ypsi~dixit

Yet another example of parents living vicariously through their children. He'll have to learn to file his own lawsuits sooner or later!

If nothing else, it can end up being unfair to opposing teams, as happened in Pennsylvania:

Bad sports when boys play against girls

By BOB SMIZIK
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
28-SEP-05

"This startling piece of news was revealed last week: In Pennsylvania high schools, boys are eligible to participate in any girls' sport they choose.

"It previously had been believed boys could participate in girls' sports only when that particular sport was not offered to boys at their school.

"Not so. The doors are wide open for macho young men who wish to test their athletic prowess against girls.

"There might be any number of boys out there who feel the need to compete against opponents that, generally speaking, are smaller, slower and weaker than them. There also might be some boys _ teens being what they are _ who just might think it's a kick to go out en masse and perhaps take over a girls' team.

"It's perfectly legal. And perfectly ridiculous.

"Five years ago I witnessed such an athletic event. The Woodland Hills High girls' field hockey team used four boys in a game against Fox Chapel. Woodland Hills did not have a boys' field hockey team. Two of Woodland Hills' boys _ actually, they were young men _ looked more like they belonged on the football team.

"It was disgusting sight, and I'm not talking about the boys competing in kilts. I'm talking about the coach of the Woodland Hills team allowing this to happen. I'm talking about the principal of Woodland Hills not heading this off before it became an issue. I'm talking about the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association and Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League sticking their heads in the sand and ignoring the issue because of the specter of a costly and possibly losing court battle." The article.

Also from that article:

"Girls who are athletic enough to compete on a boys' team should be congratulated, much the same as a freshman who can make the varsity. Boys who compete on girls' teams should be condemned, much the same as a senior wishing to compete against freshmen."

Hm. Fact of life or double standard?

This guy sounds Dutch. Like, fresh-off-the-boat Dutch, moreso than Holland, Michigan, Dutch. Does anyone know if this is true?

He is Belgian.

I think it is important to remember that laws such as Title IX that require both genders to have equal access to sports generally benefit women more than they benefit men. Certainly there are reasons to have single sex teams but only when there are teams available for members of both genders.

When confronted with situations like this, I have to ask myself how I would feel if the situation were reversed. For instance, how would I feel if it was a girl who wanted to play on the boy's football team. Suppose she is good enough to make the team. Should she be prevented from playing football just because there isnt enough interest for a girl's football team? Would I think it wrong for her family to support her even to the point of initiating a lawsuit against the school system? I have to say that I wouldnt and similarly, I cant bring myself to judge this boy or his family harshly.

For some reason I had a feeling that Lynne would contribute a thoughtful comment on this subject. I also wondered about "if the tables were turned..."

But I have to say there are in general physical differences that influence my view of it. We speak of girls being "good enough" to join the boys' team, but not of boys being "good enough" to join the girls' team.

It's assumed they're good enough, since boys are in general larger and stronger than girls.

The above article anecdotally mentions two "boy-related injuries": "In 1999, a Fox Chapel player was sent to the hospital twice in boy-involved injuries with Woodland Hills, which, by the way, has boys on its field hockey team again this season."

Now, we don't know how many girl-related injuries there were that season, so this figure is without context. But it makes me wonder if it's unfair to the opposing all-girl teams to have boys on an otherwise all-girl team.

Is there a reason why boys shouldn't play field hockey, at all, or just why they shouldn't play on a girls' team? (And, therefore, de facto shouldn't play at all.)

As lynne notes, when this happens in the other direction, everybody's cheering "you go, girl!" and treating it as empowering. How many news stories have there been out there of high school girls who wanted to join the wrestling team having to fight the good fight against the powers that be?

I don't see why one or two boys on a field hockey team would be a huge deal, and once you get half a dozen, you can probably recruit enough more to field a team - off-season hockey or soccer players or whatever.

I think it should also be noted that not all boys are bigger and tougher than even most girls. I bet there are a lot of boys who could play just fine on the girls' team without giving the team too much of an advantage.

How absurd.

The team will pay a price for allowing Maxime to play: other schools will refuse to play a team with a boy player, thereby denying the girl players of scholarship opportunities. Meanwhile, Maxime has given up nothing. (There are no college field hockey scholarships available for boys that I'm aware of.)

It kind of defeats the lesson that team sports are supposed to teach. Moreover, nothing stops him from starting a league of his own.

Allowing Maxime to play on the HS team perverts the intent of affirmative action. And, frankly, his mom needs to learn that you can't always get what you want, even if you want it for your child.

What are the magic words that'll produce necessary results? If only the old classics like "Open Sesame!" and "Abracadabra" could work with customer service representatives, tech support and/or a stubborn spouse. Alas, during the current Mercury and Jupiter situation, you'll have to think of something more specific to your problem.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your stars are arranged in a poetic harmony. Write a passionate letter! You could woo someone with your pretty words. By putting pen to paper, you see your thoughts more clearly.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Hold a happy victorious thought, and then trust in yourself. When you do this, you intelligently, spontaneously come up with just the thing you need to get the job done.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The stars indicate the time is ripe for making a final decision. So no more ruminating. Resolve, commit and plunk down the cash! The Leo or Virgo person in your world will help you finalize a deal.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You're starting to see the same situation arise over and over at work. The only difference is, now you easily navigate through the obstacles. Your experience has become a commodity. Charge for it.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You'll ponder a relationship. The dinner you ate together. The mood in the car when you were driving around. That weird conversation. Come to a conclusion about what you'd like to lose and what you'd like to keep in this relationship.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Even your signmate Lance Armstrong has to recharge his batteries once in a while, right? Listen to your body for signals. Resting now helps you perform at your peak later.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Everything you've learned about love has led you to this important moment in your personal development. You have the chance to gather up your past and invest it in your future.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Profound learning takes place. Lessons involve listening, following directions and generally being compliant. Though you're all smiles on the outside, you're brewing some serious ideas behind those sparkling eyes.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Whatever you've let slip in your life is in danger of getting out of your grasp. Your vigilance is of utmost importance now -- don't let the day go by without taking at least one step toward that long-term goal.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The restrictions you put on yourself have become tedious. If you want to move, move. If you want to dance, dance. If you want to scream, scream. You're so lucky now when you trust your impulses.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Others admire you, though they may not say so out loud. Look in the mirror and give yourself the recognition you deserve. Some of you will now consider changing your life by changing your neighborhood.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You're walking a fine line now, but with a little optimism, you'll stay on the bright side of it. Opportunities require you to be wise, not world-weary, sophisticated, not jaded.

