This book highlights the stories of 60 of this century's female athletes who pioneered, participated in, or continue to compete in women's sports. Following forewords by Billie Jean King, Anita DeFrantz, and Deborah Slaner Anderson, the volume contains biography, history, an annotated bibliography, and statistics on women athletes from the late 19th century to the present. Sixty biographies of influential athletes are illustrated with a photo of each athlete. The athletes profiled represent the following sports categories: auto racing, aviation, basketball, bowling, cycling, dog sledding, field hockey, figure skating, golf, gymnastics, horse racing, skiing, softball, squash, speed skating, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Each biography lists the athlete's birth date and place, parents' names (when available), information about how she became involved in her sport, athletic achievements, and the records set and championships earned. A chapter on basic resources includes an annotated bibliography that lists books by sport and a directory of organizations and foundations that promote women's sports in the United States. Four appendixes provide lists of Olympic medalists, selected event and award winners, organizations' acronyms, and a subject index. (LL)