US Law Helps International Students Attend College, Play Sports

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US Law Helps International Students Attend College, Play Sports

The United States federal¹ law that requires women and men to have the same chances to take part in school activities, such as sports, is turning 50 years old this year.

It is the part of a federal law known as Title IX. It affects educational organizations, such as schools and colleges, which receive money from the federal government.

One goal of the law is to give women and girls a fair chance to play sports at school and to receive the same treatment as men and boys. As a result, many women who are good at sports have been able to also get financial aid for college.

The law even helps people who are from other countries.

For Maria Bulanova of Russia, Title IX means she was able to compete in her sport of bowling² and to get money to go to school at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

She was surprised the head of the bowling team learned³ about her "all the way from Russia."

Bulanova was a part of the Russian team at the 2015 bowling World Cup in Las Vegas, Nevada. She did well enough that a number of coaches from university bowling teams noticed her. During one week in February 2016, she visited five U.S. colleges. She chose to attend Vanderbilt.

She said Vanderbilt offered a good education and the chance to be on a good bowling team that might win a U.S. college championship.

"Vanderbilt had both, and that was perfect," she said.

Now Bulanova gets money for bowling with the Professional Women's Bowling Association⁴, and she is working on a master's degree at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York. She is also coaching the bowling team there.

A national championship

Bulanova was not the only international bowler⁵ on the team at Vanderbilt, which won the national championship in 2018. Kristin Quah of Singapore and Emily Rigney of Australia were also members.

John Williamson is Vanderbilt's bowling coach. He said he considers his team a "success story." His team is good at the sport. And, because the school has a bowling team, he can help young women come to Tennessee and get a "world class education" at Vanderbilt.

He said the combination⁶ of good competition, the chance to play the sport and to go to a good school is "sort of the best of everything."

Quah was the first of the three international bowlers⁷ on that championship team to reach out to Vanderbilt. She sent an email to the university as a member of the Singapore junior national team. Williamson went to see her at that year's world youth championship in Hong Kong. He also saw Bulanova and Rigney.

Williamson said Quah's email was the starting point.

Because they were good at bowling, Bulanova and Quah got money to help pay for school – a deal called a scholarship.

Agencies⁸ help athletes get attention

For other foreign students who are good at sports, it can be helpful to work with a sports agency⁹. The agency helps promote the athletes to universities that are looking.

But the agencies do that work in return for payment¹⁰. One such agency is USA College Sport based in Boston. It is run by Deljan Bregasi of Albania. He was a soccer player who came to study and play sports in the U.S. when he was young.

He started the business in 2015. Bregasi said he has helped 300 students get money to go to college since then. He charges each student $3,200.

He started by working with boys who played soccer in Italy and Albania. Then he added other sports and started working with young women in 2018.

He said "sadly" the chance to use ability in a sport to help pay for school is not available to girls in Italy.

He said Title IX "fortunately...allows them to practice sport with a scholarship."

Bregasi said his agency is trying to help Italian girls who play volleyball and compete in track and field come to the U.S. The Italian girls in those sports play at a very high level, he said, and they have a good chance of getting money for school in the U.S.

Serena Frolli is a 17-year-old runner from Genoa, Italy. She got help from a sports agency and will go to Chicago later this year to study at Northwestern University. The school gave her a scholarship because of her running ability. She will be on Northwestern's track and field team.

She said working with an agency was costly¹¹, but it was worth it because her school costs will be paid by the university.

She said, because of Title IX, she does not have to choose between running races and studying mechanical¹² engineering¹³. She wants to be an astronaut one day.

"Why should I choose?" she asked. "That is why I'm going to the United States."

Two college golfers have similar stories. One is Aline Krauter of Germany. The other is Tze-Han Lin of Taiwan. They both came to school in the U.S. so they could keep playing their sport and get a good education.

Krauter went to Stanford University in California while Lin went to the University of Oregon. The teams finished first and second at the recent women's college golf championship.

Lin said she was thankful Title IX gave her a chance to play golf and pay for school costs.

"I don't think I would have gotten that anywhere else in the world," she said.

Words in This Story

coach– n. a person who teaches and trains an athlete or performer

master's degree –n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after one or two years of additional¹⁴ study following a bachelor's degree

promote – v. to bring something to people's attention so they know more about it or want to take part in it

allow – v. to permit someone to do some activity

1 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

2 bowling   

n.保龄球运动

参考例句：

• Bowling is a popular sport with young and old.保龄球是老少都爱的运动。
• Which sport do you 1ike most,golf or bowling?你最喜欢什么运动，高尔夫还是保龄球？

3 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

4 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

5 bowler   

n.打保龄球的人，（板球的）投（球）手

参考例句：

• The bowler judged it well,timing the ball to perfection.投球手判断准确，对球速的掌握恰到好处。
• The captain decided to take Snow off and try a slower bowler.队长决定把斯诺撤下，换一个动作慢一点的投球手试一试。

6 combination   

n.组合，合并，联合；

参考例句：

• He carried on the business in combination with his friends.他与朋友们合伙做生意。
• The materials can be used singly or in combination.这些材料可以单独使用也可以混合用。

7 bowlers   

n.（板球）投球手( bowler的名词复数 )；圆顶高帽

参考例句：

• Many London businessmen wear bowlers. 伦敦的许多商人戴常礼帽。 来自辞典例句
• In America in the 1800s, bowlers began betting money on games. 19世纪在美国，保龄球员们开始在游戏上赌钱。 来自互联网

8 agencies   

n.代理( agency的名词复数 )；服务机构；（政府的）专门机构；代理（或经销）业务（或关系）

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations. 联合国有许多专门机构。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The project is funded by the World Bank and other multilateral agencies. 这项计划由世界银行和其他多国机构资助。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

10 payment   

n.付款，支付，偿还，偿还，报应

参考例句：

• I gave ten pounds in payment for the goods I bought.我买那些东西付了10英镑。
• This last payment will wipe out your debt to me.这最后一笔付款将了结你欠我的债务。

11 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

12 mechanical   

adj.机械(学)的；力学的；机械似的；手工操作的

参考例句：

• He borrowed a mechanical book from me.他从我这儿借了一本力学方面的书。
• He looks very mechanical.他看上去非常呆板。

13 engineering   

n.工程，工程学，管理，操纵

参考例句：

• The science of engineering began as soon as man learned to use tools. 人类一学会使用工具,工程科学就开始了。
• It was the first great engineering works in the world. 这是世界上第一家大型的工程工厂。

14 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。