Latest news with #StateChampionships
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
AB Hernandez: The 16-year-old transgender girl at heart of sports row in California
California's best high school athletes are competing this weekend at the State Championships. The stadium in Clovis, a city in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, is dressed for the occasion. Huge banners welcome athletes from across the state, food stalls line the concourse and teenagers sell event programmes. "Good luck to all the athletes and their coaches," the inside of the programme reads. Many of the athletes have trained for years and, for some, receiving lucrative university scholarships rests on their performance here. But one issue, one competitor, is dominating the chatter. "Which one is she?" I hear a group of boys asking. They're talking about AB Hernandez, a 16-year-old transgender girl, who is now the focus of a legal, political and cultural row. She was born a boy but has transitioned and now competes against the girls. Hernandez is favourite to win the long jump and the triple jump and is also competing in the high jump. Her inclusion in the girls category has become a national conversation. Read more: As she competes, a plane flies over the stadium trailing a banner, which reads "No boys in girls sports." It was organised and paid for by two women's advocacy groups. A small protest is also taking place on the road outside. "Save girls sports," one poster reads. "XX does not equal XY," reads another. Aurelia Moore is a local mum and sport fan. "These kids get up at the crack of dawn," she says. "They work out before school, they go to school, they work out after school, the weekends they work out. And for that just to be taken away so that we can make a boy feel better is just it's wrong. It's very wrong." Transgender inclusion is a thorny issue but a vote winner for President Trump, who campaigned with a promise to "kick out men from women's sport." He signed an executive order seeking to ban transgender women from female sport. Trump is now threatening to withdraw federal funding from California over Hernandez's participation in this athletics event. In a social media post he wrote: "As a Male, he was a less than average competitor. As a Female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable." 'No special advantage' Transgender rights activists attended the event to support Hernandez, cheering her efforts in the high jump. Jessica Schultz is a representative of the party for socialism and liberation, a communist political group. "All girls deserve to play in girls sports and trans girls are girls," she says. "So they don't have any extra extreme advantage than somebody who is naturally tall or has naturally wide wingspan like Michael Phelps. "I'm surprised that the president has time to concern himself with a high school athletic competition," she added, "but it is not surprising because he has a lot of hateful ideals." Hernandez has required security at previous events because of abuse against her. A video recently went viral showing her mother being harangued by mums of other student athletes. One of the voices in the video is Sonja Shaw, a school board president for Chino Valley, a district of California. "I said, boys are boys, girls are girls," she says, "And then, I turned to the stands and I'm like, 'is there anybody that's okay with a boy competing against the girls right now?'" Girls 'can't win' There are hundreds of thousands of high school students playing sport in California, but only a handful of publicised cases of transgender girls playing girls' sport. I ask Sonja if the issue is being overblown? "Absolutely not because it's growing," she says. "You have girls who should be on that first-place podium. They work their whole life. Their dream is to be a winner and they can't even win, they can't even compete against these boys." In response to the backlash about Hernandez's participation, California is now allowing more cisgender girls to compete here. They may also award two winners if Hernandez finishes first. It's a messy and controversial situation and it's not going away.
Sky News
4 days ago
- General
- Sky News
AB Hernandez: The 16-year-old transgender girl at heart of sports row in California
California's best high school athletes are competing this weekend at the State Championships. The stadium in Clovis, a city in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, is dressed for the occasion. Huge banners welcome athletes from across the state, food stalls line the concourse and teenagers sell event programmes. "Good luck to all the athletes and their coaches," the inside of the programme reads. Many of the athletes have trained for years and, for some, receiving lucrative university scholarships rests on their performance here. But one issue, one competitor, is dominating the chatter. "Which one is she?" I hear a group of boys asking. They're talking about AB Hernandez, a 16-year-old transgender girl, who is now the focus of a legal, political and cultural row. She was born a boy but has transitioned and now competes against the girls. Hernandez is favourite to win the long jump and the triple jump and is also competing in the high jump. Her inclusion in the girls category has become a national conversation. As she competes, a plane flies over the stadium trailing a banner, which reads "No boys in girls sports." It was organised and paid for by two women's advocacy groups. A small protest is also taking place on the road outside. "Save girls sports," one poster reads. "XX does not equal XY," reads another. Aurelia Moore is a local mum and sport fan. "These kids get up at the crack of dawn," she says. "They work out before school, they go to school, they work out after school, the weekends they work out. And for that just to be taken away so that we can make a boy feel better is just it's wrong. It's very wrong." Transgender inclusion is a thorny issue but a vote winner for President Trump, who campaigned with a promise to "kick out men from women's sport." He signed an executive order seeking to ban transgender women from female sport. Trump is now threatening to withdraw federal funding from California over Hernandez's participation in this athletics event. In a social media post he wrote: "As a Male, he was a less than average competitor. As a Female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable." 