- [Ruth] Title IX when it was instituted, it was probably, or arguably the most impactful law for equity for girls and women in sports.

- [Jo] Where we were in the 70s compared to where we are now in 2020 and in the 2020s.

And seeing what's happened over the past 50 years.

- [Jill] It's come so far.

I think, especially since the season switch, the athleticism is just skyrocketed.

- [Lolly] It means success to me that Title IX is successful.

I'm so glad we have the opportunity to celebrate its 50th birthday, which is unbelievable.

- [Ron] Title IX changed the whole Arena of athletics, not just girls, but also boys too.

- [Announcer] Program funding has made possible with your membership and with corporate support from; Black Hills Surgical Hospital Sports Medicine, your local sports medicine team for more than 25 years.

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(gentle music) - [Narrator] In 1972, Congress passed legislation prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex within a sport or activity of an education agency.

This led to a large boost in high school and college girls athletics across the nation.

But in South Dakota, changes didn't start to happen right away.

- I came to the South Dakota High School Activities Association in the summer of 1974.

And at that point, the Activities Association only sponsored track and field for girls, tennis and golf.

And all three of those events were at a lesser degree than the boys were at the time.

So even though they had started, which was excellent, those three sports needed to continue on.

And from there we got basketball started.

- Well, I started in '75.

Before that I had been the boys coach.

I was gonna decide what I was gonna do.

I had resigned after we won the state tournament.

I got talked into taking the girls.

A lot of schools had tradition of winning.

And so when girls basketball started, it wasn't like they were starting from zero.

It became recognized really as a girl's sport, not just as basketball.

And I think that made a difference.

So right off the bat, we had girls that played a lot of hours and went on to college, where we allowed division one players.

And I think that tradition has carried on.

I'm a big tradition guy.

And I think once you get something started, then it keeps going.

- [Narrator] With Bob Winter at the helm, Yankton won the very first girls a state basketball title in 1975.

- I grew up here in Yankton, South Dakota.

And every girl my age growing up in Yankton wanted to grow up to be a Yankton Gazelle.

We had a rich basketball tradition here.

And Bob Winter, my coach was instrumental in making sure that girls basketball players in Yankton had the same opportunity as the boys did.

Just because the law was on the books, didn't mean that it was enforced everywhere.

I never felt like we had a girls basketball team because somebody was saying, you need to have a team for girls.

It was because it was the expectation.

And we had people in place.

I tell people I was lucky to grow up with feminists, not the down with patriarchy feminists, but the type of feminists that just believed in equality.

- Title IX changed the whole arena of athletics, not just girls, but also boys too.

I mean, it just bless those people that forced it, that fought for it and fought for it.

I'm not sure when the big surge started, but the apex of it was in 1972.

And we're still seeing it to this day.

Thank heavens.

- In any endeavor without getting people on your side, and the first thing is to find those people that believe in girls sports and wanna see girls sports.

So all of the years that I worked for the Activities Association, it wasn't just me.

It was the advocates that worked with me and there were individuals all the way along the line that believed in girls sports.

- [Narrator] South Dakota in fact, was one of the more progressive states when it came to playing hoops.

First and foremost, the Mount Rushmore state was the first to adopt the smaller size ball for girls.

- Not without some hassles though, because number one, now schools have to buy two sizes of basketballs, one for the girls and one for the boys.

Again, it's a red flag, it's a money issue.

And I think I commented once, we were at a board meeting in Sioux Falls and it was the meeting that we were going to adopt the smaller basketball.

And at that time Doris Larson, who was a school board member from Sioux Falls said, "If we were gonna change the size of the football, do you think there'd be an issue, because it's for boys."

And I think there was just kind of a silence in the room and the vote was taken.

And we got the smaller basketball.

And it worked out very well.

But again, it wasn't a slam dunk, so to speak.

We had to work at, had to show the advantages.

