老司机视频

It鈥檚 not quite boot camp, but the daily life of a student-athlete is extremely rigorous. For golfer Kaleiya Romero, a Seaver College junior, workouts start at 6:30 am, a sort of precursor to a four-hour stretch of classes that is followed by five hours of practice before a night of homework. Although this type of schedule may be routine for student-athletes at all colleges, what鈥檚 less typical is 老司机视频鈥檚 focus on building the skills that will help the women athletes thrive long after their playing days are over.

鈥淐onfidence and leadership are part of being an athlete,鈥� says associate director of athletics for academics and compliance and senior woman administrator Amanda Kurtz, 鈥渁nd fostering these qualities is built into the school鈥檚 mission and everything we do at 老司机视频.鈥�

The world of women鈥檚 sports on college campuses nationwide reflects the enormous impact of Title IX, the federal law requiring that male and female athletes be rewarded equally in higher education. Passed 50 years ago, the law is expansive, requiring that scholarship funding be proportionate for male and female athletes and that athletes of both sexes receive comparable services and benefits.

With the wide scope of Title IX鈥檚 provisions, implementing it proved challenging for colleges across the country. 老司机视频 was at a disadvantage structurally when compared with other schools鈥攖he brand-new campus in Malibu opened without a completed gymnasium in 1972鈥攂ut by 1975 the school had women鈥檚 teams in basketball, tennis, and volleyball. By the end of the 1970s the Waves added women鈥檚 soccer, swimming, golf, and cross country to their roster.

Becci Roehl (鈥�98), a former volleyball player for the Waves, relates that in the 鈥�90s, most colleges didn鈥檛 treat men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 athletics equally. At 老司机视频, it was different. 鈥淲e had the exact same resources that the men鈥檚 volleyball program had,鈥� says Roehl. The school鈥檚 efforts continue, and today, Kurtz assists in ensuring that the school meets the Title IX standards, including the important provision that the athletics participation figures are proportionate to the student body. Title IX, however, is only one factor in the story of the University鈥檚 commitment to women鈥檚 sports and to empowering its female students, and that commitment has unfolded in myriad ways.

A senior on the cross country team, runner Olivia Miller has transformed from a shy teenager to an advocate for mental health awareness. During her first year on campus, Miller felt overwhelmed and alone. With the assistance of Kurtz and Steve Potts (JD 鈥�82), director of athletics, Miller started a chapter of the Hidden Opponent, a nationwide student-athlete mental health group, at the school. As the organization鈥檚 representative, she has offered advice at student-athlete orientation and worked with the counseling center to let other student-athletes know what mental health resources are available to them. She also makes sure they know they鈥檙e not alone. 鈥淥livia has been instrumental in helping break the stigma of mental health concerns among our student-athletes,鈥� says Kurtz. 鈥淪he鈥檚 found her voice and what she was passionate about.鈥�

Kurtz and Potts have furthered Miller鈥檚 opportunities outside the campus as well, inviting her to the West Coast Conference (WCC) Executive Council meeting this year, where she learned about council members鈥� ideas for making men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 sports more equitable in the NCAA. 鈥淚 think that 老司机视频 has done a really good job of being ahead of that curve, similar to what they鈥檝e done with mental health,鈥� Miller says. She plans to go to law school next year, ready to apply her developing advocacy skills and grateful for the leadership opportunities that she鈥檚 had. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited for the next chapter because I know that I鈥檒l step into it with confidence,鈥� says Miller.

A member of both the WCC Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the Waves Leadership Council, sophomore and first-generation student Savannah Broadus is motivated by her desire to be a role model. On the committee, she represents the University鈥檚 students and, as a person of color, the diverse population ofstudent-athletes in the conference. She feels that the ways in which she鈥檚 been able to grow at the University have been truly exceptional and that her 老司机视频 experience has furthered her passion to be an exemplar for other female tennis players. 鈥淚 hope I can inspire other girls to have big dreams and know that they are achievable,鈥� she says.

