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Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump threatens to cut California's federal funding over transgender athlete controversy
The Brief AB Hernandez, an openly transgender junior from Jurupa Valley High School, is set to compete at the CIF State Track and Field meet. Her participation has sparked controversy, with the Chino Valley Unified School District board president and President Donald Trump opposing her. Hernandez has achieved significant success, including top state rankings in triple jump and long jump, despite the ongoing debate. RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. - AB Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School, is preparing to compete as the only openly transgender athlete at the CIF State Track and Field meet this weekend. Despite her athletic success, including top state rankings in the triple jump and long jump, her participation has become a focal point of controversy. The president of the Chino Valley Unified School District board, a state Assembly member, and President Donald Trump have all voiced opposition, with Trump even threatening to withhold federal funding from California over the issue. A new CIF policy was revealed Tuesday, stating biological female student athletes won't be displaced in field events while still allowing transgender athletes to compete and medal. What we know Hernandez is set to compete in the CIF State Track and Field meet on Friday and Saturday at Buchanan High School in Clovis. She is currently ranked No. 1 in California for the triple jump and No. 2 in the long jump by Hernandez previously won the girls invitational portion of the Mt. SAC Relays in April and the CIF Southern Section Division 3 titles in the long jump and triple jump in May. She also qualified for the CIF State meet in both the triple jump and long jump after finishing first in both events at the Masters Meet. SUGGESTED: Redlands Unified school board votes in favor of rule targeting transgender athletes Her participation in girls' high school track and field has drawn significant opposition from Sonja Shaw, the president of the Chino Valley Unified School District, who has been attending meets to protest Hernandez's involvement. Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez, a Republican, introduced Assembly Bill 89 in January, which aimed to ban biological males from competing in girls sports within the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), but the bill failed in committee on April 2. President Donald Trump posted on social media Tuesday, threatening to withhold federal funding from California if transgender athletes are allowed to compete in girls sports and called on local authorities to prevent Hernandez from competing in the CIF State meet. Dig deeper The new CIF policy, which officials said was decided prior to Trump's post on Tuesday, states that biological female student athletes won't be displaced in field events while still allowing transgender athletes to compete and medal. "CIF's proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness - a model worth pursuing," said Izzy Gardon, director of communications. What they're saying Hernandez addressed the controversy, stating, "I leave the controversy out at the meet. I just relax and... do what I can do, hone in, and leave it all out on the (field) and just focus. Do what I can do and just leave the controversy out." Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified School District, expressed her strong opposition: "We will keep fighting, and our girls will win. Our district has already sent a letter to President Trump asking him to intervene because one daughter hurt is one too many. This is the hill we are willing to die on, and we are not standing alone. I will continue to file claims with the Office of Civil Rights, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Education. Advocates for Faith & Freedom already has a lawsuit in motion, and California Family Council has launched a petition." Shaw also publicly tore up a cease-and-desist letter from Hernandez's mother, stating, "I ripped up the cease-and-desist letter in front of the board and I'd do it again. That letter was nothing more than an intimidation tactic designed to silence truth and protect an agenda that's hurting our girls. I'm not here to cower to threats or political theater. I'm here to stand for reality, fairness, and the rights of young women who are being erased in real time." SUGGESTED: CA lawmakers introduce bill protecting girls from trans athletes after state refuses to follow Trump's order President Trump, in his social media post, stated: "California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newsom, continues to ILLEGALLY allow MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN'S SPORTS.' This week a transitioned male athlete, at a major event, woneverything,' and is now qualified to compete in the State Finals' next weekend. As a male, he was a less than average competitor. As a female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS. Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to. The Governor, himself, said it isUNFAIR.' I will speak to him today to find out which way he wants to go??? In the meantime I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!" Nereyda Hernandez, AB's mother, expressed pride in her daughter: "I couldn't be any prouder regardless of all the noise. She's successful. She is first place, and it's her third year. I couldn't be any prouder." Daisy Gardner, a friend of the Hernandez family, highlighted the severity of some of the online backlash: "Some of the scariest people are coming out of the woodwork saying they wish harm on this family and this kid. I cannot tell you how impressive it has been to see a child compete and focus on her sport." Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez stated at a committee meeting that her bill "simply requires California Interscholastic Federation to align with federal policy ensuring that high school girls competitive sports are reserved for biological females. Let's be clear. It is not about hate, it is not about fear, and it's not about right-wing talking points. This is entirely about fairness, safety, and integrity in girls competitive high school athletics." SUGGESTED: Charlie Kirk discusses conversation with Newsom on trans athletes The backstory Hernandez has been a part of the Jurupa Valley High School track and field team for three years. In 2024, as a sophomore, she placed third in the triple jump at the CIF State Track and Field meet. She also played on the Jurupa Valley High School girls volleyball team in the fall, which reached the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 8 girls volleyball playoffs. SUGGESTED: Debate over transgender athletes in California The controversy intensified after the CIF Southern Section finals on May 17, where Hernandez won the long jump and triple jump. Photos and videos of a competitor, Reese Hogan, stepping onto the first-place podium after Hernandez had stepped off, circulated online, drawing more attention and mixed reactions to Hernandez's participation. What's next Hernandez will compete in the CIF State Track and Field meet on Friday and Saturday, aiming for the top spot in her events. Meanwhile, the legal and political challenges surrounding transgender athletes in high school sports are expected to continue. SUGGESTED: Lawsuit filed after transgender athlete joins girl's cross country team The Source Information for this story is from FOX News and City News Service.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Aliso Niguel's Jaslene Massey taking aim at state title in shotput
Junior shotputter Jaslene Massey of Aliso Niguel. (Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times) When Jaslene Massey smiles, it's contagious. You want to return the smile. She has a bubbling personality that encourages track and field fans to cheer for her to succeed. In the shotput, she has developed into the favorite to win a state championship. She won the Orange County championships with a mark of 50 feet, 7 inches. She's the first California high school girl to surpass 50 feet since 2016. Advertisement Last week she won the Arcadia Invitational. On Saturday, she won at the Mt. SAC Relays. She finished second last year in the Southern Section Masters Meet at 46 feet and third in the state championship after being a high jumper as a freshman. 'It's definitely come as a shock to me,' said Massey, a junior who has a 4.4 grade-point average. 'Last year I thought I was going to go 47 feet. Now I want to keep working.' She deserves to be considered one of the best female athletes in Southern California, because she's also a standout volleyball player and was a youth figure skater. Her athleticism has been put to good use in the shotput, something she had not done until high school. 'She's so strong and explosive,' her club coach, Mike O'Dell, said. Advertisement O'Dell first saw her at a meet and went to her parents to offer support. 'I saw her throw a shotput like it was a three-pointer,' he said. She's 5 feet 9 with long arms, making her a good fit for the event. 'Being long really helps,' said Sherman Oaks Notre Dame throwing coach Nick Garcia. O'Dell helped revise Massey's training, including in the weight room. 'The way I weightlifted completely changed,' she said. 