We have a high school sports story out of Connecticut from last week which is likely going to be of more interest than you might think. (Assuming youre not one of the parents who brought their child to the event, anyway.) On Monday, the Connecticut State Open track and field championships were held for high school students. Of particular interest were the girls 100 and 200 meter dash. Lets watch one of those record-setting events via a tweet from Game Time Connecticut. (Its a very short video.)See Also: The real winner from the Trump-Kim summit could be
South Korea
One student not only took first place in both events but set new state records in each. The second place finisher was also head and shoulders above the rest of the field. The problem is that both of those competitors were boys, though they identify as girls. (Daily Wire)
On Monday, when Connecticut had its State Open track and field championships at Willow Brook Park, one person broke the State Open records for girls in both the 100 and 200-meter runs. That person was a biological boy. Terry Miller of Bulkeley, a transgender, won the events. In the 100 meter dash, the runner-up was Andraya Yearwood of Cromwell, also a transgender. Here are the two races: Yearwood won the Class M sprint titles last year; Miller competed on the boys team during the winter indoor season then joined the girls competition. |
Feel free to fly into a fit because someone chooses to state the obvious facts out loud, but Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood are not girls. Theyre boys, with the physique of boys and impressive athletic prowess. This wasnt some local meet for bragging rights between local schools. This was a state-level event which would determine who went on to the New England championships. Its also a pathway for many girls to secure a college scholarship.
The Daily Wire goes on to ask the pertinent follow-up question. What about the actual girls who came in third and fourth in the race but would have otherwise won had the event been properly restricted by gender? And since only the top six competitors are able to advance to the New England regional event, how about the girls who came in 7th and 8th who will not have a chance to go?
CIAC executive director Karissa Niehoff had this to say. We do feel for them. Fully agree it doesnt feel good. The optic isnt good. But we really do have to look at the bigger issues that speak to civil rights and the fact this is high school sports.
What does that even mean? The fact that its high school sports doesnt mean that its any less important. As I noted above, this could have a serious impact on their future as not only athletes but students with a chance to get into a good school. And since when is it a civil rights question for girls who sign up to compete in a girls event to be shut out by some boys who show up and beat them? For the record, Miller (the winner) was competing on the boys team just this past winter.
Heres one Twitter response which reminds us that if this is the future of feminism, you need to shut out the lights on that movement.
Heres a free hint for you. The current world record for the mens 200 meter dash is still held by Usain Bolt who did it in 19.19 seconds. The womens record, set back in 1988 by Florence Griffith-Joyner, is 21.34 seconds. Thats more than a full two seconds slower, which may not sound like much, but over such a short race its a chasm. The fastest men in the world are simply faster than the fastest women. Its not discrimination or misogyny. Its biology. And at the high school level, the fastest boys are going to be faster than the fastest girls. This race was a travesty and a disservice to the girls who trained their hearts out to compete.