Another high school gender issue ...

The parents of a girl in New Hampshire files a lawsuit against the high school athletic association because, after two years of playing with the boys hockey team, a girls co-op team is created and she doesn't want to play with girls. Her lawyer claims her "ability to obtain a scholarship to a Division I team and potentially an Olympic team placement is being jeopardized by the NHIAA decision."

Guess what? Sometimes life isn't fair. Although, if this girl wins this lawsuit, it's going to open several cans of worms.

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20121211/NEWS04/121219889

 

Three of our schools combined to create a girls hockey team (thankfully, they went with a more print-friendly regional name).
Girls who had played for the boys could continue playing with the boys, but any incoming freshmen had to play with the girls and any newcomers to the program had to as well.
One of the girls that stuck is the starting keeper for the boys team. If she played for the girls, they'd probably be a contender for the state title. Girls hockey in this state is not very good.

 

I think that's the best way to handle this . . . grandfathering in those who came in after the girls team was started. I understand that there is nothing inherently wrong with letting them choose, but with everything, it sets precedent that might cause a problem elsewhere, so if a girls sport is offered, then they need to play on the girls team.

 

The solution Rhody noted sounds fine, so I'd let the girl stay on the team she's on.

I don't much buy the scholarship/Olympics argument. For the elite players hoping to move on, club teams and summer camps are way more important than high school, and she can find a boys team that will take her if she's good enough. The high school season is pretty unimportant at that level.

 

This. The hockey recruiting scenario sounds much like that in softball. Players get more exposure to colleges in summer travel ball than they do during the high school season.

 

What I'm waiting for is the girl who files suit because she wants to go out for football and the school won't let her. That, I believe, is coming, and soon.

 

Why do you believe that? Girls have played HS football for awhile now.

 

The ones I've seen were strictly kickers, although I think I recall reading about one girl, maybe in Michigan (?), who was playing tackle for her school. I don't think there are many still.

 

It's up to the coach whether to allow players to play as only kickers. Some don't.

If you're going to allow a kicking hotshot from the boys' soccer team join the football team and allow him to do nothing to do but kick, which many teams do, you should allow a girl to do it too.

 

Holley Mangold was an offensive lineman for her high school's football team.

 

FTFY

 

I don't care if she plays or not. Judging by the reader comments, she's apparently not that good, and has no chance to be an Olympian or significant college player. My biggest issue with this story is that when a governing body made a ruling, one she didn't agree with, her parents threw money at it. Got a lawyer, took it to court and wasted the time of a lot of people.

Whenever you don't like something, just sue.