UW alumna Sigrid Sowell Bergerson remembers a time when tuition was $33 per quarter, when she could carry her rifle on the bus and when women did not receive the same opportunities as men in the athletic world.

Bergerson, who graduated in 1940, was a member of the UW women's rifle team. This Saturday, she will finally be awarded an honorary letter, along with other women, at a UW banquet honoring female student-athletes who competed prior to the 1975-76 season, when the UW started issuing varsity awards to women as part of Title IX requirements.

Bergerson began shooting at her high school in Tacoma. Her father and brother were excellent shooters. Her sister, Ruth Bergerson Johnson, also joined the UW rifle team with her.

Bergerson reminisces about her first time trying to shoot.

"[I'd] never even held a gun ... when [the coach] went down and got the target he believed it," Bergerson said. "But the first year I was there, a freshman in high school, we won the state championship. There were four positions: prone, sitting, kneeling and standing. And in order to get medals, you worked your way up through to become experts."

Bergerson later attended the UW to pursue a degree in physical education.

"I decided to go to college because I loved my gym teacher in high school," Bergerson said. "I went to the U and came back and [eventually] replaced her."

Her rifling team was not allowed to wear slacks or bandanas to hold back their hair. Instead, they wore nylons, skirts and heels while they shot at their targets.

Because transportation was too expensive, the teams would have "postal matches," in which competitors shot targets marked for identification at their home ranges. The scores were then sent in to be rated by judges.

"Here it was all done with postal," Bergerson said. "We'd shoot, there'd be 35 other teams and it's posted."

At the UW, Bergerson also played other sports.

"We had everything," Bergerson said. "You had to learn it, so you could teach it."

The UW rifle team received an invitation from a Canadian men's gun club who had heard about their excellent marksmanship.

"We got our share [of recognition], because it was kind of unusual ... you get medals and trophies ... and a lot of coverage," Bergerson said. "We were [also] going to be on the cover of Life magazine, but then Hindenburg happened ... but I never checked after that if the Life magazine had ever printed it."

Bergerson went on to coach the rifle team and teach physical education and health.

"Things were different. I think more people are into sports in one way or another than they used to be," she said. "It's terrific, but they specialize now usually in one sport."

Bergerson is just one of about 180 women receiving awards at tomorrow's banquet.

It was the job of Marie Tuite, the UW's senior associate athletic director for sports programs, and Ann Higgins, Tuite's administrative assistant, to dig through the UW archives to find former Huskies women to attend and receive honorary letters.

"[We would like to] bring all women that participated prior to that and give [them] their varsity awards," said Tuite, who has been in her position since 1993. The UW has provided men letter awards since the turn of the century, she said.

About 600 people are expected to attend, including UW President Mark Emmert.

Title IX was passed in 1972 as part of the Education Amendments. It stated that no student could be excluded from participation in or denied the benefits of any educational program or activity that receives federal financial assistance.

The effects of Title IX are especially seen today in athletics for women in colleges and universities.

"[It's been] never better than today to be a female athlete," Tuite said. "I love being around academics and I love being around sports. I've been around sports all my life — I have four brothers."

Tuite, a graduate from Central Michigan, received her Bachelor of Science in physical education in 1975 and her Master of Arts in athletic administration in 1981. She lettered in basketball and field hockey. She also coached several basketball teams. Tuite said she is still active today and enjoys golf and running.

"I still have game," she said.

At the UW today, 327 women compete in 12 different sports, including swimming, volleyball, gymnastics and crew.

"Women athletes are getting the same treatment as male student-athletes, at least here at the University," said Janette Armand, a student-athlete tutor for the Student Athletic Academic Services (SAAS).

"The UW gives equal opportunity to both female and male athletes, [and] the number of female athletes has gone up in the past years," she said.

But women student-athletes didn't always have the same opportunities as men.

"It was just amazing that women were not encouraged to compete in sports," said Kristi Anderson, Bergerson's daughter. "Things have opened up for women so much since Title IX."

Reach reporter Doris Wu at features@thedaily.washington.edu.