Skidmore College Athletics

A talented high school student athlete, Mary "Mimi" Hobart Petke '70 arrived on Skidmore's Union Avenue campus in 1965 to pursue a degree in history with hopes of competing in sports. In an era before Title IX and intercollegiate conference affiliation, Petke played on the basketball, tennis, and ski teams for the sheer love of sport, distinguishing herself in competitive play against teams from area colleges. She excelled in singles and doubles tennis, played basketball on the then new 4 on 4 half-court system, and captained the ski team in her senior year. Despite having to train at less than Spartan rope tow facilities, Petke captured the Skimeister Award for best combined times in slalom, giant slalom, and cross-country events at the University of New Hampshire meet.
 
She went on to raise a family, but kept competitive in women's club golf and tennis. More than 30 years after graduating from Skidmore and thanks to a little known provision in California education law, she was recruited to play golf at Saddleback Community College, where she captained the woman's team to a first-place league finish and regional tournament play. Petke also co-founded the Women's Southern California Golf Association Rules Education Committee, now in its 17th year. An on-course rules official for women's collegiate golf tournaments, she is gratified to witness the significantly more equal opportunity available to today's female scholar-athletes.