Let Me Tell You This About That

Womens Sports Change Lives with special guest Aunt Katie

• Hess and Delbert • Season 1 • Episode 4

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In this enriching episode of 'Let Me Tell You This About That,' hosts Hess and Delbert welcome their first guest, Aunt Katie. Aunt Katie shares her inspiring journey through the history of women's and kids' sports in Louisville, Kentucky. The conversation delves into the early days of female participation in sports, especially within Catholic schools, the challenges faced, and the triumphs achieved. She also speaks about the evolution of opportunities for women in sports, the impact of Title IX, and personal stories that capture the essence of perseverance and community support. Join us to celebrate Aunt Katie's legacy and learn about the power of sports in shaping lives.

In addition to being a podcast host, Hess is also an LCSW--if you'd like to learn more about her work as a therapist, check it out at www.jessicabollinger.com

One of her mission's is for all of our lights to shine--when we see each other and allow ourself to be seen--and we can say to the person in front of us, There You Are! the world will be an amazing place!

Delbert is a realtor in Louisville, KY, and you can find her at Kentucky Select Properties

Her philanthropic work to continue her sister Carole and niece Meghan is Carole's Kitchen. Blessings in a Backpack helps feed the many hungry students in our schools.





Hess:

Hey, welcome to let me tell you this about that. I'm Hess.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

And I'm Delbert and today is our very first guest of our podcast. special person in my life and just a very special person in general, my aunt Katie, and she's an amazing person. It's lived through a lot of history and, uh, especially the stories that she tells me, uh, a lot of sports history in Louisville for women's sports and kids sports. And, um, so welcome aunt Katie. Thank you. So last week we talked a lot about the Equal Credit Act and, uh, Bella Asbug. uh, this week we're continuing with that because we're trying to lift ourselves up from the election. Um, I've already put up my Christmas tree just to cheer myself up. uh, we're talking a little bit more about Title IX and the Equal Education Act, which branched out into sports. It started about education, and it branched out into sports, and I thought, who better to speak on that than the two basketball players, the two best basketball players I know. Katie. Um, so Katie, um, tell us first about just the beginning of sports for you, like at St. George. Okay. St. George, uh, was I had one of the best gyms in the city and people would say, Oh, I remember going to St. George and playing and that, that, that was built on top of the classrooms in the new building when I was in the second grade and first grade around that time, and it was upstairs, it was beautiful gym and we hosted all the tournaments and, um, That was some of the best times of my life. Well, the boys played basketball, but the girls were not allowed to have a basketball team at St. George. We played volleyball in that nice gym, and we cheerleaded for the boys. And, um, the of course, got uniforms. Uh, the girls, uh, played basketball. played volleyball in their and, uh, their school uniforms, their school uniforms. I'm sorry. Uh, yes. And so, uh, that's where my sports began with, uh, organized sports played a lot of basketball. school yard down the street from me. Um, it was called Parkland Junior High School. And, um, we played in, uh, somebody, any, somebody's back alley with a where, where somebody mounted a basketball goal, which consisted of a. with the bottom cut out. Okay. And, uh, that's basically a lot of people had those, you know, back in the day. But anyway, that's the beginning of where I had sports. I always wanted to play basketball, but they never let us play that at St. George. they did have some great schools like St. Anthony. The girls got to play.

Hess:

So, so, so in Katie, uh, what year were you born?

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Uh, 42, 1942.

Hess:

Gotcha.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

years old now.

Hess:

82 years young.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Yes, she just hiked like four or five miles with her grandkids. So, you know, all these sports that I think back in the day, there was a priest that organized the CSAA so that kids up in Catholic schools had something to do after school and, and in the evenings to keep them occupied and fit and strong and of trouble and all those other things. So in Louisville, Kentucky, we are very lucky that we had a very early sports program. Um, and we had a sports program that started now. I think kids even in, you know, preschool play and they just, they get you started. So you kind of do get a little bit of a jump on the public schools. If you played in catholic schools in Kentucky, they've got a great sports program, but always wasn't so equal for girls. And um, then aunt Katie's best friend, one of her best friends. Her dad became the first Catholic Schools Athletic Association lay person to run the CS double A. And so after Aunt Katie played streetball just for the love of the game, and they also played mush ball. Mush ball was softball. But it was, uh, that was at St. George and we You know, I wore out more shoes and I had to get new shoes all the time because, you know, they tore up our shoes playing on the asphalt. But the mushball was because were not considered strong enough. You know, to play with something, uh, a hard ball. Uh, so the ball was hard at first and then you hit it a few times and it became like mush. And, um, that was fun. Um, we would try to walk over to St. Anne's. Which wasn't that far, a mile or so, from St. George, and we would play there. And this is all in the West End of Louisville. If you grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, your family's from the West End. That's where it all started. And, uh, Catholic schools and churches were, uh, So plentiful back then, like every other, you could walk to several churches from where you lived. Uh, in fact, at the time there, um, I learned this in high school, there were more churches per capita in Louisville than any other city in the United States.

