Starting IX-Up: A Columbus Women's Sports Podcast
On June 23, 1972, Title IX was signed into law and changed the game for girls and women in sports. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission and iHeart created this podcast to tell women’s sports stories with local ties. Launching June 20, the nine-episode season will examine and amplify people, moments and organizations that stand out in Columbus' long history with women's sports.
Tune in to hear about a women’s tackle football team from the 1970s, the birth of girls wrestling as a sanctioned high school sport today and relive the greatness of the Columbus Quest pro basketball team.
Some of these stories you may be familiar with, others you might be hearing for the first time. Either way, we welcome you on this journey. Listen wherever you get podcasts or click the links below:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Spreaker
Listen to "Capital City Dynasty" on Spreaker.
- Ep 1 // June 22 – Women in Sports Media
- Lori Schmidt, Whitney Harding & Marla Ridenour share their journeys in the male dominated field of sports media.
- Guests: Lori Schmidt, Whitney Harding & Marla Ridenour
- Ep 2 // June 29 – Wrestling for Equality
- Girls wrestling will be an OHSAA sanctioned sport in 2022. How did that happen and what to expect from the new sport.
- Guests: Doug Ute, Vanessa Oswalt, Brian Nicola, Emily McManus Talia Mitchell
- Ep 3 // July 6 – Columbus Quest for Glory
- There’s no debate – the Columbus Quest were the best ABL team ever. The coach and players relive the start and end of the team and league.
- Guests: Katie Smith, Brian Agler, Valerie Still, Andrea Lloyd-Curry
- Ep 4 // July 13 – From Student-Athlete to University President
- From starting Stanford's lacrosse team to trying out for the U.S. Field Hockey team, sports have been part of President Johnson's life.
- Guests: Kristina Johnson
- Ep 5 // July 20 – Women’s Tackle Football in Ohio
- The Columbus Pacesetters were decades ahead of their time in tackle football. Women played for and owned the team.
- Guests: Callie Brownson, Linda Stamps, Mary Morrison
- Ep 6 // July 27 – Coaching Champions at Ohio State
- Two coaches of different sports and backgrounds share one thing in common – helping women win.
- Guests: Nadine Muzzerall, Karen Dennis
- Ep 7 // August 3 – The Birth of Volleyball Hotbed
- Volleyball is big in Columbus. Talent is developed here, the game is built here and champions are crowned here.
- Guests: Jen Flynn Oldenburg, Audrey Flaugh
- Ep 8 // August 10 – On the Leadership Track
- Stephanie Hightower’s journey from one of the fastest women alive to becoming a leader in track & field and later Columbus.
- Guest: Stephanie Hightower
- Ep 9 // August 17 – Capital City Dynasty
- Capital women’s basketball team was a DIII powerhouse for decades. The coach behind it all talks about how it was built.
- Guests: Dixie Jeffers, Mackenzie Thompson