Latest news with #SouthernSectionMastersMeet
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Servite's ‘Fab Four' show their blazing speed at state track and field prelims
CLOVIS, Calif. — Call them the 'Fab Four.' Servite's boys' 4x100-meter relay team, consisting of freshmen Jace Wells, Jaelen Hunter, Kamil Pelovello and Jorden Wells got Friday's CIF State Track and Field Championships off to a blazing start by winning the first heat in 40.28 seconds and earning the top qualifying time — not bad for the foursome's first go around the oval. Robert Gardner ran the anchor leg behind Jace Wells, Hunter and Pelovello six days earlier when the Friars clocked 40.40 to win the Southern Section Masters Meet and fellow sophomore Benjamin Harris joined Jorden Wells, Hunter and Gardner when Servite set a state and meet record at the Arcadia Invitational in April. Friday was all about the 'youth movement.' They left Veterans Memorial Stadium at Buchanan High believing that they could return Saturday to break the state meet record of 40.24 set by Hawthorne in 1989. 'This is the first time that all four of us have been in the same relay,' Hunter said. 'We're going after the record tomorrow.' Sherman Oaks Notre Dame won Heat 2 in 40.83, the second-fastest time. Hunter showed why he's the fastest freshman in the country one hour later when he looked like he was saving his energy for the finals even while winning his 400-meter heat in 47.43, the third-fastest prelims time behind Temecula Valley senior Jack Stadlman (46.99) and Culver City's Duaine Mayrant (47.38). Jace Wells clocked a personal-best to win his 200 meters heat in 21.03 while Stadlman (21 flat), Antrell Harris (21.14) and Leo Francis (21.16) from Santa Margarita also advanced to the finals ahead of USC-bound RJ Sermons of Rancho Cucamonga, who raced Nicolas Obimga of Torrance head-to-head at 11 p.m. for the last qualifying spot after they tied to the thousandth of a second for ninth. Sermons won by 20 hundredths in 21.11 with the stadium empty to secure his spot in the finals. 'I've never been in a run-off before,' Sermons said, shaking his head. 'I had a bad start the first time. No one to blame but me.' Servite capped its impressive day by winning its 4x400 meters heat in 3 minutes 10.94 seconds, holding off Cathedral (3:11.13) for the second-fastest qualifying time behind Long Beach Poly (3:10.70). Maintenance crews will be working overnight trying remove the scorch marks on the track after the boys' 100 meters. All nine sprinters to advance to Saturday's finals clocked 10.51 or under led by De La Salle junior Jaden Jefferson, whose wind-legal 10.01 bettered the California record of 10.14 by Rodrick Pleasant of Gardena Serra in 2022. Second in the heat was Obimga (10.20) and third was City Section champion Antrell Harris of Birmingham, giving a single heat the first, second and fourth-fastest times in the state this year. USC-bound RJ Sermons of Rancho Cucamonga bounced back from a subpar Masters race, where he finished fourth in 10.47, to win his heat in 10.40 and Demare Dezeurn, who repeated as Masters champion in 10.35 seconds, also topped his heat Friday in 10.43. Benjamin Harris won Heat 4 in 10.49. 'Today was all about qualifying for finals, said Dezeurn, a 10th-grader from Alemany. 'It's great competition. I have to go hard tomorrow. If I can beat him at the start I can beat him in the race. He [Jefferson] is good, though. Seeing those times just makes me love the game even more. I want to prove I belong here. I run to win!' Carson's Christina Gray anchored the Colts' 4x100 relay, which posted the fastest qualifying time (46.16) while Journey Cole's late kick on the anchor leg in Heat 2 allowed Redondo Union (46.33) to clip last year's state champion Oaks Christian, which posted the same time (46.39) as Long Beach Poly. Gray followed with a personal-best 11.47 in the 100, beating Chaparral's Keelan Wright by two hundredths of a second for second in her heat. Calabasas sophomore Malia Rainey yelled 'C'mon' after winning her heat in a personal-best 11.57 while teammate Marley Scoggins won Heat 4 in 11.67. Wright bounced back to post the best time (23.58) in the 200 while Gray finished second in 23.71, the second-fastest time and much swifter than her 24.62 at City Finals. 'In the 100 I had a great start, now I just have to work on the finish,' Gray said. 'It's still a great time for me. I'm feeling pretty good, there was no negative wind and winning the relay gave me confidence as I was feeling doubtful before that but after the 4x100 I knew I'd do well the rest of the day. Reigning discus champion Aja Johnson Sherman Oaks Notre Dame struggled Friday but secured the 12th and last finals spot with an effort of 139 feet 3 inches. Camarillo's Trinity Tipton was the top qualifier at 152-06. The 2023 shot put state champion, Johnson was the top qualifier Friday at 45-05, beating Aliso Niguel's Jaslene Massey by six inches. Transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley was the leading qualifier in the girls' long jump (19-11.75), triple jump (40-09.75) and high jump (5-05.00).