Hess:

Wow.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

That's that. Now, um, I hope I'm not wrong about that, but a lot of times memories fail you. Our memories are different than exactly what they said, but I do remember that because I was so impressed I could walk to St. Benedict, St. George. I could walk to St. Anne's, you know, um, if we miss mass at St. George, St. George, we'd walk over St. Benedict's. Um, you're right about that. It used to, it, Louisville used to be called little Rome when my parents went to Rome in the sixties a bunch of builders, uh, they, the Italian people told them, Oh, we call Louisville little Rome, you know, you have more Catholic. per capita than any other city. so growing up in the day, how fun was that? Uh, I think it was great and uh, we had rules of actually, uh, you know that We thought they were Um hard, I guess I don't know if we really even thought they were that hard, but we just did it And we were very lucky that we were able to play sports team went to the Toy Bowl, uh, back in 1955 and we won and I got to cheerlead there. Uh, of course we wore our uniforms. We did get sweaters. Everybody that could buy a sweater bought one and we got to put a letter on the front of it. And, um, we played Holy Family. And, um, uh, so big, that was wonderful. Absolutely was some of the greatest times because it was pure fun and then we had rules and Very few people ever bucked the system. And like I say, the, my friend's dad, he and his whole family did work so hard. The wife, the kids, there were 10 of them and they all worked hard and, um, they were referees, they, they did everything and, So, the priest got him to do that, and that was the beginning of that, and it has flourished. Uh, they just celebrated their 75th anniversary for the Toy Bowl, and the Toy Bowl wasn't at the very beginning of this thing. It kind of evolved, you know. Like the Super Bowl, this is the championship for football. Yeah. In the CSAA. So, 5th and 6th grade boys and 7th and 8th grade boys, right? Yeah. Get to play. And, so, you know, again, it was all based around the boys. The girls got to cheer, but, Yeah, we got to play volleyball, but not all schools got that. I don't know that even, you know, some of these other schools did, but I, I went to a school that had a great gym, and, um, I had a lot of parents involved. So, uh, I was, I felt very lucky, and I think, um, I couldn't wait to get to high school, and I was glad that a lot of my friends went to Mercy, but they didn't have a basketball team, and my mom said, you're going to Ursuline because your two oldest sisters went there, and they did very well. So I went there and it was probably the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I still have a bunch of friends that we've done so many things together and we played ball together. So,

Hess:

So Katie, so Katie, how far, so you're saying that all of these, there's so many churches all close to you, Catholic churches. How far did you have to go to go to Ursuline high school? Where was that located?

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

oh, it's a, it's a, um, Shelby and Chestnut. Okay. In downtown Louisville. And, um, I used to have to read, well, actually I moved out of, the week after I graduated from eighth grade, we moved to the south end to Holy Names Parish, and I rode two buses to get there, uh, and most everybody rode the bus, uh, to get there, uh, you know, transfer, we had to transfer, that was, um, you know, you ride one bus, and then you get off, get on another, and everybody rode the bus back then, and, uh, very few people ever had any parents drop them off. remember some, uh, kids that were in homes, Good Shepherd Home, they would bring them in on the station wagon, you know, from the Good Shepherd Home. Those, those were kids that didn't live at their own homes. But, um, as far as, that was, gosh, it took, uh, probably 45 minutes, uh, an hour to get to school. Um, which, if you drove it in a car. 10, 15, 20 minutes, I guess,

Hess:

