by Ellen Wanamaker

On a whim this morning at HyVee I bought a box of Caitlin’s Crunch Time cereal. As I munched on the frosted flakes, I got thinking about all the athletes who are breaking barriers for girls to dream about becoming sports superstars.

Caitlin Clark’s rise to basketball fame started here in Iowa of course. She was already an exceptional player in high school, then catapulted to the top of the women’s college game during her years at the University of Iowa. Now we’re cheering her on along with her Indiana Fever teammates in the WNBA.

The women playing in Iowa’s first high school basketball tournament in 1920 couldn’t imagine their likeness on a cereal box. They also couldn’t imagine sold-out crowds filling stadiums to watch them play. But they were some of the many athletes who helped make it possible for today’s players to shine.

The history of women’s basketball is the subject of an upcoming author event at Ames Public Library this Thursday, September 25, at 6:30 pm in the auditorium. Basketball enthusiasts of all ages are welcome to join Pamela Grundy and Susan Shackelford as they share details from their new book “Shattering the Glass: The Remarkable History of Women’s Basketball.”

This event is presented in partnership with Ames Public Library, Iowa Center for the Book, Ames History Museum, Beaverdale Books, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, and the State Historical Society of Iowa.

Books will be available for purchase courtesy of Beaverdale Books, and the authors will sign books after the event. The book will also be available to borrow from the Ames Public Library.

Ames Public Library has other books for sports history buffs. The media company TOGETHXR, founded by four professional athletes, published a book called “Play it Forward: How Women are Changing Sports to Change the World.” It features 18 essays written by talented female and nonbinary writers from all over the world. The essays highlight runners, rowers, football players, soccer stars, swimmers, cricket players, weight lifters, tennis champs, cheerleaders, and lumberjacks – all doing amazing things to advance their respective sports.

Closer to home, and relevant to this week’s author talk at the Library, is the book by Janice Beran called “From Six-on-Six to Full Court Press: A Century of Iowa Girls’ Basketball.” It’s a thorough and fascinating look at the game played by generations of Iowa girls and young women.