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Fox News
5 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Trans pitcher hits 2 doubles, throws another complete game to send team to Minnesota state championship
After a dramatic, walk-off win in Wednesday's semifinal, the Champlin Park Rebels are headed to the Minnesota High School Girls' Softball State Championship — and so is their transgender pitcher Marissa Rothenberger. After giving up two early runs in a shaky start, Rothenberger settled in and pitched a complete game to help No. 2-seeded Champlin Park edge past No. 6 White Bear Lake, 3-2, in the Class AAAA state semifinals. Rothenberger gave up seven hits and two runs (one earned) and struck out three in the effort. But it was Rothenberger's hitting that really sparked the comeback. The junior led off the fifth inning with a double that began Champlin Park's rally to tie the game at 2 apiece. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Rothenberger — who went 2-for-3 at the plate — opened the inning with another double. Rothenberger was replaced by a "courtesy runner," who eventually scored the game-winning run on a two-out, walk-off hit from junior outfielder Ava Parent. Champlin Park will face No. 4-seeded Bloomington Jefferson in the championship game on Friday at the University of Minnesota's Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. Jefferson upset top-seeded Forest Lake earlier Wednesday. But while Champlin Park celebrated its walk-off win, the scene in the White Bear Lake dugout was far different. Many of the girls were visibly emotional, some in tears, as the reality of the season-ending loss set in. One player turned to her father and asked, "Why can't you do something?" No parents were willing to go on record, but OutKick spoke with two White Bear Lake dads in the stands who expressed deep frustration with the system that allowed their daughters to compete against a male athlete — namely, the Democrat politicians who prioritize ideology over fairness. "You're looking at a whole team of future Republicans," one man said. Another dad agreed, saying this might be an eye-opening experience for the parents: "They're like, "Oh, they're crushing my kid's dreams? Maybe I made the wrong choices." Despite President Donald Trump's executive order, the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) allows student-athletes to compete in events consistent with their gender identity, regardless of biological sex. MSHSL said that the eligibility of transgender student-athletes is "determined by state law, through the Minnesota Human Rights Act and the Minnesota Constitution." Despite national governing bodies — like USA Softball and the NCAA — instituting female-only eligibility policies, such state-level laws create enforcement loopholes that leave parents and female athletes feeling helpless. And today in North Mankato, Minn., that helplessness was written all over the faces of the White Bear Lake players. As one girl walked off the field, her father met her behind the dugout. "That's not fair," she said. "That's Minnesota," he replied. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
CBS News
24-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Parents of Minnesota high school athletes paralyzed in games push lawmakers to up insurance payouts
There was emotional testimony at the Minnesota State Capitol on Monday from parents whose kids suffered life-changing injuries playing the sports they loved. The parents of hockey player Jack Jablonski and football player Ethan Glynn said their sons' injuries wiped them out financially. Glynn was paralyzed in a ninth-grade Bloomington Jefferson football game in 2022. He is now a quadriplegic and requires 24/7 care. His family says they didn't receive anything from the Minnesota High School League (MSHSL) insurance because it didn't cover ninth-grade sports. "If he had been on a JV or varsity team, he would have been covered," said Cassidy Dirk, Glynn's mother. "The cost of paralysis is much more than medical bills. It's life-long care, home modifications, specialized equipment." Jablonski became a quadriplegic in 2011 after being checked from behind during a high school hockey game. Because he was on JV and varsity teams, he did benefit from the MSHSL's $2 million insurance policy. But his father, Mike Jablonski, says he was quickly told that would not begin to cover lifetime expenses. "'He said, 'Oh my God, Mike, your family will be financially ruined in the next 10 to 15 years,'" said Mike Jablonski. The two families are seeking to up the MSHSL's lifetime payout to $10 million, with a $50,000 deductible. The students covered would include athletes, student managers, trainers and cheerleaders. However, the MSHSL says that would be too expensive. "I am here to talk to you about the Minnesota State High School League purchase of insurance and urge you not to adopt the bill," said Renee Corneille, a MSHSL board member. Under questioning from the committee, MSHSL members said they had not priced out a $10 million policy, but a $5 million policy would cost $125,000 more. Committee members seemed stunned. "Not sure in my nine years I have been on such an intellectual, emotional roller coaster ride," said Democratic Sen. Steve Cwodzinski. "I think we should help these families some way," said Republican Sen. Jim Abeler. The sponsor of the bill, Democratic Sen. Scott Dibble, did give credit to the MSHSL for increasing their coverage from $2 million to $3 million, and for now including ninth graders. But he said that does nothing to help these families. Dibble said the amount of coverage for kids now playing high school sports in not enough and simply unacceptable. The bill is expected to move forward at the Capitol.