Wow.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

wow. And so Holy name where the younger kids in the fam, in my aunt Katie's family, my younger aunt and uncle went to parochial school, you know, K through eight. And that is the beautiful church. That is, if you look, over from Churchill Downs. It's the church right next to Churchill Downs. It's a beautiful, beautiful church that was designed. Now they had a good sports program there for my siblings and um, my sister didn't play any sports, but my brother tried. We will say he tried. Katie was the athlete of the family. That's why she's on the show. My mother would always say, you'll find what you, You'll find something you're good at. She didn't realize it was going to be pool. Uh, but, uh, anyway, it was, uh, uh, holy name. That's a historical, uh, popular priest there, uh, father Tim. And, uh, he was called the saint of the South end. And so that was a big parish and they had a lot of involvement, a lot of sports. I just wasn't involved there. I was, uh, during that time, I was Ursula and I played. Basketball and volleyball and softball once a year. We we go out there to Sacred Heart Ursuline campus and and play softball

Hess:

So, Katie, Katie, let me, let me just pause you for a sec. Cause I know this about you. Let me tell you this about that. Uh, podsters is, uh, aunt Katie was born in 42 and, and her daddy was in world war two and he didn't get to meet. You until he returned from the war and he returned.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Actually, he he left after I was born. Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah that uh, I was born in 42 and he left like When I was about six months old. Oh, okay. He was drafted. He didn't think he would be drafted So he didn't join anything because he had he was 27 and had four daughters But they drafted him and he had to go in the infantry So the other men in the family they all went ahead and joined the navy because they knew they were younger They knew they would be drafted. So anyway, no

Hess:

You've muted yourself.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

I'm sorry.

Hess:

Yeah, you're good.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

I didn't know who he was when he came back, but that's, you know, that I was a little, uh, you know, uh, she consciously met him when he came back. I didn't, I didn't realize that, you know, cause Mamaw had that beautiful picture taken of you Um, and sent it to him on the, like a plate, like the steel, like little tray metal thing. So it would get through the mail and I thought that was the first time he saw you when she sent that picture. Oh, no, with the little toy, but you know, that's how family stories. Well, yeah, I mean, you know, and then you get the pieces and if I were to sit with my siblings. Uh, we would all maybe have a same story different. And then my two younger siblings, I was right in the middle. So they would, they would know about what went wrong. Right. Well, my mom would always say, Katie met daddy when he came home from the war. And I guess she meant that in the fact that you were just a baby, I guess, maybe when he, but so, uh, actually, um, With your question about going to Ursuline, um, buses were so full back in those days, and you were not cool if you carried a book set or anything, you know, you had all in your arms, and had to take your books home every night, and, so that was a trip, but, uh, I look back and think that was something that kind of, you know, that we can talk about, you know?

Hess:

Yeah, so you're, you're going to Ursuline and, and you get to play basketball on a team for the first time. Is that right? You started your freshman year.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Oh gosh, I was so excited, uh, I played, like I said, I was a tomboy, I played basketball with the boys, I played football with them, um, you know, and climbed the trees, did all that kind of stuff, I love sports, and, uh, yes, and the, the rules, I played, like I said, streetball, and, uh, Uh, I go running down the, the, uh, court, dribbling the ball and everybody's looking at me like there's something wrong with her. And I said, they said, you can't do that. And I said, what are you talking about? And they said, you can only dribble three times. And I said, you're kidding me. so, and you can't cross the center line. And, uh,

Hess:

So,

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

what is wrong with these people?

Hess:

so go ahead and explain. Was it three? Was it two people down, two people on offense, two people on defense, and a rover back and forth or what was it?

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

No, not at that point. At that point, there were three. The rovers didn't come in until after I graduated from high school in 1960. Uh, we had three guards and on, um, one team on, on one end of the floor and the opposite teams, forwards, uh, who were the only ones who could shoot the ball,

Hess:

Mm hmm.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

on that same side of the team. So you had three guards. From one team, three forwards from the other team on one side of the court, and then you had the opposite on the other side of the court, and then after the half, then you switched, and you had to go down the other end with the same people that were guarding you. And I was a, I was a forward and forwards were the only ones that could shoot and you could only dribble three times and there was a lot of passing and um, uh, it, it was a very, oh, it was very exciting. I mean, cheering from the kids and the girls, all, all the girls would come and our gym was so small. It really wasn't a gym. It was a basement and the ceiling was extremely low at

Hess:

Wow.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

It was right under the chapel and uh, we go to shoot the ball and we had to learn to shoot like a bullet. Uh, the other team, I'm not joking, the other teams would hit the ceiling and then

Hess:

Yeah.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

out on our side so we get to throw the ball in, you know, and because they would arch the ball, you know, and uh, they had arch on the side. Yeah, but now when we played at Sacred Heart Assumption, you know, um, Uh, Holy Rosary and, uh, Prez, you know, that was a regular gym and, uh,

Hess:

Did you try?

