Rural Women
in Nodaway County
“The girls play as a perfect machine passing the ball and pivoting with exceptional skill.”
- The 1922 yearbook on the women’s basketball season.
Women Athletes
College athletics was popular among women in the past, though not as popular as today since the passage of Title IX in the 1970s expanded women's access to sports. Even before this expansion, the 5th Normal School in Maryville encouraged all students to take part in sports and fitness classes. Sport teams also became popular during the early years of the school.
This is a photo of the 1917 women's inter-mural basketball teams from the Tower Yearbook.
Tennis
Tennis tournaments were popular among female students during the early 1900s and were often held in the summer and spring months.
The photo on the left is of Ruth Miller and Lethel Gartin. They were the winners of the doubles tournament in spring of 1922.
Basketball
The Normal women’s basketball team, known as the College Kittycats, started in 1921. They competed against outside teams and remained undefeated for four years. In 1923 they played five games and scored a total of 246 points.
The girls also had strict rules for training that they all had to meet during the season. Below is a list of training rules for the 1922 Kittycats basketball team.
“1. Regular exercise in the open air each day.
2. Nine hours sleep out of every twenty four.
3. No eating of pastry.
4. No eating between meals.
5. Moderate eating of meat.”
This is the photo of the 1922 College Kittycats from the Tower Yearbook.
Volleyball and Field Hockey
Women's volleyball and field hockey intramural teams became a favorite activity in 1917. Each literary society had it's own team and competed against other literary societies. Faculty members often competed with the women as well.
This is a photo of the 1917 women's inter-mural hockey team from the Tower Yearbook.
This is a photo of the 1917 women's inter-mural volleyball team from the Tower Yearbook.
This is a photo of women's tennis players from the 1917 Tower Yearbook.
