Mid-season cross-country runner moves to girls' team as parents voice opposition at meeting

Mid-season cross-country runner Kamas switched from boys' team to girls' team, sparking national debate over transgender athletes in sports.

Controversy of transgender athletes has reached Washington High School Cross Country

A transgender athlete's controversy erupts at a Washington high school cross country meet.

"Nobody wants to talk to you. I'm trying to be nice."

That was the not-so-nice welcome I received from the assistant cross country coach at Camas High in Arlington, Washington. As I stood near the starting line of the women's elite race at the Nike Hole in the Wall High School XC Invitational.

All I had done at that point was try to introduce myself, but it was clear that everyone involved with the school was wary. The reason? One of the Camas runners who competed in the Elite Women's 5K was a biological male.

A Camas cross country runner, who switched from the boys' team to the girls' team midway through the season, stands at the starting line of the girls' race at the Nike Hole in the Wall XC Invitational. (Out Kick)

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What's unique about this particular trans athlete is that he started the year on the boys team — where he finished 76th in a JV race — then switched to the girls team last month. He has since won first place in a collegiate meet and second place in a different invitational.

As you might imagine, the case drew national attention and put everyone in Camas on the defensive. But that assistant was wrong about one thing: A lot of people—mostly parents from opposing schools—wanted to talk to me.

"We're about as liberal as it gets," said Kenneth Lake of Lake Stevens, WA. "I just don't agree with it [boys vs. girls competition]. I mean, if they find your body in 300 years, they're going to say what were you?" "Look, you can live any way you want. You've got my blessing. But I mean, come at the races? It's like a car race. It has to be even, and it has to be fair."

What made the Kamas runner switch from the boys' team to the girls' team is still unclear. No Camas coach would speak (although one, along with the principal, was kind to me), and the boy's mother did not acknowledge my presence Saturday.

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But such a change is allowed under the rules of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), which governs high school sports in the state. That doesn't mean most parents like it.

"When I first heard about this story, I thought, 'Is this true?'" said the cross-country runner's mother, who asked not to be named. "It can't be real". She argued that allowing transgender runners to compete with girls could deprive female athletes of the victories they would otherwise win. "We have girls, and it takes away from them the opportunity to compete."

(L to R) Female athletes Frances Ostad, Billie Anderson, Sadie Sullivan, Kendall Kutzmacher and Alana Smith stand behind podcast host and emcee Brandi Kruse at the Rally for Equity in Girls' Sports in Vancouver, Washington. (Derk Shock for OutKick)

I lost a state championship to a guy. I refuse to lose my voice

It should be noted that the Camas runner is not even a star among girls. He finished 39th in Saturday's competition in the 135 category with a time of 18:36.8. But if he had run in the men's elite 5K, he would have finished last out of 159 runners by a good 30 seconds.

He said: One of the parents also asked to remain anonymous. Whether first, 40 or 90, they still take the place of a girl."

The unknown path is the most chosen path last Saturday. One guy wouldn't even let me record his voice - I had to repeat him on my phone using my own voice. After all, this may be the most sensitive and controversial topic in sports. And ... not all parents at Saturday's meeting were necessarily against the Kamas runner.

"People can identify however they want. High school sports is not about winning, it's about student-athletes building confidence," one said.

"There are more important things in sports than this," said another.

A third said: "I just wish people could have more empathy, compassion and understanding towards people. I think it's difficult if you start on one team and change in the middle of the season. I wish there was room for everyone."

Most, however, like Kevin S., an Arlington parent, took a sympathetic but firm view of the matter.

"I think men and women, young men and women, have competed separately for hundreds of years, thousands of years," S said. I think this is an interesting experiment. I think it's an interesting topic, but my personal opinion is that they should continue to compete separately."

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One dad said something similar after lifting his hoodie to reveal the XX-XY shirt he was sporting underneath.

Another said that allowing boys to compete with girls is "stupid" and that "Title IX is designed to protect women."

A mother said: I am very ashamed to put my son in such a situation. And although part of me agrees with that last part, part of me also wonders if that's a little harsh.

I was really curious to see what the past few weeks had been like for the Camas runner's parents, but the mom completely ignored me on two separate attempts to talk. This is the same woman who reportedly started recording an athlete who protested a Camas runner last month by leaving the starting line when he dropped his gun.

That athlete was Skyview junior Charlie Garrett, who ran the race alongside teammate Sierra Retzlaff. Both wore body paint that read "Keep Women in Women's Sports" on the day in mid-September - and both were also in attendance at Saturday's event.

Charlie Garrett (left) and Sierra Retzlaff (right) are cross country runners for Skyview High in Vancouver, Washington. (With respect to B.H.)

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"Why is it so important for you to talk about this?"

"Because if we don't do it, no one else will. If we start something, maybe others will have the courage to join in," Retzlaff said.

Fortunately, other girls and women from Washington state and beyond are speaking out. Indeed, such courage helped put Initiative 638 — which would ban biological males from competing against girls in K-12 sports — on the Nov. 3 ballot in Washington state.

The Camas situation could well mobilize people to vote.

As one mother said Saturday, "More needs to be done to change the law, because schools are kind of tied to what the law tells them. People need to get out and vote for what they want."

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