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

conform to their rules, you know,

Hess:

Did you, did you still shoot the ball like a bullet when you were playing in somebody else's gym?

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

probably.

Hess:

Yeah.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Once you get, and I'll tell you a story about that, about Sophie, my daughter, who played at St. James. They had the same kind of low ceiling gym and this is back in the, 90s early 2000s and everybody at st. James, you know, because their practice gym had such a low ceiling had that bullet shot Yeah, in no arch. Yeah.

Hess:

Mm

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Well it was you know, no matter what it was we had the camaraderie we had fun of being in organized sports and We had we just that's where some of the greatest days of my life

Hess:

hmm.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

we did not have strict coaching because no one really wanted to coach Ursuline. Um, I don't think they got paid for it. We had a senior coaches when we were freshman. She is still one heck of an athlete and she is a wonderful golfer and she holds, she held the record for the most points in a basketball

Hess:

Whoa.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

We had like eight men and quarters and if I mentioned her name, you would know her family were all big sports people and um, she said, you know, that she would coach us and um, she coached us and uh, of course, she didn't get paid for it and uh, we, we didn't run laps. We didn't have to do anything. We just played and we had a great time and we were actually pretty good because we won the city, the city. Academy championship when we were freshmen. And again, we were juniors. And, um, then, uh, when I was a varsity player, we had different coaches. We even had a nun who had no clue what a basketball was, uh, coaches one year. It's just to have an adult supervision basically was what went on at Ursuline. But I know that the other teams did. Loretta, um, you know, uh, presentation, Sacred Heart, uh, everybody had regular coaches. And, um, so, uh, we were just street ball players, but they could only bounce it three times. And I crossed the center line. Tell them everybody about your uniforms at Ursuline hat was just your uniform shirt from school with a, had a pair of shorts. We did buy some, some blue shorts and we wore our uniform blouses and, uh, we would pin our numbers on the back of us and, uh, actually I bought a pair of, uh, Converse tennis shoes were 3 and warm all four years. I slid like crazy across the floor.

Hess:

You always, you always

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

But girls progressed, uh, they did realize that girls could run up and down the years after that I graduated. So they would have a roving guard and a roving forward from each team that could bounce more than three times. And, um, they, then I believe, uh, according to my friend, I talked to her last night and she knew more about it than I did because after I got out of high school, went to work, and then I got married and, um, she refereed, her dad was head of the CSAA, Catholic School Association, and, um, she said that then became two roving guards and two roving covers until they were full blown You know, full floor. Everybody played on the full floor. Now, whether or not when they changed that there were five players instead of six, I don't know, know, because I was busy with kids and I didn't. know, my own children and the working and I didn't get involved in the sports, but, uh, yeah, uh, I just cannot believe that they didn't think that we were strong enough when I look and see these, like Caitlin Clark, I can, I cannot get enough of her smoothness and her, You know, I just think it's, it's, it's awesome to watch. It's like poetry in motion that this young girl has so much control. And, um,

Hess:

Her passes. How, how, how good her passes are and how

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

my gosh, you better be ready when you play with her. Um, because you don't ever know where they're coming from. And, uh, uh, but anyway, I do believe that, uh, we've come so far, but we have to come further. You know, we still, I still feel like women have the on them, know, Oh, we're going to give you this. And then we're, you know, we're really being nice. We're going to do this for you all. And, uh, I really do, uh, you know, I wish I would have heard your first podcast because I could tell you some stories about money financing and being able to buy homes if you're a woman, you know, and like that. But, uh, anyway, that's what I know about basketball.

Hess:

How did it, how did it teach you about leadership and your own personal strength? Katie, what did you? What did you gain from sports?

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Because, uh, people, people, when do something good out on the floor, I got that from the people cheering for me. I got that, I did not get that from the adults that were in charge. I got it from

Hess:

Mm.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

validated by my friends, by people who would come to see me play,

Hess:

Mm.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

see my team play.