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
California, Trump and the battle over transgender athletes
The intense scrutiny of teenage transgender athletes in California intensified this week as the U.S. Justice Department announced it was investigating the state for allowing them to participate in girls' sports and President Trump threatened to cut federal funding over the issue. My colleagues Kevin Rector, Brittny Mejia and Howard Blume reported that the Justice Department is investigating whether California, its interscholastic sports federation, and the Jurupa Unified School District are violating the rights of cisgender high school girls by allowing trans athletes to compete alongside them. The department also threw its support behind a pending lawsuit alleging similar violations of girls' rights in the Riverside Unified School District, said U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli, who oversees much of the Los Angeles region, and Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. The announcements came one day after Trump threatened to cut federal funding to the state if it continued to allow trans athletes to compete in women's sports. In a Truth Social post Tuesday, Trump blasted Gov. Gavin Newsom — whom he called 'Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum' — saying that under his leadership, the state 'continues to ILLEGALLY allow 'MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN'S SPORTS.'' The president referenced 'a transitioned Male athlete' who 'won 'everything,' and is now qualified to compete in the 'State Finals' next weekend.' My colleagues Blume, Hannah Fry, Steve Henson and Taryn Luna reported that Trump appeared to be referencing a transgender Jurupa Valley High School junior who won the girls' long jump and triple jump during the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Masters Meet last week. Trump said he would be 'ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!' The California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees sports at more than 1,500 high schools, announced that it would expand the number of athletes eligible to compete in the upcoming state championship. Under the new rules announced Tuesday, cisgender female athletes who fell one sport short of qualifying for the state track meet will be allowed to compete in the championship. Transgender athletes are not disqualified from participating. The state track meet begins Friday in Clovis. The city's mayor pro tem, Diane Pearce, wrote on Facebook that the new rules showed that CIF officials 'know they're in the wrong' and that 'we must keep up the pressure!' Earlier this week, Pearce criticized the competition of 'a biological male' in the event. Newsom praised the CIF rules. '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, a spokesperson for Newsom, in a statement. 'The governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach.' The Democratic governor— an outspoken champion of LGBTQ+ rights since he was mayor of San Francisco — called trans athletes' participation in women's sports 'deeply unfair' during a podcast interview in March, splitting from many in his party on an issue that Republicans capitalized on during the presidential election. Trump has repeatedly targeted transgender rights during his first four months back in the White House. The president issued an executive order barring the federal government from recognizing genders other than male or female. And he has pushed to ban transgender Americans from the U.S. military, writing in an executive order that transgender identity is a 'falsehood' inconsistent with the 'humility and selflessness required of a service member.' The Supreme Court this month cleared the way for that ban to take effect. In February, Trump signed an executive order titled 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports,' which gave federal agencies the ability to penalize schools for allowing transgender athletes to compete — something the Trump administration says violates Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sexual discrimination. What else is going on Karen says, 'Murphys in Calaveras County.'Pasqual says, 'Mendocino.' Email us at essentialcalifornia@ and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. Today's great photo is from Times photographer Christina House on the set of 'Everybody's Live With John Mulaney' with actor Richard Kind. Hailey Branson-Potts, staff reporterKevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew Campa, Sunday writerKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
What we know about the trans high school student at the center of Trump's threat to remove California funding
A transgender high school student was pushed into the national spotlight this week after President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from California over her participation in this weekend's state track and field championships. A.B. Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School, is at the center of controversy after she qualified in the long jump and triple jump in the upcoming meet, prompting the agency governing high school sports in California to change its rules to allow more cisgender girls to compete. The California Interscholastic Federation said in the announcement Tuesday it decided at the end of its track and field qualifying meets last weekend to 'pilot an entry process' for the championships, inviting those 'biological female' student athletes who would have otherwise earned a qualifying mark were it not for the participation of trans students in the competition, an automatic entry to compete in the finals. On Tuesday, President Trump said, '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,' in a post on Truth Social. President Trump's statement alluded to his February executive order titled 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports,' which leans on compliance with Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities receiving funding from the federal government. In an interview with the nonprofit news organization Capital & Main earlier this month, Hernandez said after competing on the team for three years, this is the first year her presence has received backlash. 