And then we sent in a lot of that to the National Federation and with our statistics, then it was adopted all over the country.

- [Narrator] Today, that same ball size is used throughout the nation at both high school and the collegiate level.

- We were first with a small basketball and we were first with the alternating possession, although that was out there as a concept, but we were the first state to adopt it.

- I grew up and went to school in McLaughlin.

So I was a graduate of McLaughlin High School.

In 1974, I was a freshman.

And that was the first year that girls basketball had come into the high school.

And so I always tell people that I was in it from the very beginning.

Probably the biggest change in basketball though, would be the athletes.

The athletes have changed more than the game has changed itself.

A lot of that is because they are year round athletes right now.

There's a lot of opportunities for girls out there and it's been good for girls.

It's been good for the game of basketball as well.

And then of course you have the seasons changing from the fall to the winter.

- Basketball was in the fall and volleyball was in the winter.

And I think a lot of that developed because of gym space.

Because in the smaller schools, we could play basketball and we could do volleyball and share that.

But to do basketball and basketball, it was much more difficult to do.

When the lawsuit came about, and it was about the girls being able to play in the season that it was meant to play in.

Scholarship opportunities and things of that nature.

I shouldn't say it was easy, 'cause it was difficult.

It was hard fought.

People didn't feel like it was... A lot of people felt it was the wrong thing to do.

But I think looking back at that, that was the best thing.

One of the best things that South Dakota did for female athletes.

- Well, I really had some reservations going into it because I thought it was gonna affect the coaching a lot.

One of the things that you have to consider is you want the girls to have good quality coaching.

And that was gonna mean that some of the coaches that were gonna coach boys and girls were just gonna have to move to one or the other.

And a lot of those coaches did move to the boys side of things.

And what we found is that there were a lot of new coaches developing and you saw some new coaches come into programs and you saw them excel.

I think it opened some doors for a lot of coaches to have their own program.

- Basketball was very...

It was a sport that everyone knew.

Volleyball is played by boys, but not in South Dakota.

So it was a real struggle to get that on the map.

Bennett County, for example, they had volleyball five years before we even adopted it.

And I think Barb Cookhouse was the coach.// She played a few schools in South Dakota, but she went into Nebraska where they had the program.

And we had, like I say, volleyball coaches all over that were very passionate about getting the sport started.

- Well, it was hard because it had been established that this gym was relatively new back then.

It wasn't that old and it was pretty much basketball gym.

And we have the small gym, which basically, you can almost serve on the ends and it's probably two feet extra on the sides and a really short ceiling.

But we always figured that if we could play in that gym and we could pass the ball in that gym, we were gonna have it so much easier when we went to other teams to play.

It's come so far.

I think especially since the season switch, the athleticism is just skyrocketed, and along with that then, the JO been a great lift, I think for the sport.

The D1 athletes that we're now producing the ability to recruit since the season switch, I think has really taken off.

And it's just brought the sport to a whole nother level.

- [Narrator] Another change that certainly improved the flow of volleyball in South Dakota was how the games were scored.

- Rally scoring that made it a lot more exciting for the fans.

I remember one time we went to Arlington tournament and we were down 14-0, and this was before rally scoring.

And we ended up winning that set 16-14.

Now that would not happen today.

So rally scoring keeps it really exciting.

And it's not over until it's over.

Teams have come back from quite a few down and get on a run, but the fans really love it.

And that's good for volleyball.

- [Announcer] Jill Christensen would go on to coach 36 years of volleyball and record 837 career wins.

Her victory count currently sits as the winningest high school coach in South Dakota for any sport.

It's not just about the traditional sports either.

For instance, cheer and dance, which individually are respected sports on their own is a sanctioned sport in South Dakota as well.

- Cheer and dance was probably, it was a love-hate relationship for me.

I never came from a background of thinking sideline cheer, which was my only background of is that really is sport.

