The Beginnings of Nebraska High School Girls’ Cross Country Started at Johnson-Brock

Friday, Oct. 23, the same day of Nebraska’s State High School Cross Country Championships, Gov. Jim Pillen will make a proclamation to name the day as Nebraska Women’s Athletics Trailblazers Day in honor of all the women in Nebraska’s history who made participating in athletics something both women and men could do. One of these trailblazers, Ilsa Bednar, grew up in Johnson, Nebraska and was the very first women’s cross country runner in the state.
In 1975, Ilsa Bednar was a freshman at Johnson-Brock High School. At that time, the school had very few sports for women to participate in, volleyball being the only taking place during the fall. Isla tried out for the team but, because the roster was so over-saturated, got little to no playing time. In fact, there were so many women on the volleyball team that many needed to use the outdoor tennis court to practice. The Johnson-Brock secretary, a mother of one of Ilsa’s friends, encouraged her to run cross country with the boys instead. Ilsa showed up for practice and, two days later, was called to the principal’s office and told that, according to Nebraska State Athletics Association (NSAA) rules and regulations, she was not allowed to run with the boys.
When she returned home in tears and told her mother, Carolyn, what happened, all her mother said was, “Well, we’ll just see about that.” Carolyn knew that Title IX was growing in strength and didn’t believe it was right for Ilsa to be barred from the sport but, because she didn’t think she could afford to take up a lawsuit against the NSAA herself, Carolyn called the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for advice. To her surprise, the ACLU not only provided advice, but filed a lawsuit against the NSAA for the Bednars themselves. 
The initial result of the case was an injunction that allowed Ilsa to practice with the boys, but not to participate in any meets. The injunction would last until a ruling was passed. The NSAA attempted to appeal the injunction, and the judgment was affirmed, allowing Ilsa to continue running. Then, in the spring of 1976, the full ruling of the court judged the exclusion of women from men’s cross country as impermissible sex discrimination. The first year women were truly allowed to run in cross country with men, there were at least 5, including Ilsa herself, June Costar of Omaha Burke, Tracy Thraen of Omaha Burke, Ruth Grimes and Nan Lightner, both from Lincoln. 
Ilsa found herself not giving much thought to being the first of her kind, nor did she receive much push back from her community or team. “Cross country was a hard thing to adjust to. We were told the routes and sent to run them and I was focused mostly on getting in better shape and improving.” Ilsa said that the idea that her first season could have been cut short due to a poor ruling rarely crossed her mind, if ever. The team, too, was welcoming to Ilsa and, because boys never wanted to be beaten by girls, grew more competitive having her on the team. “I remember having lots of reporters come up to me and asking if I were planning on trying out for football the following year,” Ilsa recalled, “As far as I know, all of the articles printed about me in newspapers around the area were positive and supportive.” 
Though there were no additional women to join her on the cross country team during her time at Johnson-Brock High School, Ilsa’s younger brother joined the team as a freshman, during Ilsa’s senior year. “I think what I did in cross country gave me the confidence to tell myself that I can do whatever I like, regardless if it’s for only boys.” Following her graduation from Johnson-Brock, Ilsa applied and was accepted to military academy, which was in only its third year of accepting women. She spent a year and a half there before leaving and going on to be a coach and a referee for various sports. 
“I never really thought to myself ‘Oh, I’ve done this great thing.” Ilsa and Carolyn Bednar could have just accepted that rules were rules when Ilsa was denied a place on the cross country team. Instead, they showed their bravery and dedication and made history for Nebraska athletics and, for her efforts, Ilsa will be recognized during the Proclamation Ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 23. The ceremony will take place at the Nebraska Capitol Building in Lincoln, at 9 a.m. Ilsa will not be in attendance, but will be represented by family members currently residing in Nebraska.