'I was doing it on my own freshman and sophomore year. I think my explosive ability from volleyball really helps. He's been able to build me up.' NFL draft This coming week will be a big week for fans of Servite High football, because two former Friars, defensive lineman Mason Graham and receiver Tetairoa McMillan, are expected to be selected on Thursday during the opening night of the NFL draft. Servite's Mason Graham has 10 sacks. They were teammates on Servite's 2021 team that lost to Mater Dei in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game before moving on to Michigan and Arizona, respectively. Advertisement Former Servite coach Troy Thomas, at the invitation of Graham, will attend the draft in Green Bay. There's lots of unique things to like about both in this time of change in the sports world. For one, they were both four-year players at Servite and multiple-sport athletes. Graham also played rugby and wrestled. McMillan played basketball and volleyball. "They check every box. High character, durable," Thomas said. Both endured the pandemic of 2020-21. It affected Graham's recruiting. He didn't become a top recruit until late in his senior season. "Every year, he got better and kept growing," said Thomas, who remembers him as a 6-1, 200-pound freshman. "He was 265 junior year and 285 senior. He played like a linebacker on the defensive line." McMillan was one of the best athletes at Servite. His intelligence and toughness came through in practices and games. "His control in the air has been a big factor," Thomas said. "He does so many things well. It seems effortless and seems easy when you watch him. He's very competitive and very tough." Another player who should be taken taken in the first two rounds is former Oaks Christian and UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger. He started out as a walk-on for the Bruins and also had his recruiting affected by the pandemic even more, graduating in 2021 after a brief spring season of football. His story will be told again and again about a teenager seeking a chance and trusting the process. Advertisement Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Aliso Niguel's Jaslene Massey taking aim at state title in shotput
When Jaslene Massey smiles, it's contagious. You want to return the smile. She has a bubbling personality that encourages track and field fans to cheer for her to succeed. In the shotput, she has developed into the favorite to win a state championship. She won the Orange County championships with a mark of 50 feet, 7 inches. She's the first California high school girl to surpass 50 feet since 2016. Last week she won the Arcadia Invitational. On Saturday, she won at the Mt. SAC Relays. She finished second last year in the Southern Section Masters Meet at 46 feet and third in the state championship after being a high jumper as a freshman. 'It's definitely come as a shock to me,' said Massey, a junior who has a 4.4 grade-point average. 'Last year I thought I was going to go 47 feet. Now I want to keep working.' She deserves to be considered one of the best female athletes in Southern California, because she's also a standout volleyball player and was a youth figure skater. Her athleticism has been put to good use in the shotput, something she had not done until high school. 'She's so strong and explosive,' her club coach, Mike O'Dell, said. O'Dell first saw her at a meet and went to her parents to offer support. 'I saw her throw a shotput like it was a three-pointer,' he said. She's 5 feet 9 with long arms, making her a good fit for the event. 'Being long really helps,' said Sherman Oaks Notre Dame throwing coach Nick Garcia. O'Dell helped revise Massey's training, including in the weight room. 'The way I weightlifted completely changed,' she said. 'I was doing it on my own freshman and sophomore year. I think my explosive ability from volleyball really helps. He's been able to build me up.' This coming week will be a big week for fans of Servite High football, because two former Friars, defensive lineman Mason Graham and receiver Tetairoa McMillan, are expected to be selected on Thursday during the opening night of the NFL draft. They were teammates on Servite's 2021 team that lost to Mater Dei in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game before moving on to Michigan and Arizona, respectively. Former Servite coach Troy Thomas, at the invitation of Graham, will attend the draft in Green Bay. There's lots of unique things to like about both in this time of change in the sports world. For one, they were both four-year players at Servite and multiple-sport athletes. Graham also played rugby and wrestled. McMillan played basketball and volleyball. 'They check every box. High character, durable,' Thomas said. Both endured the pandemic of 2020-21. It affected Graham's recruiting. He didn't become a top recruit until late in his senior season. 'Every year, he got better and kept growing,' said Thomas, who remembers him as a 6-1, 200-pound freshman. 'He was 265 junior year and 285 senior. He played like a linebacker on the defensive line.' McMillan was one of the best athletes at Servite. His intelligence and toughness came through in practices and games. 'His control in the air has been a big factor,' Thomas said. 'He does so many things well. It seems effortless and seems easy when you watch him. He's very competitive and very tough.' Another player who should be taken taken in the first two rounds is former Oaks Christian and UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger. He started out as a walk-on for the Bruins and also had his recruiting affected by the pandemic even more, graduating in 2021 after a brief spring season of football. His story will be told again and again about a teenager seeking a chance and trusting the process.
