In the summer of 1972, President Richard Nixon signed Title IX into existence, indicating a monumental shift in the women’s rights movement. This addition to the 14th Amendment mandated equal opportunity to all people and students regardless of sex, leading to the establishment of girls’ and women’s sports at St. Charles East for the very first time the following year.
To celebrate this momentous achievement for women and girls all across the country along with the progression and growth of girls’ athletics at the school, East hosted the Women’s Sports Legacy Night on Jan. 31, 2025.
The actual event was preceded on Jan. 29, 2025 by a Q&A panel with several women, all of whom were former Saints athletes. A few Saints from the varsity girls’ basketball team questioned the former athletes, asking them what their experience was like during their time in the East athletic program. Furthermore, the women on the forum were all from different decades in Saints athletic history, providing a multi-dimensional picture of Lady Saint athletics over the years.
One of these women was Rita Payleitner, a trailblazer from Class of 76’, and one of several girls who participated in girls’ athletics at St. Charles High School the very first year it was made available. According to The Chicago Tribune, Rita and her daughter had come up with the idea of Legacy Night over lunch, deciding that the 50th anniversary of Title IX should not go uncelebrated.
According to some of the speakers at this event, girls’ sports teams were formed out of the students who raised their hands when their gym teacher asked if they were interested in athletics. They provided descriptions of how ragtag the first girls’ teams were with scoreless games, a lack of uniforms and none of the same grandeur the boys’ teams were given. However, despite how dispiriting these things may seem now, not a single one of the trailblazers said they weren’t proud to have taken part in something so amazing. Several of the women talked about how much pride they felt when representing their school on the court, field, pool or track, and how participating in East athletics is something they will never forget.
After the very emotional and intimate slice of East history the Wednesday before, the Legacy Night basketball game was played between the East and North varsity teams. With a short procession before the game and the cross-town rivalry at stake, the air was filled with pride for women’s athletics and how far they have come. Additionally, the game also featured a gallery walk behind the bleachers filled with memorabilia and history from the East girls’ athletic program.
The game itself was one filled with excitement and passion like no other. Many of the other girls’ sports teams showed up to watch the game and cheer on the Lady Ballers. The game was nail-biting, and the student section was more electric than ever. While both teams went back and forth, fighting over the score, the Lady Saints took the lead with less than two minutes to play. Everyone in the stadium was standing on their tiptoes when the buzzer sounded, and the Saints won the game. With the entire student section storming the court, there was no better way to celebrate 50 years of girls’ athletics.
