Ann Meyers Drysdale was the featured speaker Monday at the National Girls and Women in Sports luncheon, at Earl Warren Hall, sponsored by the Santa Barbara Round Athletic Round Table.

As an Olympian in 1976, Drysdale was on the silver medal, U.S. basketball squad that fell to Russia. Women’s basketball made its Olympic debut that year at the Montreal Games.

She played for UCLA and was a member of the 1978 championship team when they defeated Maryland, 90-74, in the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). And, she was the first woman drafted, also in 1978, by the newly organized women’s professional basketball league, the WBL. Drysdale was the first and only woman asked to try out by the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. In 1999 she was among the first group of women inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 2003 she was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Prior to Drysale’s address, Artemio Coss, Carpenteria soccer player, and Dos Pueblos’ water poloist Hilary Schroeder were introduced as the male and female athlete of the week.

Coss, who scored seven goals in three games, had hat tricks against Fillmore and St. Bonaventure.
Schroeder tallied a total of 11 goals in the Irvine Tournament when the Chargers took 15th in the 32-team field. This was DP’s best ever finish.

Joan Russell-Price opened the ceremonies, and Roundtable President Marc Gamberdella acknowledged the many organization members and volunteers present.

Paula Rudolph, UCSB’s Title IX coordinator, and former assemblymember Hanna Beth Jackson then spoke.

"This is so exciting to see you all here," said Rudolph. "It’s exciting to see all of you taking advantage of Title IX," stressing the importance of the legislation. "It implies that Title IX is more about opportunities in lots of fields of endeavor, not just sports."

Jackson recalled growing up in New England, sailing, "I didn’t get a chance to play baseball ... girl’s were not allowed," she said.

"I sent a letter to the Little League" (after circulating a petition around her neighborhood) "and of course they never responded. That’s why I went into politics." Pumping her fist, Jackson declared, "Girl’s rock!"

Lisa Braithwaite, executive director of Body Electric, introduced San Marcos senior Katie Levien as this year’s Body Electric scholarship winner.

Levien will be attending UC San Diego next year, studying political science and playing softball.

UCSB athletic director Gary Cunningham introduced Drysdale, who was in high school when he first met her. Cunningham was recruiting her brother David, who played basketball at UCLA for John Wooden.

"She’s a great ambassador for women’s sports and athletics," Cunningham said. "Truly, she was the most outstanding athlete during her time."

Drysdale then spoke about what athletics has meant to her and of the opportunities it has brought her.

"The thing that is so great about sports is that it gives you hope," she said. "You have dreams, choices, opportunities ... success and lots of failures."

Quoting Winston Churchill, she said, "Success is not final. Failure is not fatal." And she cited the 2005 Super Bowl teams as examples: "The New England Patriots, last night, won the Super Bowl," Drysdale said. "Yeah, but they’ve got to do it all over again. Philadelphia ... they lost, but it’s not fatal. They’re going to get back up. Who has the courage to continue? If you love what you do, you’re going to work at it."

Photo by D.C. DeMilio