And then when I started to work with some of the key people in cheer and dance in South Dakota, and really saw what dance and the competitive side of dance, the competitive side of cheer.

I mean, it is truly an athletic event, a sport where you do have to train and practice and synchronize.

And one of the things that helped us was South Dakota really needed another girl's sport.

And so cheer and dance at that time really fit in pretty well.

That going to that first cheer in dance state tournament, it was just like a baby has been born and it's on its way for growth.

- [Narrator] Another sport that was bolstered with a passing of Title IX was gymnastics.

- And actually in 1969-70, we did have gymnastics in the schools.

So that was one of the more progressive girls sports we had, even though we weren't sanctioned at the time.

We were under what was called the division of girls and women in sport, which was a national organization.

But that didn't allow you to become... You weren't classified as sanctioned and could be eligible for a state championship.

You put all the hours in, you worked all the hours, you worked with your kids, but there was no gratification at the end of coming to a climax of your season.

- [Narrator] Once gymnastics did get sanctioned in 1974, like other girls sports, gym time and space to practice was the main issue.

- So we needed 63 feet for runway to throw the vaults that I wanted to throw for competition to be competitive.

And so I went to Bob Caselli, our principal at Washington High and said, "Bob, I have a question.

We need the side of the basketball floor to vault on during basketball practice.

Because I can't be running vault in the morning when I'm running floor in there.

I have no assistance.

I need to be down on that floor.

I need 63 feet to run to through all those vaults."

He just kinda looked at me like maybe I was from another planet.

And he says, "Well, we got boys basketball practice going on."

I said, "I know."

But that sideline is not being used when the bleachers are put in.

And I said, "Mr. Caselli, I have a state meet now.

It's sanction.

I have a state meet at the end of the season same as basketball does.

We have qualifying needs.

I wanna get there as bad as the basketball team does, but I can't if I don't have the facility and the equipment to do it."

And he called me in the next morning and he said, "I really thought about what you said."

And I thank the Lord for him being a listener and sensitive to my needs.

And he called John Hardy who was the head basketball coach at the time at Washington High in and explained the situation.

He said, "John, what's your goal at the end of the season?"

To qualify for state?

He said, "Lolly, what's your goal at the end of the season?"

To qualify for state meet.

And he says, "Well, we're gonna have to compromise here.

We're gonna have to make something work."

And we did it.

- [Narrator] Lolly Forseth broke down barriers as a gymnastics coach, winning 11 state titles throughout her career.

But even after her days of coaching, she continued her trailblazing ways.

- Well to back up, I was the first female athletic director, full-time in a school system.

And so it wasn't the ordinary or the norm and had this one athletic director call from out of state and inquired about the possibility of competing.

And I answered the phone and gave my name and said athletic director.

And he said, "No, ma'am, I don't wanna talk to the secretary.

I would like to talk to the athletic director."

And I said, "Well, I am the athletic director."

No, I insist I don't wanna be put off.

Now you either get me the athletic director, or we won't go any further with this.

And I believe we didn't go any further with it because he wasn't convinced that I was running the program here.

- I remember when I first started as an athletic director, I went to the Athletic Director's Conference.

This is gonna sound stupid, but whenever you line up to go to the bathroom, the men's line was as long as long it could be, the women's line at the AD's Conference was very short.

And that's about the only time that ever happened.

So it's one of those where to see the growth in the AD world, and the females that have progressed in that, there are many, many successful female athletic directors.

And that's just another sign that anybody can do it.

That we can be a part of that.

We can be an equal opportunity finders in the professions that we dream about.

- [Narrator] When it comes to those who help get South Dakota to where we are today with girls high school sports, most will tell you that conversation starts with one name, Ruth Rehn.

- I think she was a perfect person for it.

She was a proponent for girls and women's sports like none other.

I mean, she was all in.

She finally would get her way on some things, but she had to work for it and it did not come easy.

And I really admire everything that she did to get things going for South Dakota sports for women.