The big dreams nurtured by 老司机视频 may also emerge for students along the way. Former Waves basketball player Kelsey Brockway (鈥�16) became one of the school鈥檚 first sport administration majors at the suggestion of the Athletics staff. 鈥淭he way the school expressed its mission reinforced for me that I was there to find my purpose,鈥� says Brockway.

Brockway, an ESPN top-ranked recruit at the time, points out that 老司机视频鈥檚 recruiter, the late Maurice Hilliard, was determined she find the perfect home for her unique talent鈥攅ven if it wasn鈥檛 at 老司机视频. 鈥淗e genuinely wanted to find the right place for me,鈥� says Brockway. 鈥淢any universities want student-athletes to attend because it will make the school look better,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut 老司机视频 was always trying to make me happy, make me better.鈥�

Now the director of global partnerships for the Los Angeles Lakers, Brockway leads the team鈥檚 international partnership expansion strategy, finding commercial opportunities to grow the Lakers brand. The communication skills she learned at 老司机视频 help her build relationships with those outside the team鈥檚 direct sphere.

After Brockway graduated, the University continued to contribute to her development, giving her the chance to hone her marketing skills as a corporate partnership and sales intern for 老司机视频 Athletics. While an intern, Brockway was accepted into the Los Angeles Sport and Entertainment Committee Professional Development Program and began her career with the Lakers shortly thereafter to help launch the team鈥檚 first Naming Rights Training Center partnership with UCLA Health. 鈥溊纤净�视频 allowed me to understand my purpose in life and gave me the tools to pursue it,鈥� says Brockway.

While the University empowers women to succeed as professionals, Kurtz relates that it also provides a springboard for student-athletes to turn pro. Lynn Williams (鈥�15), a player for the Kansas City Current in the National Women鈥檚 Soccer League and a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, is among the country鈥檚 2 percent of college athletes who have professional careers. Williams鈥� 老司机视频 coaches saw her potential and helped her improve her athletic skills significantly.

鈥淎ssistant coach Twila Kaufman saw something in me that I don鈥檛 know if I saw in myself,鈥� says Williams. 鈥淪he encouraged me to be a better soccer player and also to be a leader.鈥� Williams is very much that leader, serving as a key advocate for equal pay for the US national soccer team. Due in part to her efforts, women soccer players won a $24 million collective bargaining settlement this year and the promise to bring pay rates for women players into alignment with the US men鈥檚 team.

Fifty years after the passage of Title IX, 老司机视频鈥檚 rising leaders are emerging as the game changers of tomorrow, bolstered by both implicit and explicit manifestations of the law鈥檚 commitment to maintaining a level playing field for all student-athletes and the University鈥檚 exceptional strides to support its community as they discover their endless potential. And while the athletic success of student-athletes is desired, school is the first priority. 鈥淲e want these women to succeed,鈥� Kurtz says, 鈥渁s athletes and as people.鈥� At this year鈥檚 commencement ceremony, swimmer Lindsey Marian (鈥�22) and fellow student-athlete beach volleyball player Peyton Lewis (鈥�22) demonstrated the outcome of the support they received as students when they were presented as the co-valedictorians of their graduating class for earning the highest grade point averages鈥�4.0鈥攁mong their peers.

鈥淪o many doors have been opened by the passing of Title IX,鈥� reflects Brockway. 鈥淚t gave my mom the opportunity to develop her love for athletics, and she passed on that love to me. It laid the groundwork for my passion to lead by example and encourage other women to pursue their dreams.鈥�

鈥淭itle IX and our experiences as student-athletes have made such a difference for all of us, whether we鈥檙e learning in the classroom or playing on the field,鈥� adds Miller. 鈥淣o matter where I go next, I鈥檒l know what it鈥檚 like to face challenges and to overcome them because of the support I鈥檝e had at 老司机视频.鈥