Hess:

Mm hmm.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

really do believe and, and through my friends, um, I do not think adults gave us, um, I got worth from my mom dad, uh, mainly my mom, but, uh, actually, um, no women were not supposed to do so many things and you had to follow those rules or you were not a nice woman or you were not a, uh, true woman, you could not be assertive.

Hess:

Mm.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

But my friends, and when I got that feeling that people what I did was good, you know, and still to this day, that's where I get that. I get, I get a feeling of, um, of worth and, like I say, from my peers.

Hess:

Right. That's it. That's, that's interesting that you really felt that with all the kids cheering you on and each other cheering you on. That, that's where you really heard it. That's where you felt like it was really coming from. And not so much the adults.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

No, no, no, that was their job. You're right. That was their job. See, and that's what they were trained to do. Keep their thumb on us.

Hess:

Mm. Was it, was it,

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

uh, Sacred Heart did, but St. George, I mean at, uh, Ursuline, could not talk in the halls. We could not talk at lunch. We walked up and down one side. You walked down one side of the hall and the nun stood in the middle of the hall and made sure you didn't talk, okay? And man, I talk a lot, so. That That was really hard. But I mean, seriously, that's what they were taught. That's what they thought they were being good at. And they had to follow their rules, see? Because that's what they were taught. That's what they got when they were growing up and they were in training

Hess:

Was it all girls at Ursuline high school or girls and boys? Okay.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

academy was all girls. It didn't start that way that the ursine nuns came up the river from germany from Down new ireland. They came to new ireland and they came up the river and then they started a school And uh, they were kind of cloistered but they they had all grade school and everything and then it You Evolved into Sland Academy, uh, you know, nine through 12 and, um, uh, yeah, it, um, it was all girls. Uh, in fact, my dad came to see me play and uh, he walked in the side door of the gym and they made, ushered him out and said, no memo we're allowed.

Hess:

Whoa.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

And I heard the same story from my friend whose dad ran the CSA sports for all the grade school. He came to see her and. They told him he couldn't come in and because he was friends with nun who was, she was fantastic. She's the one who was our AD our booster club. She sold pencils to raise money to give us a balls, volleyball and basketballs and the scorecards and to pay the referees a little bit. That's the way That's what our booster club was, was that one nun. And she knew him, of course, and, uh, my friend's dad. And she let him stand back someplace and, and watch. Um, but like I say, you know, it, it, the rules were the rules and they thought they were doing us a favor and keeping women women were supposed to be so that we be, be all wonderful and good people subservient, um, in my opinion, um, You know, but we've learned different, haven't we? well, uh, back then when Aunt Katie was growing up, of course they didn't, you know, Title IX hadn't, uh, come into effect and, um, they just played the other Catholic girls schools, like they just created their own league. And at the time, I think there were, There were eight teams. Yeah, eight Catholic girls, all Catholic girls schools in the city of Louisville and the nuns organized for them to all come together and play a tournament. And so, um, Ursuline Academy, Aunt Katie's team did win the city and that little league that they formed.

Hess:

Did you know, uh, our coach at sacred heart when I was there from 72 through 76, uh, Bonnie Doherty, I think she, I think she went to Loretta and coach Loretta or something then.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Yeah. She coached against me. Um, I got the best compliment in the world from her. Uh, she scared me to death because she was so stern looking, you know, And she was a coach and, uh, she had rules and, uh, the girls that played on their team, you know, they did drills, they did weaving drills, they did running or whatever, you know, and she said, we won't have a problem because I'll stand under the basket because Katie, Katie McGuire is scared of me. That was the biggest compliment I ever had in my life. And, uh, yeah, she, she knew me, you know, and she's right. I was scared of her. Uh, but, uh, yeah, she was a great coach and,

Hess:

So she was a coach when you were in high school.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

yes, yes,

Hess:

Got you.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

She coached there at Loretta, like I say, and they had these, they had the uniforms. Um, that was a little bit, uh, higher, um, income school than, than a lot more than an Ursan was. They had these yellow uniforms that had bloomers underneath and skirts on top that were all one piece, you know, it was one piece and it looked like a little dress type of thing. And that's what they played in.

Hess:

Did you, did you envy that?

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Did I have that?

Hess:

Did you envy that? Were you jealous?

