Sandy Searcy – ICGSA 2016 Marian Archer Award Acceptance Speech

Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association Swimming Committee Chair, 1989-1999
Indiana High School Athletic Association Girls Advisory Board, 1993-98
Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association President, 1997-98
Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association Executive Board Member, 1992-1999
IHSAA Liaison to the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association 1999-2015

Good afternoon. I must say that I am truly humbled and honored to be recognized today as e remember the wonderful contributions of Marian Archer to girls and women in sports.

As you heard from Phyllis, Marian Archer was one of the first exhibitors at this conference, and a pioneer in her own right. She positively impacted girls and women when their participation and acceptance into the sport arena was brand new. Marian truly made a significant difference in the lives of girls relative to participation in sports and fitness.

I have been involved with the ICGSA since the early 80’s, and began as a brand new coach. This group of dedicated individuals provided a structure for female athletes and their coaches. I had the wonderful opportunity to serve as a swimming and diving committee chair, an Executive Board member, and then finally as president in 1997-98. I was fortunate enough to serve as the IHSAA liaison to the ICGSA over the last 16 years. My experiences with this talented group of men and women helped to mold this brand new coach to be an effective administrator.

The ICGSA has continued to grow and evolve since 1972. Opportunities for coach and athlete recognition through academic and all-state awards, Hall of Fame competitions, plus coach and athlete scholarships have grown. I believe that these opportunities that are afforded to today’s female student athletes and their coaches will be a huge benefit as they develop into productive members of society.

The ICGSA Executive Board is a hard working group of folks, who commit a great amount of time and effort to organize and administer these programs. As quoted by Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own: "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great." And because of their work, and one of the most rewards are the lifelong friendships that are forged during service to the association. They do not participate in the ICGSA for monetary gain, for swag or the polo shirts, or the accolades. They are a part of this group because they have a passion for sport, and for providing opportunity and an education based experience for the young ladies of this state.

I appreciate the leadership of the past presidents, for their guidance and patience. I truly felt that it was a team effort, and with Ilene Bailey, Becky Freeman, Beth Ann Masariu, Mary Hurley, LouAnn Hopson, Lisa Cook, Kathy Cox, John Clark, Lynn Zwilling, Sharon Rosenburgh, Pam Shively, - how could you go wrong?

And now for the history…

The IHSAA was established in 1903, and began sanctioning boys sports at that time. However, there were schools reportedly playing girls basketball at that time, although not under the auspices of the IHSAA.

Girls’ sports have come a long way from the days of the Girls Athletic Association intramural contests. Until the IHSAA sanctioned girls sports in 1972, GAA was the only option for female athletes. The GAA was founded in 1927 for the purpose of promoting a high school standard of physical wellbeing among girls by fostering an interest in gymnastic and athletic activities. Among the sports played by GAA members were archery, volleyball, and softball.

The philosophy of educators at that time included a 3 tiered hierarchy – physical education for all students, intramural sport participation, which girls were allowed to participate in, and extramural competition, which boys were allowed to participate in.

Initially, members of the GAA met a several times per month or once per week after school to participate in play days. Students from multiple schools met, and teams were chosen. The team make-up involved girls from different schools, and teams were identified by pennies. Typically, the girls wore colored pennies which identified which team they were on. Under the pennies they wore the hated one piece gym suits.

Sports Days were implemented later, which allowed school teams to compete against one another. Eventually GAA sponsored state tournaments for girls.

As girls athletic participation was increasing, the IHSAA took over girls athletics in 1972. Pat Roy was hired as a girls sports director on January 1, 1972. The IHSAA was the second state in the country to sanction girls sports, and the first state to hire a girls sports director. Title IX – 1972 (June 23, 1972 – Title IX was enacted), and Indiana Senator Birch Bye was author of the Title IX Bill.

Pat Roy implemented all 10 girls’ sports that are now sponsored by the IHSAA.
1972-73 volleyball, gymnastics
1973-74 golf, track
1974-75 swimming, tennis
1975-76 basketball
1981-82 cross country
1984-85 softball
1994-95 soccer

Sanctioned Sports
IHSAA introduced one team and one individual sport each year. Basketball was the last sport to be sanctioned. Roy wanted the transition to basketball to be successful. She honed her skills in conducting the tournaments for the other 6 sports, and then introduced basketball.

Girls Advisory Committee
Established by Pat in 1972, in an effort to provide an avenue for grass roots feedback. The committee met for 27 years, but was eventually disbanded in 1999. This was due to the creation of minority representation on the Executive Committee, which occurred in 1992. The IHSAA made is possible for females to be elected to the Executive Committee. The definition of minority representation was “anyone but a white male”.

Gender Equity Position Statement

The IHSAA adopted the Gender Equity Position Statement at its annual Board meeting on May 1, 1995. The statement reads as follows:

One of the purposes of the IHSAA is to assure that every student athletes has a fair opportunity to compete. That purpose can only be achieved when there is true equality to participate in athletics. The IHSAA believes that gender equity is more than being in compliance with the law. It is a spirit. It is a personal ethic. It is a commitment to do what is right and fair for all student athletes.

ICGSA
Established in 1972 by Pat Roy and Pris Dillow as a grass roots effort to educate coaches, and to provide structure, host clinics, benefit student athletes. Pat felt the need to educate coaches. The ICGSA Board makeup was loosely patterned after the IHSAA Executive Committee. Members represented geographic districts. Each sport had a separate committee. Today, this is one of two coaches association for girls athletics of its kind in the country. The ICGSA provides education for sports through their annual conference and sport specific clinics. They provide student athlete recognition through Academic All-State and All-State awards. They provide college scholarships for the children of their members. They recognize state championship coaches, and honor years of service to athletics.

And now it is time for the torch to be passed on to a new generation of coaches. They will be mentored by the veterans such as Darlene Mathew, Phyllis Tubbs, and Bev Arnold. They say it takes a village, and the legacy will continue

And finally, I would like to thank the ICGSA for this award. These individuals continue to foster the mission of serving their student athletes and coaches, and providing opportunities and education. I am honored to provide any contributions to their outstanding work. These past few years have been an honor and a privilege.