Mills Quarterly, Winter 2018

Page 14

Kristy Pigeon in action during the London Grass Court Championships in West Kensington, London, 1968.

Equal pay for equal play By Linda Schmidt

Growing up as an athletic, horse-crazy

en’s professional tennis and featuring

In the early 1960s, she was training as a

teenager in Danville, California, Kristy

the historic showdown match between

competitive swimmer when she saw an

Pigeon ’73 never imagined she’d find

King and Bobby Riggs.

announcement for an end-of-summer rec-

herself on a Hollywood red carpet. But

“I almost didn’t go because I’m not

reational tennis tournament. “I thought

she was one of nine women, including

the type of person who wants to be in

that might be kind of fun, so when I got

multiple Wimbledon winner Billie Jean

the middle of all that, but I enjoyed it,”

out of the pool, I signed up,” she says. She

King and her doubles and Tennis Hall

Pigeon says. “All but one of us were there;

won that tournament, and decided: “I

of Fame partner Rosie Casals, who broke

we have a strong bond, and it was good

really liked tennis.” She exchanged free

away from the US Tennis Association

to see each other.” Those “Original Nine”

lessons for working in the pro shop at the

in 1970 to form their own tournament

changed the course of sports history,

local country club and soon was tearing

circuit in pursuit of equitable pay for

paving the way for tennis to become the

her way through increasingly competi-

female players. And she couldn’t resist

only sport that compensates men and

tive tournaments. In 1968, the year she

the invitation to attend the September

women equally.

graduated from high school, she won the

2017 premiere of the movie Battle of

Yet it was almost by chance that

US Tennis Association National Junior

Sexes, based on their early days of wom-

Pigeon had picked up a tennis racquet.

Championships and the girls’ singles

12

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

PHOTO BY FRED MOT T/E V ENING S TANDARD/HULTON ARCHIV E /GE T T Y IM AGES


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