Historians now question whether Wellington actually uttered that famous quote, but no one questions its significance. The lessons learned through sports last a lifetime: teamwork, discipline, strategies and tactics.

Even the language of the boardroom reflects a sporting background. When "the ball is in his court," a guy has to "step up to the plate," and "knock it out of the park." He better not "pull any punches," or he might "drop the ball."

For years, this language formed part of the barrier women faced in making their way into the upper echelons of business. Women participating in athletics is nothing new, but the numbers have changed to a staggering degree.

In 1970, about one girl in 27 played team sports in high school. Today, it's one in three. What caused such a dramatic change in such a short time? A piece of legislation called Title IX, passed in 1972.

The law said that any institution receiving federal funds had to provide equal opportunities in sports (and other programs) for males and females.

Girls still obviously do not have complete parity with boys in athletics. Football throws off all the equations, because it involves so many boys and such a huge bite of the athletic budget. But girls have come a long way, and they continue to pursue equal opportunities.

Back in late winter of 1998, two seventh-grade Berryville girls wrote a letter to the principal saying they thought the school should have a girls' volleyball team. The girls were called into a meeting with the high school principal, the junior high principal, and the superintendent. The administrators patiently explained why the school couldn't fulfill their request. Oh, the cost of a coach, uniforms, travel--the school just couldn't afford it. And by the time they could get a program in place, the girls would be out of high school anyway.

The girls were somewhat intimidated by this confrontation with the three most powerful figures in the school, but not enough to keep them from taking the next step, appealing to the school board.

One of the girls addressed the board. She began to read a prepared speech, and she started reading so fast that a board member had to stop her and ask her to start over. With her composure somewhat restored, this 12-year-old stated her case. The board agreed with her, and promised to try to start a program in a year and a half.

Ben Lairamore was the athletic director at the time, and through his efforts, varsity and junior varsity teams were actually in competition just six months later.

The girl who shook as she addressed the school board played volleyball throughout high school, and she now coaches volleyball at Green Forest, Trista McGinley Killingsworth.

And that speaks volumes about the importance of Title IX. It's not just about a chance to play a sport at school. It's also about the opportunities that come out of athletics, like an opportunity to coach and teach.

Many of the girls who ran cross-country for state championship teams under Ken Krumweide at Berryville received scholarships to excellent colleges.

Even those whose athletic careers ended when they left high school enjoyed the benefits of playing. Lacey Powell, who is profiled on page 9, was still Lacey Allred when she played basketball in high school. Of the five senior class officers, all girls, four came from the basketball team, and one ran cross-country.

Kamara Hoppe, whose profile appears on page 16, thinks she may someday be a pediatrician. Medical school is tough, but she earned all-state honors in cross-country by getting up early to run a few miles at 6 a.m. She already knows something about self-discipline.

In a survey discussed at www.massmutual.com/mmfg/pdf/boardroom.pd..., four out of five women executives said they played a team sport in high school. Obviously, that was not the only factor which contributed to their success, but they almost all say they learned lessons from sports which helped them in their careers.

(Those women also remained more active, with two-thirds still playing or exercising three times a week.)

To this day, myths about the effects of Title IX are still passed around like gospel. A site maintained by the National Association for Girls and Women in Sports has a nice explanation of what Title IX does and doesn't do, in sports and in other areas also covered by the law. The site has a long web address, but a search for "nagws Title IX" will get you there.

The website www.fairplaynow.org has more detailed information about helping girls achieve the opportunities guaranteed by Title IX. The site has a checklist to assess the way a school treats athletics for girls.