Muleskinner

Issue date: 10/12/06 Section: Homecoming 2006

Spike it- 2006 Jennies' volleyball player, Brooke Butler, hits the ball in a home game against Emporia State University. The Jennies beat ESU 3-1.

"Jennies." A name commonly heard around University of Central Missouri athletes and students.

Where did they originate and how far have the Jennies come?
The name "Jennies" originated from a contest in 1974 that awarded $50 to the winning entry. This name did not come as a surprise to many, being that the male varsity teams had been known as the "Mules" since 1922.

Imagine yourself a woman in the early 1900s, trying to pursue an interest in sports. You were frowned upon because it was uncommon then for women to participate in physical activities.
The women of Central Missouri have come a long way since then, although a few sports Central women used to play are no longer offered -- field hockey, gymnastics, rugby, swimming, tennis and golf.

The women of Central Missouri State were champions in field hockey. These Jennies no longer play, however, due to budgetary constraints. The athletic administration established a policy whereby funds were provided for post-season play at the national level only if the team placed first or second in the regional competition.

When the Jennies placed third in the regional tournament, they were devastated, and did not qualify for the funds to compete. 1982 would be the downfall of women's field hockey. Even though practice was announced and new players encouraged to come out the following spring, there would be no more intercollegiate field hockey at CMS.

The 1969-70 Central Missouri State gymnastics team opened the season at Garrison Gym with a win over Northwest Missouri State. In the season opener, the Jennies lost to Southeast Missouri 113.8 - 108.75. The only evidence that CMS had a women's gymnastics team in 1980 was a team picture in the school annual, the Rhetor. Gymnastics was another one of the sports that was canceled after the 1982 season.

Women's golf was once a sport at Central. However, golf was short-lived for the women. In 1971, at the only match for the first women's golf team in school history, the extramural team placed fifth out of six teams at the Stephens College Invitational. The only other mention of a women's golf team, according to Marianne L. Woods' abstract, was in 1972. With the name CMS Women's Intercollegiate Golf Team, it was scheduled to compete in the state golf tournament at Stephens College in late April. There was no mention on why the sport ceased to exist after 1972.

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