'No special advantage' Transgender rights activists attended the event to support Hernandez, cheering her efforts in the high jump. Jessica Schultz is a representative of the party for socialism and liberation, a communist political group. "All girls deserve to play in girls sports and trans girls are girls," she says. "So they don't have any extra extreme advantage than somebody who is naturally tall or has naturally wide wingspan like Michael Phelps. "I'm surprised that the president has time to concern himself with a high school athletic competition," she added, "but it is not surprising because he has a lot of hateful ideals." Hernandez has required security at previous events because of abuse against her. A video recently went viral showing her mother being harangued by mums of other student athletes. One of the voices in the video is Sonja Shaw, a school board president for Chino Valley, a district of California. "I said, boys are boys, girls are girls," she says, "And then, I turned to the stands and I'm like, 'is there anybody that's okay with a boy competing against the girls right now?'" Girls 'can't win' There are hundreds of thousands of high school students playing sport in California, but only a handful of publicised cases of transgender girls playing girls' sport. I ask Sonja if the issue is being overblown? "Absolutely not because it's growing," she says. "You have girls who should be on that first-place podium. They work their whole life. Their dream is to be a winner and they can't even win, they can't even compete against these boys." In response to the backlash about Hernandez's participation, California is now allowing more cisgender girls to compete here. They may also award two winners if Hernandez finishes first. It's a messy and controversial situation and it's not going away.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
HHSAA State Boys Volleyball: Radford & Punahou Win State Titles
The HHSAA Boys Volleyball State Championships games were held at Moanalua on Saturday. In Division II, the Radford Rams made history as they won their 1st ever Boys Volleyball State Title. Radford won the 1st set over Kapaa 25-20, but the Warriors then took the next 2 sets to take a lead over the Rams. In the 4th, Radford kept the match going after winning 25-23, than in the 5th set Radford held off the Warriors to win 15-13. The Rams win their 1st ever Boys Volleyball State Title in 5 sets (25-20, 22-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-13). For Division I, it was Punahou and Kamehameha facing off. The Buffanblu started out the match with a 1st set win but Kamehameha bounced back to take the 2nd set by 5 points. But in the 3rd the Buffanblu kept their 1 set lead after talling 14 kills in the 3rd set. Now in the 4th, it was all Punahou as they clicked on all cylinders, forcing the Warriors to 11 errors and only 3 kills. Buffanblu finish with 11 kills in the set and win the match in the 4th. Punahou wins the Division I State Title in 4 sets (25-23, 20-25, 25-20, 25-7). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
The Fastest Teenage Sprinters In The World Are Here. Is Track Ready For Them?
Tate Taylor, a high school junior, from San Antonio Harlan, ran a new American U20 record at the ... More Texas UIL State Track and Field Championships on Saturday, May 4, in Austin, Texas. Cory Mull With the eyes of Texas upon the start of the 100 meter final at the state's high school track and field championships on Saturday in Austin, two teenager's from San Antonio and Dallas rocket-launched their names into the record books. But when 17-year-old Tate Taylor claimed the title in a new wind-legal state record time of 9.92 seconds – in front of a crowd of approximately 10,000 fans – he didn't just leave with respect. The San Antonio native also entered the arena as one of the very best teenagers in the world, securing a time that went down as the second-fastest time in U20 history and the top mark in the American U20 books. It's also the second-fastest time in the world right now for 100 meters. 'That's nice,' Taylor told me afterward. 'God is good, man. Simple.' Beside him, just a lane over in fact, Brayden Williams ran 10.01 seconds, losing the immediate battle but in many respects winning the larger war about whether his wind-assisted sub-10 performances over the spring season – three in total – were in fact legitimate. The 18-year-old's effort on Saturday was tied for fifth-best in high school history. Those two times, paired with Christian Miller's 10.02 effort on April 19 and Maurice Gleaton's 9.98 jaw-dropper just a few days later, gave the United States four athletes under 20 with globally competitive 100 meter marks through the month of May, highlighting a fact that seems to be persistent across the world now. The teenagers are here and ready to sit at the table. 'It does increase my confidence, but obviously we can't get too cocky, right?' Taylor said. 'You can walk in with a certain level of confidence, but you can never doubt your competition. You can never doubt yourself.' Perhaps it would be a mistake for the sport of track and field to sit on this moment. TOPSHOT - Australia's Gout Gout celebrates after winning the men's 200m final during the Queensland ... More State Championships in Brisbane on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Patrick HAMILTON / AFP) / — IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE — (Photo by PATRICK HAMILTON/AFP /AFP via Getty Images) AFP /AFP via Getty Images Can Teenage Sprint Sensations Compete On The World Stage? These efforts on tracks near and far, from the bellwether states of Florida and Georgia and Texas, are certainly opening eyes and drawing fans. But they're also not without parallels globally. In Australia, 17-year-old Gout Gout is becoming a sensation, while in South Africa, 18-year-old Bayanda Walaza is quickly becoming relevant and is the reigning World U20 champion at 100 meters and 200 meters. Can any of these sprinters replicate their recent successes on larger stages, and against Olympic-level talent? It's one thing to perform against the likes of your peers–and in the case of Taylor, Gleaton and Williams, against high schoolers who are nowhere near competitive globally–though it's another to prove success against professional men fighting for their lives on the track. That bar could be closing. And Miller is a fitting example why . The Florida teenager was the first to break through in 2024, running dual performances of 9.93 and 9.95 seconds in April and June of last year to smash the national high school and American U20 records--which have since been broken by Taylor. Later, after reaching the finals of the men's 100 meters at the Trials and finishing fifth there, he turned pro right out of high school, signing with Puma. In the nine months since, the 18-year-old has been perfecting his craft like a Grizzly bear waiting to exit hibernation. 