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I read the motion in a daze. Thank you to the judge. Take the trophy. Smile for the photo shoot. Collect prize money. Acting like everything is fine when there is clearly a problem.
I was standing on the podium in second place, but if this had been a fair competition, if I had been competing only with other women, I would have been standing on the highest podium and the accompanying first place. would have received a check.
In fact, that same day, a man wearing makeup took home the trophy and prize money at the 2021 Women’s Red Bull Cornerstone Skateboarding Contest Finals in Lincoln, Nebraska. Between the preliminaries and the finals, he received the women’s prize of $5,000.
Skateboarder speaks out after transgender athlete beats teen girl: ‘We shouldn’t sit quietly’
It felt so wrong, was So wrong. Prior to this, I had twice competed in women’s contests where men competed, and once I lost from first place to second place to a man. This time wasn’t just about coming second to the man who placed first in the women’s category, nor was it just about not being able to go home as the winner of this Red Bull event…other women… That’s what I didn’t do. Kalamazoo, Michigan. It also meant lost economic opportunities.
Losing the prize money and first-place recognition that I would have received had this been a fair competition seemed small compared to everything that female athletes are deprived of in sports. What happens to the woman who loses her world record? What happens when young high school students who train hard to earn a competitive scholarship or a spot on a team are robbed of that opportunity by male athletes? Mentally ill, predatory men and lockers? What happens to girls and women who are forced to share a room? What about the mental health effects that female athletes face from dealing with this abuse?
The stakes are high for female athletes, and we’re losing not because we’re not good enough, but because sports programs, governing bodies, and government officials are trying to understand the biological reality that men and women are physically different. A lie because you choose to reject and believe it.
After the Red Bull event, I emailed the event organizers explaining what happened and sharing my concerns that the competition was not handled properly and was not fair. I just wanted to talk to them and help prevent what happened to me from happening to other female skateboarders. they never responded.
Well, you won’t be bullied into silence. Female athletes are tired of us acting as if we have to go along with this lie. We should never feel comfortable accepting that we have to compete with male athletes who are generally bigger, faster, and stronger than us. I joined many other women who stood up for fairness in sports. Athletes like Serena Soule, Madison Kenyon, Riley Gaines, and dozens of others are speaking out every day. It’s time for all the years of hard work we put into training to excel in sports to be recognized and rewarded.
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I grew up with a single father who put me in every sports program as a kid to see what would stick. I especially loved softball and basketball, but once I started snowboarding as a teenager, I realized that board sports were my true passion. So, in the summer he fell in love with skateboarding at the age of 16, when he needed a sport. How difficult is it to balance on a skateboard?
As it turned out, it turned out to be quite difficult. I started practicing basics like ollies and shvits in my basement. I frequented his skate zoo in Kalamazoo, where I grew more confident with my board. I never expected to be this good at it, but after a few years, I started being asked to help with skateboarding camps for kids and eventually started traveling to compete in contests.
For the first time, I thought I might be able to make some money playing the sport I love. Skateboarding has taught me valuable life lessons. It’s a way to overcome your fear of taking risks on and off the board.
Expecting the worst can prevent you from experiencing the best. Sure, I’ve had my fair share of sprains, bruises, and stitches, but the pain pales in comparison to the feeling of pulling off a new trick and running away. Similarly, the online bullying and threats from so-called “transgender rights activists” cannot compare to the level of support I have received or the satisfaction I feel when I do the right thing.
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Female athletes are not entitled to carry the burden of men participating in women’s sports because they claim to be women. That’s the kind of burden I endured three times in skateboarding competitions with three different men.
The only way we can protect future sporting opportunities for women is by demanding a return to a field of fair competition and basic common sense. Sadly, we have reached a stage where telling the truth is considered courageous. And that’s a very low rating for society. Instead, we must speak and act rightly and truthfully and expect others, including those in authority who shape our laws and policies, to do the same.
