Kristie Owings
News Page
Saturday, July 01, 2006
In theory, the ACLU is right to argue on behalf of high school boys.
Of course, everything in the world should be equal and fair and wonderful.
That's a a theoretical world.
The Associated Press reported Saturday that Michael J. Steinberg, the legal director of American Civil Liberties Union Michigan, said litigation against the Michigan High School Athletic Association is possible if certain rules aren't changed.
The rule in question involves gender equity ... again. But it's not the same argument currently sitting in front of an appeals court involving changing girls and boys sports seasons to make them equal.
This gender-equity argument involves actual people and an actual sense of fair play.
The ACLU urges a change in Michigan high school rules that prohibit boys from playing in postseason tournaments offered to girls. The initial argument is aimed at competitive cheer, a girls sport that does not allow boys to compete in tournaments.
But Michigan offers three other sports for girls only: gymnastics, softball and volleyball.
Girls are allowed to compete on boys teams if their school does not sponsor a girls team in that sport. A female golfer, for instance, can compete on the boys team if there is no girls golf team. And, since there is no girls wrestling in the state, a female wrestler can compete on the boys team.
That seems fair.
But a boy can't compete on a girls volleyball, gymnastics, softball or competitive cheer team.
In theory, that seems grossly unfair. In reality, the situation is in a much grayer area.
In theory, boys and girls are alike. In reality, they are not.
Boys are stronger and faster. It's a simple, basic fact. To disagree is to ignore all the evidence that exists in the top track times in the state or in the amount of weight the top athletes of each gender can lift.
There is a reason NBA players aren't allowed to play in the WNBA. It would be grossly unfair.
On an individual level, of course, a boy who wants to compete in competitive cheer should be able to compete. Of course, a boy who loves volleyball should be able to play on the volleyball team.
But there is a danger on a larger level. At what point does it become unfair for a team with five male volleyball players to compete against a team with none? At what point is it fair to the girls who get cut from a team because several boys want to play?
Is it wrong to assume that boys would dominate these sports? Maybe they wouldn't.
But that comes back to an even larger argument for the sake of ultimate fairness. At what point do schools sponsor one team in each sport with total gender equity? One basketball team, one football team, one track team ... all with both genders allowed to join and both allowed to get cut.
Maybe that's fair ... in theory.
Maybe that's sad ... in reality. v
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The Daily Astorian 6/29/06
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Kristie Owings |
Following an eighth place finish at Nationals, Knappa’s Kristie Owings was recently honored with a selection to the Wrestling USA Magazine High School All-American team.
Her selection, along with 34 other girls from the National wrestling meet in Detroit, was made after nominations from coaches, sportswriters and Wrestling USA state editors were screened.
She was chosen to compete in the Nationals meet in Detroit, where Owings placed eighth at 126 pounds.
Currently spending the summer in Boise, Idaho, Owings will head to Western Oregon University in the fall.
She said she may transfer next year to Pacific University, one of a growing number of schools with a women’s wrestling team.
“I’m going to train and learn freestyle wrestling, since colleges wrestle freestyle,” she said.