Wendy Wilbur, World Champion Rower, Massachusetts

I grew up in Massachusetts before Title IX was passed. I had two older brothers. My brothers were tolerant of my girl tendencies, but were much more inclined to invite me to play in an athletic event in the back yard than to play “house”. My dog, Smokey, took the burden of playing dress up and was often seen wearing doll clothes or shorts (with his tail stuffed down the leg)…poor little guy. In high school I played sports (basketball, softball, track & field) and I was the manager of the football team. My biggest obstacle surrounding sports was deciding which sport to pursue when I got to Salem State College. I tried basketball, but I just didn’t enjoy the spirit of the game at the collegiate level. During my sophomore year, I joined the swim team (never having swum competitively). Naively, I thought that I’d be a pretty fast swimmer since I was a lifeguard. I truly had no idea what I was getting into. I was slow, but with perseverance I went on to be competitive in the breast stroke and was named “Most Improved Swimmer” that year. I transferred to the University of Massachusetts Amherst and began classes in the fall semester of my junior year. While I was undecided whether I should continue swimming, I knew I wanted to find a sport that I enjoyed in a team setting.

One day as I was walking through the campus, the novice rowing coach approached me and tried to talk me into rowing for the club team. She told me that I had the right body type (tall and athletic). She guaranteed that if I tried, I’d be really good. That night, at the informational meeting, they presented a slide-show that started out with early morning sunrises (complete with music from Enya playing in the background). The slides showed the faces of the girls at practice (then the music got louder and faster), of their faces while racing (cue more volume and pace to the music) and finally of their faces at the end of a race they had just won. I sat there in my auditorium seat covered in goose-bumps and decided that I had to at least give it a try. I signed up on the spot, but knew I’d have to find a job on campus to raise the $275 “club” dues in order to row.

After two years of rowing for the club program, I had become a fairly strong rower. However, the team desperately needed university funding and “varsity” status to catapult us to the next level. The rowing coach sent a proposal to the athletic director requesting rowing become a varsity sport, citing Title IX for support. By the start of my third year at UMASS, the team was elevated to full varsity status. Two years later, our varsity eight crew earned a silver medal at the first ever NCAA Rowing Championship. I went from a dues paying member of the club to a scholarship athlete. I worked extremely hard to be the best rower I could be and after graduating went on to become a 7-time member of the USA National Team. During my time on team USA, my teammates and I won a World Championship title. I also have a nice collection of medals from elite competitions around the world of which I am very proud. Now, I am a rowing coach at Boston College and do my best to pass along my passion for the sport to others. I must confess that I use the same line my coach used on me when I’m trying to recruit prospective rowers on campus.

There has been some controversy over the interpretation of Title IX in collegiate athletics and so I feel it is important to share my story. Title IX has had a significant impact on the sport of rowing having just celebrated its tenth NCAA Women’s Rowing Championship in 2006. By providing equal opportunity for men and women to compete at the collegiate level, the professional or “elite” levels of sports are positively impacted too. I know for rowing that the caliber of the pool of athletes (from which the elite team is selected) has continued to rise since this NCAA equality-in-sport policy has come to light.

With the rise in women’s rowing teams in collegiate athletics, there has also been an increase in the opportunities for high school students to participate in crew. Increasingly there are more high school and community programs to introduce students to the sport. Regardless, as was the case for me, rowing is a sport that you can pick up in college and excel at having had no prior experience. It is a sport that you know right away whether you like it or not. If you like it, it becomes your passion. It becomes the force that gets you out of bed to go down to the river in excessive heat, pouring rain or freezing cold temperatures.

When I get together with one of my family, we reminisce about the days of playing sports in the back yard. My parents and brothers have told me how proud they are of the things I’ve accomplished as an athlete and as a coach. Without the help of Title IX, I am certain that my life would have taken a very different course...and I may not have turned out to be the happy, confident, and strong woman that I am today. I feel very fortunate to have found a profession that I enjoy from the depths of my heart. If only everyone could be so lucky…