What Being a MERM Has Meant to Me
By Susan Siderman
10th Anniversary Run/Brunch Oct. 9, 2005
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To Be A MERM
M is for Membership
where 5 qualifications need to be met:
female, 50+, and wants to have friendship, fitness and fun
E is for Embracing
women who have all levels of running or walking
ability
R is for Running which is only part of what we are
M is for Mastering
our own fate
As we are all well aware, Title IX of the Educational Amendments
of 1972 banned sex discrimination in schools, whether it be in
academics or athletics, that received federal aid. It literally leveled
the playing field in regard to females being allowed to participate in
team sports. Before that participation females did things like
“Rah-rah-rah” and “Sis-boom-bah” as a team sport. All of us did not
experience the locker room banter of team camaraderie or of butt-
slapping or high-fiving. You and I had to wait until we became a MERM
to immerse ourselves in that experience. I feel that the Mercury
Masters has been MY Title IX. It has provided me with the team
experience that you and I missed out on while attending high school
and college. Running and competing for the team certainly has been a
major part of my membership for the last ten years. However,
the team has so many more components than just that. Where else
could I have experienced female bonding in:
§ Peeing together in bushes, behind trees and under tunnels
§ Greasing our inner thighs before a long run or a marathon
§ Complaining about those inner thighs
§ Hot flashing together and feeling sorry for any male
who got in our way
§ Looking at very, very cute butts that were our carrots
in races or training runs
§ Adorning ourselves with “Rings and things and buttons and bows”
dashing along
wonderful winter day during holiday season in December
§ Celebrating every MERM runner/walker as she crossed the
finish line in a race, be it the first MERM or the last MERM
and hearing and giving accolades to “just being out there” and
giving your all
§ Regiving directions to tourists who asked Pat which way is
uptown and then turning them around
§ Being kicked out, however politely, of the NYRR building
as we all talked at once and the front desk personnel
couldn’t concentrate
§ Looking at anything purple and thinking how that would work
for something MERMISH
§ Learning that running without underpants when wearing
shorts with a cotton liner is so-o-o-o comfortable
It doesn’t get any better than this. The MERMS is a group of women
where the common thread is running, yes, but where each individual
is valued for her own worth. You can run with any MERM teammate and
the conversation is friendly, warm, comfortable and, yes, sometimes
about running. Whenever and wherever I see my teammates I get
a warm and fuzzy feeling that MY Title IX has given me.
To be a MERM is not only a very good thing;
it’s the best team experience there is.