Transcripts

BOB REHA: Kelly Roysland and some of her teammates are on the court at Williams Arena. They're taking some extra shooting practice. Roysland is a sophomore guard for the Gophers. She doesn't start but is usually the first player off the bench. Roysland is a good all-around player. She's a tough defender and a consistent shooter. This year, Roysland made 33 consecutive free throws, a school record.

Success at sports is nothing new for Roysland. Her high school basketball teams won three state championships. Her volleyball teams won two state titles. But Roysland is quick to acknowledge, if it wasn't for the work of others, she'd never would have had the chance to play.

KELLY ROYSLAND: If we didn't have those people that fought for women to be able to play sports, too, I mean, who knows if we'd be here today? And I mean, how sports would be today. I mean, obviously, I think there would definitely be something. But as far as to the magnitude, here, we're at a Division I school now. We're packing this place. We're packing it with 12 to 13,000 people.

BOB REHA: Women's sports have made great progress in the past 30 years. Legislation known as Title IX is one reason why. The law, passed by Congress in 1972, prohibits sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal money. But for years before Title IX, some high schools and even colleges offered few or no programs for women athletes. It's a time Kelly's grandmother, Bernice Carlin, remembers. Carlin started her career playing basketball at Oak Grove High School in Fargo. Opportunities for games with other high schools were limited. Many schools had no teams.

BERNICE CARLIN: But we played like the alumni, and we played the freshmen from the college teams. And then when I was at Concordia, I was on a team there, and we played the other colleges. That was the limit of what we could do.

BOB REHA: For Carlin, there was no March Madness, no state tournaments, no large crowds. After college, Carlin moved to Fosston, Minnesota to teach and coach. She started programs in basketball, volleyball, and track. It was a tough job. The coaching and teaching was the easy part. But in 1955, changing attitudes was a different story. The popular belief in those days was that girls weren't strong enough to play sports. Participating in sports wasn't considered proper. Carlin smiles at the memory. Once she started the teams, there were other issues to resolve.

BERNICE CARLIN: I had a lot of hard fights with some of the men coaches that didn't want to give up their space. That's the whole thing. They just didn't want to share the facility because they never had to.

BOB REHA: But Carlin refused to give up. She persevered and wore down resistance. She coached until 1981 and watched as Title IX helped her family. Her daughter, Kim, played volleyball in high school and at Bemidji State. Kim Roysland succeeded her mother as coach at Fosston High School. Roysland coached Fosston's girls volleyball team to its third state championship this year. She's retiring from coaching after 25 years. Roysland has seen women's athletics earn acceptance. She thinks her mom is a big reason why. Kim Roysland says there's another reason-- men with daughters.

BERNICE CARLIN: That's what's changed it the most because their daughters want to participate. And right now, I see so many fathers that are so willing to give of their time and so excited for their daughters.

BOB REHA: Kim Roysland and her mother, Bernice, will be in Williams Arena Saturday night when Kelly and her teammates play St. Francis. For Bernice Carlin, it will be a special moment.

BERNICE CARLIN: It's one of the most fulfilling dreams a person can have-- to see that she's had this opportunity and that all the other girls have had the same opportunity, too.

BOB REHA: Saturday's game will be a thrilling time for the whole family. Kim Roysland says she's not sure what will be the best part-- seeing her daughter play, or watching as her mother's dream is fulfilled. Bob Reha, Minnesota Public Radio, Moorhead.