It's been great.

- What comes to mind, the first word is leadership.

Because she was in the Activities Association.

She had to help develop programs.

She had to help develop coaches.

And so that was a whole new thought process for the Activities Association.

And she took a lot of that on herself.

She was very visible.

She wasn't afraid to face problems head on and answer questions.

And so her leadership comes to mind first and foremost.

- She was the right person at the right time.

That's probably the best summary I could have.

I mean, she fought very hard for girls athletics.

She made sure that was a voice that was going to be heard at the association level.

She was also one of those people that would come down to coaching clinics and whatever, and make sure that girls were involved and girls coaches were involved.

And not only basketball, but volleyball, track, all the things that had been initiated.

She's been the girl that people needed, that we needed to have at that time.

- A person cannot achieve any of the goals unless they have people to help them.

And I was so passionate in the advancement of girls sports.

And I tried to show that passion to the coaches, to the athletic directors, to the administrators.

I'm not a good speaker if I'm in a crowd of 500 people, but if I can talk to you one on one.

And throughout my career, I tried to work with all of the people and show them, convince them, help them in whatever sport there was.

- Ruth's been a colleague, a friend, a mentor.

I remember when the position opened up and I applied for the job.

And I said, if I'm privileged to get this job, I just hope that I can continue the growth of what she had started from '74 to 2008.

A lot of years in the office and a lot of the accomplishments that she had.

I've learned so much from Ruth and even continuing on today.

I'll still pick up the phone and it's, "Hey, Ruth, how you doing?"

We go through the war stories that she went through to help develop that.

And she keeps telling you, don't give up.

Don't forget.

We've gotta continue to move forward.

- My successor Jo Auch is probably the best fit for the job.

In fact, I sometimes tell her she does a better job than I did because she came from so many different aspects as a player, as an official, as an administrator, which I had none of those, I just had the passion without the experience.

And she has both.

So I think that's a perfect marriage for her, and she's doing a wonderful job.

- [Narrator] It's also hard to use the term trailblazer without mentioning one of South Dakota's most well known female sports figures.

Becky Hammon, who grew up in Rapid City and played high school ball at Stevens High School, would go on to play basketball professionally.

And she's continuing to set a new standard on a national stage.

- She was a gym rat.

She was there all the time.

In 1991, we had two senior guards that were twins that were really good.

So Becky didn't see a whole lot of playing time.

She was probably as good of them, but really close or maybe a little bit better, but I believe in playing seniors, so we played seniors.

From that moment on, after that as a sophomore on, she hardly got off the floor unless she was in foul trouble.

And she was that quite often as a sophomore and junior.

But yeah, she was a heck of a player.

No doubt about it.

She was a great student of the game.

She absorbed whatever we talked about, defensively, offensively.

We talked about shooting, shooting technique, how to improve it, what she had to do.

And I mean, she just jumped right on it and was willing to do it.

One of the first ones in the gym and one of the last ones to leave.

And she always had a game going on at her house.

I mean, she was playing two on two with the mom, with her dad and her brothers.

And so, I mean, she's always had a basketball in her hands.

And she was a leader on the floor.

It's one of the deals... You hear people talk about having another coach on the floor, Becky was that way.

And all the other players respected her, understood her.

If we were doing something and I would say, Okay, let's do this.

Offensively, we're gonna run this play or do this set.

And she would come up and say, "Coach, can we do this instead?"

And, I'm kind of a believer in player led teams.

And so a lot of times we would alter it.

And she was such a creator on the floor.

You couldn't draw out and design a player because she was gonna read the defense and react to it.

And that's what you wanted her to do.

And that's one of the things we worked on and practiced all the time.

- Yes, everybody was aware of who Becky Hammon was.

Her reputation preceded her everywhere she went and it was well deserved.

And she's one of those people that has really been a great role model for everybody, not only women, but for any anybody.