USA Today
19-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Washington school record sets tone for outdoor track & field season
Washington school record sets tone for outdoor track & field season Fresh off a bevy of program-best finishes in the indoor season, the Washington Huskies track & field team got off to a blazing start in their first widely-attended outdoor meets of the year. With two meets in southern California - the Bryan Clay Invitational and Mt. SAC Relays - happening concurrently, the Huskies had plenty of chances to fly up the school leaderboards. Indoor All-American Kyle Reinheimer set the foundation for the week with a school record in the 800m at the Bryan Clay Invitational, swinging all the way into lane 3 around the final corner en route to a 1:46.09 finish. Reinheimer charged across the line in first place after entering the final turn in fifth, breaking Nathan Green's program record and putting himself at No. 4 in the NCAA this season in the process. Paris Olympian Sophie O'Sullivan spent the indoor season in Australia because she lacked another season of collegiate indoor eligibility, but she donned a UW uniform again on Thursday to kick off her final outdoor season as a Husky. The Irishwoman took on an elite field of 800m runners at Bryan Clay, finishing in third in 2:00.61 and matching Reinheimer at No. 4 in the NCAA this season. Behind O'Sullivan, Clair Yerby set a personal best in 2:04.47, the No. 8 time in school history. Late in the California night, distance men Acer Iverson, Evan Jenkins, Jamar Distel, Leo Daschbach, and Tyrone Gorze were split among three heats of the 5,000 meters. Iverson and Jenkins finished third and fifth in the first heat with times of 13:33.67 and 13:35.03 to set new No. 4 and No. 5 marks in program history. Distel won the final heat, closing at 11:30 pm Thursday night, in a personal best of 13:37.54 to catapult himself into No. 7 in school history. Just down the road at Mt. SAC, heptathlete Sofia Cosculluela matched Reinheimer and O'Sullivan's standings in the NCAA this season with a total of 5,817 points. The 2024 Spanish national champion set a personal best in the javelin and put the rest of the NCAA on notice in her first major meet as a Husky. Cincinnati transfer Leonie Troeger made her Husky debut as well, landing at No. 7 in program history with a javelin throw of 161-10. Jack Olsen won the men's javelin with back-to-back throws of 216-3. On Friday, Washington doubled back with their stable of milers leading the way. Chloe Foerster continued her strong season after a dominant showing at the Stanford Invitational, breaking a Bryan Clay meet record in the 1500m previously held by Shelby Houlihan, a former US champion, with a 4:05.75. That time also lowered her personal best by almost two full seconds, solidifying her hold on the No. 2 spot in school history and moving her into No. 5 on the NCAA all-time list and No. 2 in this season's NCAA standings. (O'Sullivan's school record of 4:00.23 does not count for the NCAA all-time leaderboards because she ran it at the Olympics, not an NCAA event.) Washington put five other women under 4:15 in the event - O'Sullivan finished third in the race in 4:08.69. Maggie Liebich rocketed to No. 8 in school history in 4:12.35, while Mia Cochran and Amina Maatoug tied for No. 10 in program history in 4:12.65. Yerby ran a personal best of 4:14.78, while Julia David-Smith clocked 4:17.33. It was a Husky 1-2 in the men's you count alumni. Nathan Green ran his first race since the indoor season, outpacing Washington alum Sam Ellis 3:35.52 to 3:35.57. Green also held off Georgetown's Abel Teffra, who nicked Green at the line at the NCAA Indoor Championships to break Washington's streak of titles in the event. Teffra was third in 3:35.81. Ronan McMahon-Staggs, Rhys Hammond, and Martin Barco all went under 3:40 as well, with McMahon-Staggs at 3:38.23 and Hammond at 3:38.24 earning the no. 5 and 6 spots in school history. At Mt. SAC, the headliner was freshman Bodi Ligons, who won the 400m hurdles with a personal best of 51.10 to set the No. 8 time in program history. Mikayla Gardley (400m hurdles), Ava Washburn (long jump and triple jump), and Rachel Bir (triple jump) all set personal bests as well. Washington continues their outdoor season next week with the Penn Relays in Philadelphia.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Prep talk: Mt. SAC Relays are set for Saturday
One week after great performances at the Arcadia Invitational, the Mt. SAC Relays at Mt. San Antonio College take center state on Saturday. Among the entrants is the state's fastest sprinter, defending state champion Brandon Arrington from Mt. Miguel High. He's run 10.24 seconds in the 100 meters and 20.35 in the 200 this year and won both at Arcadia. Jack Stadlman of Temecula Valley, the top 400 runner, is entered in the 200. Advertisement High jumper JJ Harel of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, who stopped workouts for two weeks and missed Arcadia, could be back on Saturday. He resumed training this week. Servite's outstanding relay teams are expected to compete after winning twice last week. Leo Francis of Santa Margarita is in the long jump after winning at Arcadia last week. … The Collision All-Star basketball games will take place Saturday at St. Bernard. The girls' game is at 3:30 p.m. and the boys' game at 5:30 p.m. This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email Advertisement Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
