Discusses the history of women in the sport and provides information on training, competitions, and opportunities for female athletes.

Introduces track and field for girls, training, and competition.

In 1985 the Vassar College Athletic Association ignored the constraints placed on women athletes of that era and held its first-ever womens field day, featuring competition in five track and field events. Soon colleges across the country were offering women the opportunity to compete, and in 1922 the United States selected 22 women to compete in the Womens World Games in Paris. Upon their return, female physical educators severely criticized their efforts, decrying "the evils of competition." Wilma Rudolphs triumphant Olympics in 1960 sparked renewed support for womens track and field in the United States. From 1922 to 1960, thousands of women competed, and won many gold medals, with little encouragement or recognition. This reference work provides a history, based on many interviews and meticulous research in primary source documents, of womens track and field, from its beginnings on the lawns of Vassar College in 1895, through 1980, when Title IX began to create a truly level playing field for men and women. The results of Amateur Athletic Union Womens Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships since 1923 are given, as well as full coverage of female Olympians.

With a history that dates back to the time of the ancient Greeks, track and field demands a wide range of abilities and workouts from those who compete.

Drawing nearly half a million high school girls to competition, track and field ranks second only to basketball in popularity with young female athletes. This book provides a history of how track and field developed over time.