National champion Elissa Lane, a sophomore in agricultural business, slides her horse to victory during a reining competition.

Equestrian team leads way for gender equity

by Mary Lisa Russell

Major universities across the nation report that coaches just cannot recruit enough women for sports programs to meet federal Title IX requirements for gender equity in collegiate athletics.

In order to comply, universities in nearly every athletic conference in the country have had to cut men's teams from athletic programs.

But at Fresno State, one women's team has made a big difference. All it took was good horse sense and head coach Megan McGee's willingness to be saddled with one of the largest women's teams of any kind in the nation.

McGee coaches the university's equestrian team, one of only a few NCAA Division 1 equestrian teams in the United States.

There are 75 enrolled women on the team; McGee said she had more than 200 women who applied for the team last fall. With numbers like that, any athletic director in the nation would become giddy with excitement.

"I average about three to five calls per week from students who want into the program," said McGee. "I even have kids call me from other universities wanting to transfer to Fresno State just so they can be on our team."

Head tennis coach Irene Harris, with the support of Athletics Director Al Bohl, was instrumental in persuading the NCAA to recommend equestrian as an emerging sport. Harris is the sport team supervisor for equestrian, as well as an equestrian enthusiast herself. Now the NCAA has, in turn, asked Fresno State to help it determine policy and procedure for equestrian as a sport at the collegiate level.

"This is like getting in on the ground floor development of softball or volleyball back when it all started as a college sport," said McGee. "Equestrian is a very popular recreational activity and now it will finally be considered a collegiate sport."

Equestrian has been an Olympic sport for years and, according to McGee, deserves the recognition at the college level. "Ironically, equestrian is the only Olympic sport where men and women compete against each other."

McGee added that, in equestrian competitions, women and men participate in the same events on an equal basis. "You can ride a show jumper, race as a jockey or work a reined cow horse, and compete without division of gender," she said.

"If the conditions are right for other universities, introducing equestrian into their sports program could draw women from across the nation," McGee said. Many of the universities Fresno State competes against have an equestrian team already established, but at the club level.

McGee added that not all universities have the unique tie that Fresno State has between its athletic and academic units. She said that support from the School of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, along with support from the Athletics Department, has produced a superior team.

"Our team could not function without total support from both sides of the house," said McGee.

Bohl said it made a lot of sense to him when equestrian was suggested as a women's team sport. "The program had been in place for several decades at the club level, and with our agricultural ties and location, the sport is a perfect match for Fresno State."

Bohl added that equestrian as a collegiate sport opens new opportunities for women athletes. "This team has really helped the university with its commitment to Title IX compliance," he said.

McGee said she has been contacted by other universities that want to include equestrian as a women's sport, and some have flown to Fresno to tour the university's equestrian facilities.

Practical Horseman, a popular equestrian magazine, will feature McGee and her team in the lead article in its December issue. "We've had a lot of calls to do interviews in the last month," said McGee.

McGee isn't surprised over all the interest; her team has won numerous awards since its inception in 1996.

Team member Elissa Lane became only the second individual women's athlete at Fresno State to capture a national title when she won the American Quarter Horse Association Trophy at the 1998 Intercollegiate Horse Association National Finals last May.

"Beginning our third season, the team has won all eight of its competitions with more than 60 individuals competing," said McGee. "With this strong a team, Fresno State has a good chance to win at the ISHA National Finals in April."