimmers wish to continue their careers in college, they'll likely have to look outside Texas for those opportunities.  Schools like Rice and Houston have dumped their men's swim programs because of Title IX.

While bloated football rosters are an issue, it's proportionality that is to blame here.  Schools offer plenty of opportunities for females in athletics, but the FACT is, they don't take advantage of those opportunities at the same rate as males, PERIOD!

Title IX advocates have used a quota system to force schools to drop male programs, simply because too few women take advantage of the athletic opportunities available.

If the proportionality quota system were used in nursing schools and elementary education (yes, they receive federal funds), we'd have to turn away a huge number of women, right?  How would that be right?  Just because fewer males take advantage of opportunities in nursing and K-5 teaching, should the females be punished for it?

Creating the perfect world proportionality activists "feel" we should have isn't possible.  Whether y'all want to accept it or not, facts are facts and boys and girls are different.

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