Peggy continues 'rat race' to success
By CARLA RUPP Kansan Sports Special
Peggy Grinvalsky complains about running in the dark-dodging rats in Allen Field House.
But the port New York City junior has learned to accept such inconveniences as a natural consequence of her ambitions; to become one of the nation's best female distance runners.
Miss Grinvalsky begins her workouts only after KU's male athletes have finished using the field house, sometimes as late as 6:30 p.m.
"Practicing that late prevents me from finishing my workout before the janitors turn the lights off about 7:30," says Peggy, "and I run in the dark dodging the rats that appear with only the light from the clock showing me where to go."
Field house fright
Peggy says that at first she was really petrified of the rats that ran in her path.
"Now I just run right over the rats if they don't move out of my way!" she laughs. "But it sure is a weird feeling running in that moonlight atmosphere," she said.
Miss Grinvalsky has established herself among the best long distance woman runners in the country. Except for a broken leg suffered last August at the Olympic trials in Pomona, Calif., Peggy would have had a good chance to land a berth on the 1968 U.S. Olympic team in Mexico City.
Peggy has learned to accept the tribulations of winter
months training in Allen Field House good-naturedly.
6 KANSAN Feb.19 1969
"It's a shame there's not more opportunity for Peggy here at KU," said athletic director Wade Stinson. "But the athletic department lives off the revenue it generates—and that comes from male competition.
"All revenue from football, basketball, and the KU Relays is
stipulated for male intercollegiate sports," Stinson explains, according to KU athletic department policy.
Head track coach Bob Timmons realizes Miss Grinvalsky is at "a tremendous disadvantage by being a girl runner," but Timmons adds:
PEGGY GRINVALSKY
"It's an expensive proposition to have the lights on for just one or a few people."
Lighting may not be the greatest problem, as Peggy has discovered. With an injury, Miss Grinvalsky cannot use university facilities. A pulled muscle, for example, requires treatment at Watkins Hospital with the whirlpool bath or the ultrasound—the machines at Allen Field House are only for male athletes.
Facilities nil
"We have no dressing facilities for women," adds Stinson, "and there's also the problem of timing the schedules. At the present time, intercollegiate sports at KU does not involve female athletics."
Timmons explained the busy field house winter schedule—which includes basketball, baseball, tennis and track, as well as conditioning classes—leaves little time open.
"We can't very well bring her into our program. It just can't be worked out," said Timmons.
Stinson suggested the possibility of morning workouts for Peggy. Conflict with classes all but rules out such an arrangement.
Peggy smiles through the difficulties, although she said she would like to see a university-supported team for girl runners at KU.
Self-incentive
"Sometimes I just don't feel like running by myself everyday, but I know I have to in order to
be a good runner," she says. "If we'd have a university-supported team, I'd have more incentive for running daily."
However, Peggy has been doing well with her self-incentive program.
Earlier this month, Miss Grinvalsky ran in her first indoor meet since the Olympic trials mishap. Peggy won the women's division mile with a 5:27 clocking on an unbanked, 110-yard track, and placed third in the half-mile in 2:21.
For Peggy, the Boston meet was important she didn't think she would ever run again after
the broken leg. For nine weeks, she wore a cast—then waited another month before being able to return to her training schedule.
But during the last four months, when Peggy felt she needed the encouragement and incentive to keep going, the lack of women's athletic facilities at KU became a greater problem.
A good joke
Peggy was one of 40 girls to join a girl's track club here, organized by a KU graduate student in March of 1967.
"I thought it would be a good joke if I and my roommate would try to go out and keep in shape," she said.
The club fell apart after a couple of months, but Peggy decided to keep running. That's where the joke ended.
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Miss Grinvalsky belongs to the Atoms Track Club of New York City, which pays almost all of her competition expenses. Peggy runs six miles of cross country in the mornings and 10 miles at night—keeping company with
(Continued on page 16)
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CONTINUING BARGAINS
SPORT COATS $25.00
SUITS $50.00
SHIRTS at $4.80
SWEATERS $8.00
SLACKS $10.00