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

didn't like their uniforms, but I did envy. Yeah, you always envy. Somebody's got a little more than you do or has, you know, uh,

Hess:

And you're,

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

but,

Hess:

you're,

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

I'll tell you what I fit right in. I was poor as a church mouse. I fit right in with those girls and we all worked at lunch and not all of us, but I worked at lunch. 20 minutes of my lunch, we had a half an hour, and then I worked 20 minutes after school, cleaning the classroom. And, uh, I washed dishes at lunch, and we made 35 cents an hour, and they took it off our tuition. So it would take me three times working to make about a dollar. uh, it would, they would give us a voucher, and we would take it off our tuition. But, you know, it, it was what it was. It was what we grew up with. And, uh, Yeah, I think I was jealous of, uh, some things, but I don't know that I would have fit, you know?

Hess:

right. So, uh, so you were really a hotshot. You, you really were good. And, and Coach Bunny, coaching for Loretta.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

I got that message when the girls told me that, you know, there were girls that I knew from Loretta that that through actually through some of my friends, but Yeah, I don't know that I was a hot shot. I just know she was that I just know that I enjoyed it and I couldn't wait for school to be over to get down in the gym and uh, play ball and uh, but that was one of the biggest compliments because I was scared of her. She was very stern and her look, uh, everything about her, you know. And, uh, you know, she's right. I was scared. She couldn't have been any sweeter though. She was a really cool coach at Sacred Heart. She, uh, Hey, I need to know this before we go any further. Did she stand under the basket? I don't know. I'll tell you what, our gym was so packed that they had to move people back so that when we took the ball out, because they were standing on the line, you know, we had no room. And it would be so crowded. Did you all beat Loretta? Yeah, we will. We probably did sometimes, and they probably beat us sometimes. But in the city championship, don't have the scores. I do know that, uh, well, I wasn't the captain of the team. I will tell you that. Uh, I never was the captain of the team, but, uh, I just know that she could sense how scared I was of her. And, uh,

Hess:

Intimidate you

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Yeah, well, the thing is, I think she said that, you know, uh, to somebody I knew because she was just making a point, you know, I don't know. I don't know. Whatever it was, uh, I respected her, uh, and I respected, you know, the way she coached them. Um, Actually, uh, I think we had a lot of fun, more fun. Uh, Perez's coach was extremely, disciplined, um, orientated. Oh my goodness, those kids were scared to death of her. And, um, she was a teacher, and she was, you know, uh, it was all business. and we, we had so much fun when we played.

Hess:

and I remember presentations coach when I was at Sacred Heart. She had been there a long, long time.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Yeah.

Hess:

what her name was.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Darty.

Hess:

Yes. Coach Doherty.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Mm-Hmm.

Hess:

Yeah.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

She scared me. too. You're scared of all the coaches. Jesus. I guess I was scared of all the discipline people. I got too many womens in grade school. for talking too much. basically, but, uh, yeah. Uh, absolutely Uren, I mean, uh. The Catholic Academy League was fun. Everybody waited for those days that we would have, all the kids would come and, and, um, we, we had, you know, I mean, it was just, and I love playing sports and I guess that's why it's so much fun is because I could do it and, uh, and do my thing, you know, but, uh, it is so different now. And,

Hess:

So.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

know that we went to Fern Creek one time. Um, the nun that sold the pencils and was our AD, she, um, she set up, she knew somebody out at Fern Creek. She had us ride the bus out there and we played ball against Fern Creek. And my friend that knows all about this stuff, she said that Fern Creek and other public schools did not have a league back then. And they just played. Either intramural or they played each other where we did have a league and the academy league. So, um, I remember going out there and doing that and, uh,

Hess:

Yeah, so, so what an advantage, Potsters, and, and when, and Katie talks about the AD, that means athletic director, that, that the parochial schools and this, this, this Catholic league that, that they're talking about, it gave us such an advantage, because we were already playing sports together and competitively with other teams, and in 1974, when Title IX passed, The public schools were able to pop in with their own girls, girls teams. And, and K and Katie, what I remember about that is like, we had, we had, you know, the, uh, the, the people that had been coaching us for a while and maybe ex nuns and stuff like that, where, where, when the public schools started, the girls sports. They, they, they got some men coaches in and they, and they jumped in pretty quick, uh, to be competitive. Um, but, uh, we had a big advantage and as a child growing up to be able to feel good about yourself and to feel like you could do something. It was, it was, it was really wonderful experience as a child being able to have that at a young age.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