'There's nothing I can do about people's actions, just focus on my own,' Hernandez told Capital & Main. 'I'm still a child. You're an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person.' The Hernandez family declined to comment for this story when contacted by CNN. Here's what we know about the student athlete and why her participation in women's sports events has drawn controversy: In its statement, the federation said the rule change only applies to this weekend's competition without specifying whether it will be set in place for all future sports events. Coach Keinan Briggs, a club coach who is not affiliated with specific schools, coaches two student athletes – from Calvary Chapel High School in Santa Ana and Woodbridge High School in Irvine – who took lower places in the last weekend's competition due to A.B.'s participation. At the Southern Section Masters Meet, A.B. finished first in the triple jump and long jump, qualifying her for the upcoming championships. Briggs' student Skyler Cazale, from Santa Ana, finished third in the triple jump last weekend but her third-place finish behind AB drew significant ire from the community, he told CNN. According to the Capital & Main report, A.B. is ranked third in California in the triple jump but she's not highly ranked nationally. A.B.'s placement also had a 'trickle effect,' which bumped his student from Irvine down because she did not make the qualifying list for the championships in the long jump, effectively ending her season, Briggs said. The coach added he felt for the student and her parents because he 'couldn't give her the emotional support that I typically would give because it wasn't us, it was the way the system set up that put her in a position to where she couldn't continue.' 'That's been hard for her,' Briggs said. 'She also understands that the mark was the mark, she needed to hit that, but it comes down to the fairness of the event – the way it's set up – there was one less biological girl able to compete.' While many parents and community members are upset, Briggs says he agrees with those who believe A.B. should be competing because there is not a specific category for transgender athletes. He doesn't believe the Trump administration should take away California funding, but says the bigger question should be: 'How do we give support for all athletes to be able to feel welcome, included, to where they're able to compete?' Rather than taking away federal funding, Briggs said the federal funds should be used to create resources and opportunities for more student athletes in general. A.B. has been training rigorously, said Briggs, who added he's watched her 'progression throughout the years. She is getting better; she's doing a great job. However, right now, the debate is where she should be competing.' At a track meet earlier this month, A.B. was accompanied by campus security guards and deputies from the Orange County Sheriff's Department as she faced heckling and protesters in the crowd, Briggs said. During a break at the meet, A.B. said in an exclusive interview with Capital & Main she has the support of most of the athletes she competes against. 'Girls were just shocked that people would actually come to do that, and really bully a child,' A.B. told the news organization. 'I've trained so hard. I mean, hours of conditioning every day, five days a week. Every day since November, three hours after school. And then all of summer, no summer break for me,' she said in the interview. 'A few people think I'm brave and strong and they hope to be like me one day. I say, don't just hope, make it happen.' Sonja Shaw, a candidate for California superintendent of instruction in the 2026 election and an activist with the advocacy group Save Girls Sports, which is pushing for a ban on trans girl athletes from girls' athletics in the state, had a heated exchange with A.B.'s supporters and her mother, Nereyda Hernandez, according to Capital & Main reporting. 'What a coward of a woman you are, allowing that,' Shaw told A.B.'s mother, according to the Capital & Main report. In a statement on Instagram earlier this month, A.B.'s mother said A.B.'s identity 'doesn't give her an advantage; it gives her courage. It takes immense bravery to show up, compete, and be visible in a world that often questions your very right to exist, let alone to participate.' Nereyda Hernandez said in the post the actions of those who have 'doxed, harassed and violated my daughter A.B.'s privacy' are 'not only shameful, but they are also abusive,' and have created a 'hostile and unsafe environment for a minor.' At the core of disagreements over transgender athletes' participation in sports, which prompted more than half of US states to implement bans on trans athlete participation since 2020, is whether transgender women have unfair physical athletic advantages. Few trans athletes have reached elite levels of sports competition and even fewer have taken home top prizes, but their limited success has fueled the growing movement to ban them from participating on teams consistent with their gender identity, CNN has reported. Research on trans people's athletic performance is scarce, and there have been no large-scale scientific studies on the topic or on how hormone therapies may affect their performance in specific sport categories, such as running or wrestling. Trans athletes and advocates say trans people deserve the right to compete alongside their peers and reap the proven social, physical and mental benefits of sports. Even among cisgender athletes, bodies and physical abilities vary widely, and traits that may be an advantage in one sport – such as grip strength or bone density – may not be an advantage in others, experts say. A day after Trump's threat to withhold federal funding from California over A.B.'s participation in the sporting event, the Justice Department announced it was investigating whether California's School Success and Opportunity Act, which in part prohibits public schools from blocking transgender students from participating in school sports, violates Title IX. Letters were sent by the Justice Department to the California Attorney General and the superintendent of public instruction, as well as the California Interscholastic Federation and the Jurupa Unified School District. In a statement to CNN, the school district said it is required to follow California law and the state federation's policy regarding school athletics. 