Messich marvels how times have changed for women鈥檚 sports
Linda Messich has just about seen it all when it comes to women鈥檚 sports over the years.
Messich, who is part of the Washington-Greene County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025 as an athletic administrator and coach for meritorious service at Mapletown, recalled her days at West Greene.
For one, girls basketball wasn鈥檛 quite the same then than it is now.
鈥淎thletics were sure different when I started in this business,鈥� said Messich, who is in her 29th year at Mapletown. 鈥淲hen I played basketball in high school it had just started. There were six players on a team back then, two rovers, two forwards and two guards.鈥�
That wasn鈥檛 the only difference. Not everyone could cross midcourt back then.
鈥淭he forwards and guards only played on half the court,鈥� Messich pointed out. 鈥淭hey could not go over the middle line.鈥�
Dribbling? There was a difference in that aspect of the game as well.
鈥淵ou could only dribble three times,鈥� Messich said with a chuckle. 鈥淭he year that I graduated from West Greene that鈥檚 what the rules were. We didn鈥檛 even have uniforms then. We had a one-piece thing with a numbered pinnie over it tied under your arms.
鈥淭alk about how far we鈥檝e come. It鈥檚 pretty neat to see the progress we鈥檝e made. Title IX is when everything changed. I was at the beginning of all that and I鈥檝e seen it all the way through these 50 years. You鈥檙e looking at things like Caitlin Clark now and all the big stars and see what the women are doing now. It鈥檚 really amazing.鈥�
When Messich got her first job at Mapletown things were starting to change.
鈥淥ne year after I graduated from college and I started coaching here, then they were finally using the boys rules,鈥� she said.
Messich continues to enjoy her job as Mapletown鈥檚 athletic director and puts a concerted effort into helping student-athletes.
鈥淚t was easier when I was teaching and I was around them more but I still try to establish a rapport and a connection with the young kids and get acquainted with them as they鈥檙e moving up through the years.鈥� Messich said. 鈥淚 feel like they鈥檙e my kids and I share in their joy when they succeed.
鈥淚 love it when they come back to us years later. Some of them will come up to me and say thank you for what you did for me and tell me things like my life is good now or I鈥檓 successful and I鈥檝e got a good job and a family.
鈥淭o hear that, that鈥檚 really special to me. That means the world to me. That鈥檚 one of the main reasons I do this.鈥�
Messich said she will attend the Hall of Fame banquet on Sunday, June 8 at the Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe.
鈥淚鈥檓 honored and grateful to be going in,鈥� she said.