Celebrating National Girls & Women in Sport runs alongside Title IX pioneers Barbara Bond and Alison Aubert
See all of the 2022-23 Title IX honorees
The first week of February brings the country together to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day. On Feb. 4, 1987, President Ronald Regan declared the first National Women in Sports Day in recognition of the history of women’s athletics. It also recognized the progress made by the Title IX amendment passed in 1972.
Women who participated in sports in school are more likely to graduate from college and have ncreased odds of landing leadership positions. For the month of February, the CCCAA highlights two such women leaders, Barbara Bond and Alison Aubert.
Barbara Bond, Dean & Athletic Director, Assistant AD, Head Coach
Long-time Orange Coast College coach and administrator Barbara Bond dedicated her career to the Pirates and was instrumental in the continued successes the program enjoys today.
The Southern California native began her 30-year teaching and coaching career followed by five years as athletic department administrator. Prior to OCC, Barbara was a student-athlete at Long Beach State where she competed in both volleyball and swimming.
Barbara pursued athletics as a young girl. “After reading biographies on Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Althea Gibson I knew I wanted to compete and be in the field of athletics. I had the inherent interest, desire, good role models and opportunities along the way,” she said. “I was fortunate enough to have several coaches and teachers who were tremendous role models, possessed strong leadership qualities, were passionate about their profession and encouraged me along the way, specifically, my high school physical education teacher, Jane Ward. She was the former captain of the USA Olympic volleyball team. Jane was highly instrumental in my maturation as a student-athlete.”
Sports participation not only impacted Barbara, but her children also. “It (Sports) have shaped my entire life and much of my children’s lives. Participation in sports has strengthened my values, taught me how to communicate and cooperate, to be confident, to persevere and to handle stress; all things that I’ve tried to teach my own children and student-athletes.”
As a female administrator Barbara acknowledges the impact of Title IX during her professional career. “The immediate noticeable impact was mainly on facilities, usage of facilities and budget. At Orange Coast College, we added more women’s sports to our program: women’s golf, badminton and eventually, beach volleyball. Also, when embarking on new facility projects we made certain that all physical education facilities, including the women’s locker rooms, were equal to the men. We went ahead and added a locker room at the OCC Sailing Center for the women, which until then only had one locker room for both men and women.”
Although tremendous progress has been made, she notes, “The inequity in participation, opportunity and promotion of girls and women in sports, the gender gap in pay and television exposure, transgenders competing on women’s teams, these are all areas that require further attention and resources.”
As we embark on the next 50 years of Title IX, Barbara has a vision of what she’d like to see. “More positive role models, continued mentorship for female and male coaches to embrace and value the efforts of young girls and women in sports, and to encourage and support their participation while promoting opportunities.”
Alison Aubert, Interim AD, Assistant Athletic Director, Athletic Trainer
Attendance at a California Community College is not a requisite requirement for a person that dedicates their life to supporting, treating, and encouraging student-athletes. Alison Aubert recently stepped down from her duties as the head athletic trainer at Solano College after serving its student-athletes for 30 years.
After a seven-year stint at then called Rancho Santiago College (known today as Santa Ana College). Alison headed north where she settled in at Solano College. Beyond her duties as head athletic trainer at Solano, Alison also served as assistant Athletic Director from 2013-2019, then Interim Athletic Director from 2021 to 2022, and finally as Covid Director from 2022 to 2023.
Alison reflected on the access of sport in her youth, “I vividly remember the lack of opportunity to be able to participate in athletics, and I desperately wanted the opportunity. I found myself just wanting to be around athletics, so I spent the weekends watching boys’ Little League games and chasing foul balls to have something to do. I think that nurtured my love for athletics, which in turn allowed me to find a career in sports medicine as an athletic trainer.”
Title IX directly impacted Alison, “It allowed me and my female classmates the opportunity to play a variety of sports, which were not previously available to girls. This opportunity was the highlight of my high school experience. The door opening due to Title IX allowed me to continue to play softball at the collegiate level. During my college career I discovered athletic training and sports medicine, and from that point on I knew what my career choice for the future would be.”
After finishing her undergraduate degree, Alison noticed very few women working as athletic trainers. “We experienced pushback and a feeling that we didn’t belong, in this male-dominated career. However, women are now finally making an impact in athletic training and are breaking in at the collegiate and professional levels.”
Looking towards the future, Alison hopes there are more female head coaches serving as role models. “I would like to see more awareness created for the CCCAA, including promotional videos and other information to be shared with female athletes to enlighten them on the athletic opportunities at Community Colleges in California.”