Eric, I have to agree with you. No one is served by this boy's action. I have to wonder how much of his obnoxious behavior results from pushing from his mom, or if he's inherently obstreperous.

I support a mom who tries to help her child realizes his dreams, even if those dreams fly in the face of convention.

Mr. Countdown: Lance Armstrong is a Virgo?! Since when are Virgos long-distance bikers?!

Oh. Since last weekend, I guess. Never mind.

Ooh, Leo is eerily prescient today.

Ingrid: In the abstract, I certainly agree with you.

In this case, it's unclear to me whether it's the boy's white-hot burning desire to play field hockey with a bunch of girls, or whether it's the mom's relentless campaign due to who knows what principle.

The fact of the matter is that her supporting his dreams, if that's the case, causes much inconvenience to others, which is my objection.

Heck, I'd get my arse handed to me if I tried playing on a high school girl's field hockey team, surely.

Q: Is field hockey a bigger men's sport in Belgium?

I have no evidence whether playing field hockey is the mom's dream or the son's. Since 12 year olds can be pretty strong willed, I can only assume that this is what the boy wants, but you are right, I don't know.

As for the inconvenience factor, the first few pioneers are always told that they are causing inconvenience for others. The first female high school football players and wrestlers, the first women sportcasters, the first African Americans who sought to attend white only schools were all blamed for causing a great deal of inconvenience. But, in the end, we adjusted as a society and found that it wasn't so hard to be inclusive after all.

Ach, Belgium. What can you expect from a country with Europe's most hideous flag?

Though you have to, grudgingly, admire a country whose inspiration for their successful 1830 political coup was...an opera.

from here:

"Did you know that Belgium owes its existence to an opera? In Septem-
ber 1830, the opera La Muette de Portici from Aubert was performed in
the Brussels opera house. The opera is about the 1647 Neapolitan upris-
ing against the Spanish king. The duet Amour sacré de la patrie (Holy
Love for the Native Land) moved the audience so much that they rushed
out into the streets and protested against the Dutch occupation."

What does Belgium's flag have to do with anything about this issue, Laura? That non sequitur threw me.

Lynne and Ingrid are right. Reverse the genders involved in this situation and we'd be screaming for the child.

Still, it's not an easy situation to "fix." There are reasons why a coed team doesn't work -- the main one being that the team would then have no other team with which to compete. My question is: how do they know there isn't enough interest in a men's field hockey team? Have they put out the call?

It took me almost a year to get an honest answer as to why Ypsilanti High School doesn't have a women's gymnastic team. I kept hearing there was a "lack of interest," but that didn't make any sense, since it hadn't been offered as a choice for several years. Then, someone leveled with me. They didn't have a qualified coach and no one saw it as a priority to find one.

It's not the lack of interest on the part of high school girls that's the problem. It's the lack of motivation by administrators to start a team and fill that gap.

I wonder if it's the same at Pioneer with men's field hockey. It's so much easier to complain about someone who wants a change than to actually deal with making that change.

Kate: it was just an inconsequential and apparently unsuccessful stab at snide humor. Ah well.

In addition to administrative apathy, which I think you're right about, there are also budgetary considerations...I suppose the result is a non-ideal sports program with some holes in it here and there.

One option might be to allow the boy to practice with the team but not to play in games with other schools. *shrug*

I think Kate hit the nail on the head with administrative apathy. Field hockey sounds like it could be really fun. I'll bet they could come up with enough boys for a team if they tried.

Wouldn't opening up an all girl's team to unrestricted participation by boys eventually end up in a team made up mostly of boys, especially if the goal was to field a competitive team? I can see the scenario where the all boys basketball team is opened up to girls, and maybe one girl makes the team as a bench warmer, while opening up the all girls basketball team to boys ends up with mostly boys that almost made the all boys team, with a couple of girls starting.

My friend's son plays field hockey. He's the smallest on the field. So obviosly at some point the "boys are bigger and stronger" statement is proven false. It should be corrected to "Most boys are bigger than most girls" Second, Field hockey is essentially a non contact sport, so size is pointless. Besides, is Jake at 98 pounds more dangerous than the 200 pound defence he had to take on?

Next, Title IX requires opportunity to play, it does not require the girls to win. If girls can play any sport; then yes, boys should be able to also. If not, thats sexism.

I'm annoyed Y thinks girls deserve single gender teams when boys have not been afforded that right in 30 years. Also, a mom fighting for her son's rights is no more turning it into a self-inportant crusade than Billie Jean King did when she faught for Title IX.

Sexism is a bitch, no matter at which side it is directed.