The Birth of the Women's Athletic Association

In December, 1902, an announcement appeared in the Daily Cardinal calling on interested students to attend a meeting to create an athletic association for women. The association would be modeled upon the men's association and would govern all athletic activity. The idea was obviously a popular one: at that first meeting, officers were elected for six different sports (basketball, bowling, hockey, tennis, golf, and rowing). Shortly thereafter, in the Christmas edition of the Daily Cardinal, Abby Mayhew articulated the purposes such an organization would serve and the reasons behind its creation. She complained that Wisconsin was lagging behind other schools in this respect, and that the Women's Athletic Association was necessary in the face of a significant increase in "athletic spirit." Besides, the WAA would usher in a "better era for women, when health and fun shall walk hand in hand."¹³

It would be difficult to overstate the influence of the WAA on women's athletics at Wisconsin. Over the course of more than half a century, it served as an umbrella organization, promoting and sponsoring women's athletics and physical activity across the board. Its scope extended beyond the realm of regulating sports, however. In addition to organizing competitions, the group hosted weekly teas and other social functions, orchestrated entertainment for the general student population, and was a very successful fund raising machine—using profits to fund its own operation, as well as the scholarships that it distributed.

Although the WAA was influential, it was certainly not autonomous. By design, and in a very real way, the WAA and the physical education department were partners. The WAA student-run board was supervised by physical education faculty and the two entities collaborated so often that it is difficult to draw clean lines between them. Even the Physical Education Club, a WAA club for majors and faculty, "at all times . . . co-operates with the Physical Education department, and endeavors to be of service to the department and all its members."¹⁴

The WAA was originally conceived of as a "secretive" honorary group with elected members. It was reorganized on a more inclusive basis in 1913, with membership hinging on participation and interest, rather than on a private vote. A point system was instituted, in which points were earned by participating in sports, playing for a team in a final tournament, taking an elective third year in gym, or receiving honors in a particular event. Pins, a "W" emblem, and a "W" sweater were the rewards for earning points. A final emblem, available for seniors, was awarded not for a point total but for "the broader basis of womanliness and service to athletics at Wisconsin."¹⁵