Cindy Lange-Kubick: Photo shows how far women, NU have come
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Nearly every Monday this fall the back of the sports section featured a full-page photo of football players, fit young men in shoulder pads.
Last Monday was different.
Last Monday, Lynn Darling saw something else. A photo of five fit young women in knee pads, a full page of unmitigated joy on a volleyball court in Seattle.
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The 75-year-old Lincoln woman started to cry.
And, when she stopped crying, she called the newspaper.
She wanted to talk to the photographer.
“I saw it was a man,” Darling says Tuesday. “And I thought he needed to know the rest of the story.”
The photographer she called was Jacob Hannah. New guy. Young guy. Young enough to be Darling’s grandson.
His photograph is astonishing. A digital click that shows it all — disbelief, happiness, adrenaline, astonishment, killer quads and a whole lot of molar.
Amanda Gates with her arms stretched to the sky. Jordan Larson on her knees in disbelief. Half dog pile, half prayer circle, five Huskers on their way to the Final Four after a nearly impossible, and highly improbable, West Coast comeback.
She wanted to know if Hannah knew there was a time, not so long ago, that a photo like that couldn’t be taken. Because the moment didn’t exist.
“Every time I look or talk about that photo I just weep,” says Darling. “We were denied so much for so long.”
There are a lot of women like Darling out there. Women born to a world that said no.
No, you can’t. No, you shouldn’t. No, you’re not strong enough. No, for no reason at all.
Darling wanted to play sports like the boys did at Lincoln High. She couldn’t. In gym class they let girls play basketball, but the rules were different, she said.
No running. No more than three steps before passing. No crossing the halfcourt line.
“They wanted to protect the uterus. That’s what they told us: ‘We didn’t want the uterus to fall.’”
Don’t laugh, Darling says.
“It’s true. Procreating. That was our purpose.”
Being denied on a basketball court or a softball field was just a part of the injustice. There were jobs women couldn’t have and offices they couldn’t hold and clothes they couldn’t wear.
The world eventually began to change.
“I got to ski for the first time when my kids were growing up and I just went all out. I loved cross-country skiing, too. White water rafting.”
The women’s rights movement came along and with it, in 1972, Title IX — federal legislation prohibiting sex discrimination in education and athletics.
And Darling went to watch strong and confident young women compete.
She’d go down to the court after games and congratulate them. Enjoy what you’re doing, she’d say. We didn’t get to run the court.
She hopes those strong young women believe in themselves. She hopes they know they are worthy without a man. She hopes they appreciate and hold onto the rights that women before them fought for. That they earn their own keep, are independent and strong.
She told the young photographer most of this.
The image in the Monday morning paper that brought her to tears represents the “ultimate euphoria of womanhood,” she says.
“The ability to be able to reach that far down, from beyond your gut, beyond yourself and do it. It signifies the ultimate in perseverance.”
She asked Hannah if he was married. She asked if he had children.
The 24-year-old — born more than a decade after Title IX passed and women on playing fields became as commonplace as digital photographs in a newspaper — said no.
She told him he needed to do something.
“I told him if he ever has a daughter, he needs to frame that photo and put it up over her crib.”
So she can see just what her life can be.
Reach Cindy Lange-Kubick at 473-7218 or clangekubick@journalstar.com.
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subtle and not so subtle discriminations against women. And there are forces who would love to return to that status as well -- so we need the Lynn Darlings of the world to point it out. But hey, we're up to 77 cents to the male dollar now in Nebraska so all is well. "
I'm all for women's athletics. I am against the mandating of certain rules for athletics. "
As far as men's programs being cut. Yes it is a numbers game. And football takes up alot of numbers. And of course it pays for all the non-revenue sports, including wrestling. Which is why they will never vote scholarship for scholarship. In fact US colleges spend $137 million more each year on mens scholarships. I'm certainly not complaining about that. Football is a whole different beast. Just responding to what "title ix" wrote...... "
My daughter is a collegiate athlete in softball, at an NCAA Division II program in Nebraska. She grew up with numerous athletic opportunities, but only 3 years before she got to high school, in 2000, did her passion -softball - make it to her high schools athletic program. Without forward thinking administrators - her opportunities were still limited until just recently.
She works hard to complete her academics, complete her athletic training/workouts and compete at an elite level with all its scheduling conflicts. Tools that will go a long way in preparation for life after college. I admire her tremendously for her commitment and ability to juggle it all. She will be an excellent educator and coach when she completes her collegiate training.
Something else - an essence of life is captured in photographs that a video will never be able to contain. That is "the moment" and "the totality" of the experience. I have taken photos for years and this is one of the best I have seen!!
Thank you Ms. Darling for your passions, Mr. Hannah for his "eye" and Ms. Kubick for your attention to this "slice of life". "
Just the other day I met up with a neighborboy who we played real BB on the grade school court at night with and he said to all that was around that I and my 2 friends were the toughest players they enountered and said we were before our time. As a side note when Credit cards first came out they could NOT be in a woman's name they had to be your husband and if he should die or divorce the card was voided.
And I remember when I married I became Mrs (Husband first name) and his last name. It was a big step when I started refering to myself as my first name not his.
There was a lot of history in this article and many of us can relive it.
Go Girls I too will be watching tonight. "
I heard the same "reasons" that women couldn't participate in sports that Ms. Darling did. In HS, we played intramural volleyball and basketball - and once in awhile, softball, all with altered rules for girls. In college, (UNL) it was again intramurals.
An eye opening experience for me was attending a basketball game in Holstein, Iowa with a friend from there. The boys team played first and our friend said "we'd have to go early and watch them in order to have a seat to watch the girls play."
To all of you Title IX opponents, you must not have daughters - or mothers who enjoyed participating and competing. I rather like being treated as an equal. "
It was a great photo that still sends shivers to me. How wonderful that our three senior captains were on the floor, and their shining moment together is captured in time and history. We are so proud of this team that nobody in the rank of "experts" thought would make it through the season with the success they have had. Cook has numerous times called this team special because of their cohesiveness and genuine concern for the concept of TEAM and not individual accolades. They play together and for each other. Because of that, it makes their individual successes that much sweeter. Congrats on a fine season so far ladies, and we cannot wait to watch you make more history tonight, by giving Penn State their first set loss and hopefully a match loss, sending you into the Finals. The whole state is behind you! "
To those lamenting that women are getting opportunities, get over it. Men have had all the opportunity, education and power for centuries. They will survive. Some of those poor football players will go onto make millions in the NFL. This picture likely marks the final season of competitive athletics for these seniors--and Larson is among the best in her sport, but there is very little opportunity for her to use that talent beyond college. "
When NU folded the men's swimming and diving teams, a number of athletes lost their scholarships. Many were from other countries and had to return home without the benefit of an American university education.
No one is saying women's sports aren't important, or aren't a tremendous source of pride for fans, but now that women's sports have their place at the table, why can't we increase opportunities for ALL athletes? "
'To those lamenting that women are getting opportunities, get over it. Men have had all the opportunity, education and power for centuries. They will survive.' I'd be curious if this person would use the same comment for racial inequalities as they do for gender... "