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Exercise records are important. Our records as track and field athletes are official recognition of our achievements and the years of training and competition we have put in. Athletic performance is also important to scouts and college administrators who determine scholarships and admissions. And they are also important to future employers and job prospects.
The athletic achievements you get when you compete in track and field in high school are on your resume and should stay with you for a lifetime, opening doors to higher education, leadership, employment and personal fulfillment.
But sadly for the four of us, our record has been tarnished, our achievements diminished, our opportunities diminished.
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Beginning in 2017, the first one and then two biological male athletes began competing in track and field at a girls’ high school in Connecticut. In just three years, her two men broke her 17th women’s track and field event record, robbing her of more than 85 opportunities for women to progress to the next level of competition. , won her 15 titles in the women’s state track championships.
Four of those championship titles were won by one of us, Chelsea Mitchell. Chelsea has been the fastest women in the women’s state championship race on her four occasions, and four times she has seen that title, honor and recognition go to a biologically male athlete. Throughout her high school career, Chelsea lost to these male athletes more than 20 times.
Three of us, Serena Soul, Alana Smith, and Ashley Nicoletti, have likewise been denied medals, placements, or promotion opportunities because of the presence of male athletes in our competition. I’m here.
Serena missed out on qualifying for the state championship 55m final in the 2018-19 season and missed out on qualifying for the New England Regional Championship by one frame. Two spots were occupied by men.
Alana finished second in the 200 meters at the New England Regional Championships, but dropped to third behind the men’s athletes. Ashley missed the opportunity to compete at the 2019 Outdoor State Open Championships because of two male competitors.
So while we were still teenagers and applying for college and scholarships, we filed a lawsuit against the Connecticut Interdisciplinary Athletic Council for legal assistance from the League of Liberty. CIAC policies forced us to compete against and lose to our biological male competitors, disqualified us for Title IX, and tarnished our athletic records.
Exercise records are especially important for girls. It wasn’t until 1972 that women were given equal sporting opportunities, and since then we’ve been working overtime to catch up with the boys. Title IX exists to give girls equal opportunities to exercise. Athletic records play an important role not only in maintaining women’s performance, but also in promoting women’s future participation and success in sport.
Dozens of female athletes, many of whom are Olympians and champions in their respective sports, recently filed briefs supporting our lawsuit, allowing men to participate in and dominate women’s sports. accused it of being unfair.
They said, “The rules and records committees have not been amended. We are not only haunted by our own memories and experiences. “This cannot be our legacy.” Give leave for women and girls, for the millions of humanity born female. ”
Who would have thought that girls would have to fight the battle for equality again?
The entire United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit heard our case on June 6th. We stand on behalf of women and girls across the nation, and we’re calling on the courts to defend the future of women’s sport. This is much more than the championship titles we should have or the achievements we should have on our resume.
It’s been over three years since we filed our lawsuit, and the courts still haven’t addressed, let alone cured, one blatant Title 9 violation committed against us.
As it stands, CIAC policy undermines every one of our achievements. CIAC must amend its policies to maintain fairness and equality. That way, other girls won’t have to go through the mental and psychological pain and anxiety that we all go through as we are forced to compete on an unfair playing field. Courts regularly acknowledge that student-athletes have a continuing interest in validating the records they have earned. That’s what we’re asking here for the Second Circuit.
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Dozens of female athletes, many of whom are Olympians and champions in their respective sports, recently filed briefs supporting our lawsuit, allowing men to participate in and dominate women’s sports. accused it of being unfair.
It pains me to see other women deprived of the medals, high-level competitive opportunities and podium-worthy recognition they deserve. All of these are important to scouts and can undermine our efforts to win college scholarships.
We don’t want other women to end up having to try to explain their inaccurate exercise records to future employers. Recruiters and business executives will tell you that playing and winning sports gives applicants a competitive edge in the job market.
As more than 40 business executives recently wrote in support of our contention, “Participation in high school athletic meet correlates with career success,” and “Athletic performance record As expected, it is important to the hiring decision.”
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We can count on government officials, policy makers and sports governing bodies to adequately uphold Title IX protections for female athletes. When a girl plays sports, she has the right to a fair and accurate representation of her achievements, not a record that will permanently tarnish. Her athletic achievements are important to scouts, scholarship boards, prospective employers and clients.
But above all, they matter to her, her own values and pride in a job well done.
Chelsea Mitchell, Alana Smith, and Ashley Nicoletti, former Connecticut high school track and field athletes, are plaintiffs. Seoul v. Connecticut Association of Schools.