'Both state law and CIF policy currently require that students be permitted to participate in athletic teams and competitions consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records,' the Jurupa Unified School District said. A spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said the CIF's proposed pilot rule change for the upcoming championships is 'reasonable.' Newsom has recently taken aim at a number of causes popular among progressives and previously said transgender girls and women competing is 'an issue of fairness' in a break from many Democrats' position on the topic. 'Well, I think it's an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness. It's deeply unfair,' Newsom said in a podcast episode with conservative activist Charlie Kirk in March. Leandra Blades, president of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District board of education, introduced a resolution last week she said would make the district compliant with Title IX, only allowing 'biological females' to compete in women's sports, but it failed on a 3-2 vote by the district's trustees. She told CNN the issue of trans student athletes has 'been a low roar in our community for the last couple of years,' but complaints started to accelerate after A.B. competed at Yorba Linda High School within the school district. The board of education president said she believes the federal government should take away funding from the state if trans women are allowed to compete in women's sporting events moving forward and if the new CIF rule only applies to the one championship meet. Despite misgendering A.B. throughout her interview with CNN, Blades said she doesn't have 'any issues' with the LGBTQ+ community, adding: 'I just believe in fairness in women's sports, and we should follow Title IX.' The school district prohibits harassment against any student, saying it has done a 'very good job with bullying policies and being inclusive to all students.' CNN's Samantha Waldenberg, Stephanie Elam, Jen Christensen and Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump warns Gavin Newsom, threatens funds over trans athlete
Trump pointed to last weekend's California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Masters Meet, where a transgender athlete won the girls' triple jump and long jump competitions to advance to the state finals set for May 30 and 31. "As a Male, he was a less than average competitor," Trump said. "As a Female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS." More: Ban on 'only two genders' shirt remains after Supreme Court declines case Trump added that "large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently" if an executive order he signed Feb. 5 seeking to bar transgender student athletes from playing women's sports is not followed. He did not specify which funding streams he would target. He also said he was "ordering local authorities" in California not to allow the transgender athlete to compete in this weekend's championship. More: Newsom suggests that it is 'unfair' for transgender athletes to compete in women's sports The situation in California has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration's efforts to target transgender athletes - a wedge issue that Trump and other Republicans have pushed aggressively in recent elections. After the same high school athlete won a different triple jump competition on May 17, the second-place winner stood on the first-place podium following the awards ceremony. The moment drew loud cheers from many parents and other spectators in the crowd, a video taken at the event shows. More: Supreme Court sides with a lawmaker who made a controversial Facebook post about a trans athlete A spokeswoman for the California governor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Newsom, a longtime Trump adversary and potential 2028 Democratic contender for president, broke from many progressive Democrats when he said allowing transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports is "deeply unfair" during a recent podcast interview with conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Trump's executive order aimed at "keeping men out of sports" directed the Department of Education to pursue "enforcement actions" under Title IX, the federal law prohibiting discrimination based on sex in educational institutions, and adopt rules "clearly specifying and clarifying that women's sports are reserved for women." More: 'See you in court.' Trump, Maine governor clash in tense exchange at White House The U.S. Department of Education in April announced the formation of the "Title IX Special Investigations Team" to review what the department called "a staggering volume of Title IX complaints" following Trump's order. Trump has butted heads with multiple Democratic governors over the implementation the order. In April, the Trump Justice Department sued Maine, alleging Title IX violations for refusing to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports. Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
New California rule for trans athletes faces criticism from all sides