oh, I agree. Being a private school, you could do that. You know, and since, uh, the Catholic schools, the parochial schools were private, and the girls high schools and the boys high schools, uh, you know, had their own rules about stuff like that, where the public schools didn't, you know, and I agree, I think it was such an advantage, and, uh, community, uh, That's why I wanted my children to not only, uh, that I thought it was a rule to when I'm raising my kids that they had to go to Catholic schools and they had to go to, you know, Catholic high schools. And, uh, I do know that, uh, what a community, um, life in a, in a church school is. how, what advantages there, there are there, you know, uh,

Hess:

And did you have any, did you, uh, did you have any athletes when you were any of your kids good at sports?

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

uh, yeah, um, let's see. My two oldest boys played football for Trinity and they did well. They both were on championship teams and they were starters. one of them also was a wrestler and ran track. And um, then, uh, my next two were girls and one was a cheerleader for Sacred Heart and one was a cheerleader for. Trinity. Uh, and then, uh, they, uh, they played sports in grade school, but, uh, the, the, of them was a good softball player. She really was. And, uh, other one, I used to tell her she threw like a girl and she'd say, Mom, I am a girl.

Hess:

No.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

But then, uh, uh, the two youngest boys, uh, the, um, they played football in grade school. Um, but, uh, They, uh, the one, uh, uh, he's my fifth child. He played football for a while, but he also had eye problems and had to have surgery, so he couldn't play anymore. And, uh, okay, because then they both wrestled. Those two boys both wrestled, but as far as college, none of them played. Oh yeah, one played rugby. He went to Bellarmine and he played rugby. Um, and, uh, but as far as cheerleading, oh yeah, the girls cheerlead. They, you know, they went to competitions and did all that. They coached cheerleading, and my one son coached grade school football for a long time,

Hess:

Mm hmm.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

father was a coach, and he pretty much took over his spot when he left. So, uh, Yeah, they always were involved, thank goodness. Uh, I knew where they were, what they were doing, but not all the time. So, uh, you know, it is what it is. But, uh, yeah, they, they did well, uh, as far as being able to be involved. I'm just glad you know that. And they had the community of, you know, weren't real happy with every decision I made, but that's okay.

Hess:

So, and Katie, would it be okay if we invite you back sometime to talk about what it was like before some of these, uh, some of these, uh, important laws that were passed to give women equal rights?

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Sure,

Hess:

Cool.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

sure.

Hess:

Cool.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

I, uh, I'm all for that. Yeah,

Hess:

Sweet. All right. All right. So thank you so much. You're our first guest on our pod, you telling us about what it was like as young girl, tomboy and wanting to play and playing with the boys and doing mush ball, just cause that was the only thing allowed. And then being in the gym and being so happy to, to, to, to play basketball and you were a volleyball player too and stuff. Thanks so much for being on. It's such a. Big, good influence on, on you Delbert as an aunt, huh?

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

no, exactly. Well, she's one of my best friends. Well, we're, we're, was a sophomore when she was born, when Judith was born. is my sister niece, in my opinion. She's like my sister. We're spiritual sisters, really, definitely. I spent a lot of time at my grandmother's house, uh, watching my aunts and uncles grow up and, and they were all such good role models. And so to keep this connection and this friendship and this family connection is very important to me. And she's a very, very important person and role model in my life. I feel the same. And, uh, well, I'll tell you what. I feel like Judith has, um, this, um, extra quality that not everybody has and she can relate to most anything and is kind about it so I feel extremely blessed and I appreciate and she talks about you and uh um, that you've taken together and everything, and, um,

Hess:

Right?

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

glad to meet you, even if it is over the internet. And, uh, but anyway, thank you so much for having me, uh,

Hess:

Yeah.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

thoroughly enjoyed it. Uh, if you think of anything, write down the questions and I'll try to, you know, um,

Hess:

Super.

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

sure. Yeah.

Hess:

So that's for you all out there too. If you have any questions that we can ask and Katie, um, podsters. So this is the pod. Uh, let me tell you this about that. And we just heard aunt Katie telling us this about that. And, uh, we love you all be sure to like subscribe, hit the subscribe button and tell your friends. And peace and love

delbert--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_1_11-10-2024_084319:

Peace and love. Peace and love.