Nancy Lieberman

They Call Her "Fire" 

 

In the decade of the 1970's, women's athletics penetrated the consciousness of the American sports public as never before. The enhanced opportunities newly available to women in various professions and walks of life were powerfully reflected in the arena of sports. Chris Evert and Billie Jean King, the tennis stars, were as well known as their male contemporaries, establishing an interest in women's tennis that enabled Tracy Austin to become a millionairess while still a high-school teenager. Olga Korbut's mesmerizing appearance at the 1972 Olympics almost single-handedly made women's gymnastics a popular national sport in America. Nancy Lopez became as popular as any man in the world of professional golf. Greater national recognition, as well as increased financial rewards, proved formidable lures to young girls growing up with dreams of balls, rackets and gyms instead of doll's houses.

A vivid illustration of the new opportunities afforded the female youth of America is the case of Sharon Shapiro, a Jewish coed at the University of California, Los Angeles, who not only won the all-around gymnastics championship of the AWIA (Association of Women's Intercollegiate Athletics) national competition, but also achieved the astonishing feat of capturing individual championships