SACRAMENTO — After President Donald Trump and a chorus of activists criticized California for allowing a transgender teenager to compete in a high school girls track competition, the state's governing body for high school sports announced an effort to find middle ground on the issue. At the state track and field championships this weekend in Clovis (Fresno County), cisgender girls who did not qualify for the meet because a transgender athlete placed ahead of them will be allowed to compete, the California Interscholastic Federation announced just hours after Trump threatened the state on social media Tuesday morning. The CIF follows rules implemented in 2013 stating that athletes 'will participate in programs consistent with their gender identity or the gender most consistently expressed.' While Tuesday's decision gained support from Gov. Gavin Newsom, it quickly sparked criticism from advocates both for and against trangender athletes' participation in girls sports. It comes after dozens of adults heckled the 16-year-old transgender girl this month at a track meet. The girl, AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School in Riverside County, told a reporter for the news outlet Capital and Main that her performance at that meet — she placed first in triple jump, eighth in high jump and third in long jump — disproved the argument that cisgender girls can't compete fairly against her. This past weekend, AB reportedly finished first in the triple jump and long jump and fourth in the high jump at the Southern Section Masters Meet at Moorpark High School in Ventura County. The program for the state championship, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, lists her as a qualifying entrant in all three events. In a post on his social media website Tuesday morning, Trump exaggerated Hernandez's exploits. 'This week a transitioned Male athlete, at a major event, won 'everything,' and is now qualified to compete in the 'State Finals' next weekend,' Trump wrote. 'As a Male, he was a less than average competitor. As a Female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable.' In a confusingly worded announcement several hours after Trump posted about Hernandez and threatened to withhold federal funding from California because of trans girls' participation in girls' sports, the CIF said it was piloting a new policy. 'Under this pilot entry process, any biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of their Section's automatic qualifying entries in the CIF State meet, and did not achieve the CIF State at-large mark in the finals at their Section meet, was extended an opportunity to participate in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships,' the organization wrote. A spokesperson for CIF did not respond to questions about the new policy, including how the organization would determine whether an athlete is a 'biological female' A spokesperson for Newsom praised the change. 'CIF's proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness — a model worth pursuing,' Izzy Gardon wrote. 'The Governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach.' The policy change, though, did not appease Assemblyman David Tangipa, who argued that trangender girls should be barred from competing in girls sports entirely. 'This pilot program is an admission that opportunities are being stolen from female athletes,' the Clovis Republican wrote in a statement. 'This decision doesn't effect a select few athletes, but rather every female competitor in the state.' Anna Posbergh, a sports management professor at Florida State University who studies gender in sports, said she has 'mixed feelings' about the California policy. She's glad that California officials didn't cave to Trump's demands and ban trans girls entirely. But she also said she believes that cisgender girls already have adequate opportunities to compete for spots in the championships and worries that the only way to enforce the policy will be to have girls submit to genital checks by doctors or coaches. 'What is concerning to me is that's really the only feasible way at a high school, middle school level,' she said. 'You just don't have the funding to do a chromosome check.' Posbergh also said that the number of transgender athletes is so small that creating an entire policy around them is unnecessary. At the event this weekend, the controversy has centered on just one openly transgender girl who qualified to compete. 'From a pragmatic standpoint, there's no need for a policy,' said Posbergh, who competed in track and field as a young athlete. 'It's one trans girl.' In his social media post, Trump also criticized Newsom, using his preferred insulting nickname. 'California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum, continues to ILLEGALLY allow 'MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN'S SPORTS,'' Trump wrote. '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.' Trump previously threatened to revoke federal funding for Maine over its policies allowing transgender girls to compete in sports, though his efforts were ultimately blocked in court. Newsom stoked speculation that he supported banning trans girls from playing on female sports teams earlier this year, when he said on his podcast that allowing transgender girls to compete with cisgender girls was 'deeply unfair.' His comments prompted calls from across the political spectrum, from his allies in the LGBT rights movement to Donald Trump's education secretary, for him to clarify his stance. In April, Newsom said it's an issue he's grappled with for years, notably in 2023 when two girls who qualified for a state track meet were accused of being transgender and taking spots from cisgender girls. 'We literally were talking to some International Olympic Committee experts, we talked to our own state experts, we were trying to figure this out and couldn't figure it out,' Newsom said during a news conference in Modesto. 'I just couldn't figure out how to 'make this fair.'' The girls ultimately did not compete in the meet due to harassment. Newsom said it was an unfortunate outcome for everyone. He urged compassion for transgender children, whom he said 'just want to survive.'