She came through Rapid City Stevens High School.

At whatever level she got to, her work ethic and her drive to succeed showed up at every single level.

And I think that's a good example for everybody in South Dakota that sometimes we have that small mindset where it's difficult to leave Aberdeen, or it's difficult to leave South Dakota.

And I think she's somebody who's shown that you can leave South Dakota.

You can achieve at any level you want to achieve.

And she's doing things the right way.

- She always makes time for people.

She really does.

I remember we were in New York with the Liberty, she was on crutches.

She was rehabbing.

She sat at the table and I'm about there 300 little girls that went up and asked for her to sign something.

She stayed there until everybody was signed.

I mean, that's just kind of the person she is.

- [Narrator] Becky Hammon's legacy is paving the way for other female athletes across the nation.

She's currently the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA.

A more recent trailblazer in South Dakota is another familiar name to some, Brianna Kusler.

During the 2021-22 season, Kusler became the first female to head coach a high school boys basketball team at the double a level in the state.

- Male, female, it doesn't matter.

I am blessed to do what I do every single day.

And I'm blessed to be surrounded by the athletes, the coaches, the administration that I am.

I would not trade anything for the world.

It's different from being a player to a coach.

And I catch myself quite a bit just at times, getting a little bit frustrated.

Why can't you get this?

And then I throw myself, well, I'm sure I didn't get this right away, either.

Goodness gracious.

So giving them some grace and not just expecting it to be an immediate turnaround, as far as they're catching on to the concepts that we're teaching.

But I really do think that playing and coaching at the same time really helped.

- [Commentator] The stickler, Kusler, gets the jumper.

'Cause you don't worry too much about her.

She'll get them when you need her to get them.

- I think coming to Pierre even last year, it was kind of funny meeting so many people who had come to our games when I was playing here against Pierre, and they were obviously rooting against us at Aberdeen Central because they wanted Pierre to win.

And so now all of a sudden to roles reverse now, they're rooting for myself, for the team and whatnot.

And it's kind of funny how things come full circle.

And now, I mean, people who you are maybe competitors against, and now I'm really, really good friends with.

And that's life.

(all clapping) Counts on three.

- [All] One, two, three, go.

- [Narrator] It's been 50 years since Title IX, and South Dakota is continuing to bolster its girls athletics in the state, a sanctioned division of girls high school wrestling was recently added, which is continuing to grow.

- [Jo] Wrestling came about, just as an opportunity for girls to be a part of that.

They've developed some new weight classes for more female athletes and stuff.

And seeing it at the state event, that was kind of exciting.

It started kind of small and it is really growing as we move forward.

- [Narrator] High school softball has also been sanctioned, which will start in the spring of 2023.

- [Ruth] As long as the opportunities are there, and there's passionate people to make sure that the opportunities continue to be there.

I think the future should be bright.

- I'm super proud of where Title IX has gone from start to finish.

We're not done yet.

We've got a long way to go.

There's no question about it.

And we certainly wanna continue to make those opportunities happen.

- [Narrator] The journey is always evolving.

For as long as there have been sports, South Dakotans have supported them.

For now, it seems like high school athletics for both boys and girls in South Dakota are in good hands.

- [Commentator] Three time champion.

- [Narrator] High school sports are more than just an activity.

For many towns in the Mount Rushmore state, they're a symbol that represents community pride, hard work, and the ability to overcome challenges.

- [Commentator] Inside of is Henry Cross of Arlington.

(bright upbeat music) But in section two, Reiler finds it for three.

(bright upbeat music) - [Commentator] For the title, goal.

(whistle blows) The victory lap for win in the Lady Tigers.

A wild run.

Garry Brodhead.

His first year as the head coach.

(fans cheering) - [Commentator] Goes back to the high bar, straight into a very nice hand stand into a toe front decent with a stop landing.

That was beautiful.

(bright upbeat music) (all cheering) (bright upbeat music)