HBO premieres film on women in sports

Ten-time Olympic medal winner Nadia Comaneci -- the celebrated Romanian gymnast who was the first in the modern era to score a perfect 10 -- came to campus last night for the preview of a film celebrating women in sports. She was joined by her Olympic gold medalist husband, Bart Conner, also a gymnast, and U.S. Circuit Court Judge Marjorie Rendell to introduce the premiere of Dare To Compete: The Struggle of Women In Sports, an HBO Sports documentary which premiered last night at the Zellerbach Theatre. The documentary, which will formally debut March 8 at 10 p.m. as part of Women's History Month, traces the history of women's role in sports from the Victorian era until present day and includes profiles of athletes such as Olympic champion Babe Didricksen Zaharias, tennis great Billie Jean King and basketball star Sheryl Swoopes of the WNBA's Houston Comets. A major message of the documentary was that women have overcome many obstacles to reach a more equal footing in the realm of athletics. "It used to be if you were a woman and you played sports, you were strange. Now it's encouraged," said Rendell, who said she is an avid sports fan and participant. Rendell commended Comaneci for drawing attention to female athletics. "Nadia really put it on the map in terms of women's sports and gymnastics," she said. In her speech, Comaneci said that being able to make a difference is more important than any gold medal. Both Comaneci and Rendell emphasized the positive effects sports can have on women, including psychological and monetary benefits. "Many women have learned through sports how to make commitments, how to achieve goals and how to work hard," Comaneci said. Carole Oglesby, a professor and former chairperson of the Physical Education Department at Temple University, also spoke prior to the screening. Oglesby, who was interviewed in the film, credited the progress of women's sports to many female athletes like King, who 25 years ago donated $5,000 to form the Women's Sports Foundation. The foundation is a national non-profit educational organization that aims to increase opportunities for girls and women in sports and fitness through advocacy, recognition and grants that total about $1 million annually, according to Oglesby. King also presented Time Warner Sports -- the parent company of HBO -- with the idea for the film. "That kind of change requires people with a vision," Oglesby said. Time Warner Sports President and Chief Executive Officer Seth Abraham addressed the mostly filled lower level of Zellerbach after Comaneci and Rendell spoke, highlighting the focus of the film. "It's the story of heroines and barrier-breaking courage," Abraham said. "Their sneaker prints left a track for women and girls to follow." Although all of the speakers agreed that significant progress has been made for women's sports, they also made it clear that there is still work to be done. Penn gymnastics coach Tom Kovic, who competed against Conner in the 1970s, said that with the enforcement of Title IX -- which requires equality for men's and women's sports in all educational institutions -- much progress has been made. "It's something that is happening on a gradual basis but I think that everything is moving in the right direction," Kovic said. College sophomore Amy Goh, a member of the University's women's lacrosse team, found the film inspiring. "I was actually almost moved to tears at many parts," she said.