Great ideas between mothers and their adult daughters often start over lunch.
That’s the first thing that popped into my mind when Rae Anne Payleitner told me about the genesis of Legacy Night that will cap off a week’s worth of activities celebrating “50 years of Girls’ Sports” in St. Charles.
Her mother, Rita Payleitner, was a sophomore at the district’s only high school back in the fall of 1973, and one of 40-plus students who raised their hands when a gym teacher asked who would be interested in taking part in girls sports.
In 1972, Title IX was passed by the federal government, banning discrimination in educational programs and changing the playing field for girls across the country, and the following year, the Illinois High School Association sanctioned girls sports.
“Someone had to be first,” said Rae Anne, a 2011 graduate of St. Charles East High School who played softball in college and certainly benefited from this federal law. “They really were trailblazers.”
Which is why this lunch conversation led to the idea of honoring the legacy of the school district’s first female athletes, as well as celebrating all those who followed in their footsteps.
There have been many. More than 1,500 female athletes now compete in 17 sports at both high schools, including, most recently, girls wrestling.
Both numbers show how far we’ve come from those days when the only way female students could get in the game was in a gym class or intramurals.
Because Illinois schools were just starting to put teams together back in ‘73, schedules were light, noted Rita, whose nine-game sophomore volleyball schedule included Elgin, East Aurora, West Aurora, Naperville and Rosary.
There were other kinds of challenges as well, including backlash from boys and their coaches who did not like the idea of sharing space with teams that could not even come close to filling a gym at game time.
Her parents never attended any of her events, recalled Rita, who quickly admitted she likely “didn’t even tell them” when she was competing because “we weren’t that good.”
During one volleyball game against Rosary, she said, “we didn’t even score.”
But what must be considered, her daughter pointed out, is that girls had no youth programs, club sports or private coaching lessons to hone their skills before the IHSA permitted them to be on school team rosters.
The girls didn’t even have uniforms that first year. Instead, the varsity and JV teams, a mix of all classes, “competed in our gym clothes,” Rita said, upgrading the next year to cheap mesh shirts they had to buy themselves to be worn with their gym shorts.
Oh, and the same so-called uniforms were used for every sport. It wasn’t until senior year these teams got Saints jerseys, she added, also remembering the pride felt when donning the orange and black.
As her mother began sharing stories like this over that lunch a year ago, Rae Anne couldn’t help but think this milestone marking 50 years of girls sports “can’t go uncelebrated.”
And so, a committee was formed to do so this year. It included the task of locating as many of those Saints pioneers as possible – no small feat considering there were no team photos in the yearbook, and women often change their names upon marriage.
But one thing Title IX clearly showed: Females with a game plan get things done.
The weeklong Legacy activities, which coincide with National Girls and Women in Sports Day, include reunion dinners and a Wednesday panel discussion at St. Charles East with women representing each decade talking about how sports evolved over time.
This Legacy Week will culminate in a ceremony Friday when St. Charles East and St. Charles North girls basketball teams go head to head at East.
The goal, said Rae Anne, is to connect alumni athletes with each other and with today’s athletes.
Indeed, the Legacy Committee, in partnership with School District 303 and St. Charles East Athletic Boosters, hopes to see as many alumni as possible at this event. After all, it’s not just about recognizing the initial trailblazers but also the progress and achievements made over the last five decades.
“It is part reunion, part celebration,” said Rae Anne Payleitner, who also pointed out the strong reputation St. Charles girls sports has developed since then.
Which is largely why many of those original athletes contacted for this Legacy Night did not feel worthy of any spotlight. So many, said Rita, could only recall “how awful we were.”
But that’s not the point, both she and her daughter agree.
It is not about what these young athletes accomplished, but what they started. And that applies to every girl across the Fox Valley and beyond who saw a chance to get in the game – and make history.
“If a small group had not raised their hands, it would have set us back five years,” said Rae Anne.
“We all build upon those who came before us.”
dcrosby@tribpub.com