'My mindset has changed a little bit,' he told me in December. 'Last year the mindset was trying to go out and be one of the best high school athletes I could be. Now this year, I'm trying to compete with the world's fastest.' The month of April gave him his first eye test. Miller lined up against 2024 Olympians Courtney Lindsay, Christian Coleman and Kyree King – in fact, it was Lindsey and King who were picked over Miller to join Team USA relay pool in Paris – at the Tom Jones Memorial meet in Gainesville, Florida. Miller finished second, just behind Lindsey's 9.97 and just ahead of Coleman's and King's 10.06 and 10.07. It was enough proof to indicate that Miller's decision to turn pro will be a fruitful one and could yield him some serious performance-incentives. BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 16: Gout Gout competes in the Men 200m Under 20 Finals during the ... More Queensland Athletics Championships at Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre on March 16, 2025 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by) Getty Images The Emerging Sprint Stars From Africa And Australia Then there are the cases of Gout Gout and Walaza. Both seem to be ready for challenge. In Walaza's view, he's the reigning World U20 champion and fast encroaching on the space of, say, someone like Akani Simbine, who's the country's top sprinter and owns the world's best time of 9.90 seconds. The 18-year-old has already taken a step forward in 2025. In March, at a U20 Championship in Pretoria, Walaza ran a wind-legal 9.99 seconds in the 100 meters and then followed with a wind-legal 10.00 in April and another 10.00 flat in May. He's No. 2 on South Africa's charts behind Simbine. Gout Gout, meanwhile, hasn't had wind on his side. But the 17-year-old Australia wunderkind has secured some incredible times over the last few months–two under 10 seconds for 100 meters, in fact. The teenager most being compared to Usain Bolt ran two straight wind-assisted 9.99 times at the Australian U20 Championships in April, then followed with an insane 19.84 for 200 meters – and 2.2 wind – just a few days later, and a further wind-legal 20.21, securing two national championships in the process. In December, he cracked the Oceanian record for fastest 200 meters in history at 20.04 seconds and owns another performance of 20.05 in 2025. With his long, loping stride and easy smile, Gout Gout has the charisma to turn into a world star. And many are latching on to his talent and potential as reasons why. Gout Gout could be the first true breakout sprint star from Australia. But he hasn't faced true tests on the track. Christian Miller competes at the Tom Jones Memorial in April. Miller ran 10.02 seconds for 100 ... More meters. Christian Miller/IG Will These Sprint Teenage Sensations Get Their Chance? For the high schoolers Taylor and Williams and Gleaton, time will only tell whether they'll even have the opportunity to race against world competition. For one, Gleaton, who is a three-star wide receiver headed to University of Georgia , might focus on football at the next level. Williams and Taylor, meanwhile, could have their sites squared on high school competition over the summer. History seems to suggest none will get the opportunity to race pros in a truly high stakes race. While a number of high schoolers have been afforded big opportunities in high profile meets – such as Alan Webb and Drew Hunter in the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic in years past – few 100 meter teenage sprinters have done the same. There are very good reasons for that. There are limited lanes in professional sprinting, and when money is on the line, so is reputation and career history. But this year, with growing eyes on the sport, that would be short-sighted thinking. With track and field amid its cultural renaissance with the debut of Grand Slam Track and added intrigue into the Diamond League and the Ultimate Championships, there remains a massive opportunity for the sport to latch on to these stories and build toward the stars of tomorrow. Giving the very best teenagers in the world a chance to compete on those stages will not only be appointment viewing, but it could also spark newfound interest into a sport dying for a new audience. The teenagers are in the building, and they might just be ready for primetime viewing quicker than anyone realizes.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Incoming Freshman Forward Ready to Do Whatever It Takes to Help Michigan State Basketball
Incoming Freshman Forward Ready to Do Whatever It Takes to Help Michigan State Basketball A lot can be expected of you when you go to play basketball for Coach Tom Izzo. That is no different whether you're highly rated or just a walk-on. Cam Ward has all the talent to become the next historically great player for Michigan State basketball. Cam Ward (3) grabs a rebound for Team Durant during the Nike Youth Elite League© Stu Boyd II-The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK He's got the intangibles and the stats across all categories to back it up. You're talking about a kid who is the state of Maryland's all-time leading scorer. That says a lot given how many incredibly successful basketball players have come from the DMV area. Advertisement Not to mention, he led Largo High School to back-to-back State Championships. Coach Izzo knew what he was getting in Ward, so much so that he was there when Cam set that scoring mark back in early March. Plenty of time has passed since he did so, but as Ward prepares to make his way officially to East Lansing in less than two months, he was a special guest on Michigan State's 247 Sports recruiting specialist and host of the Spartan Spotlight Podcast with Justin Thind for an exclusive interview this past weekend. The pair talked about plenty of things, including where Ward feels like he fits in for the Spartans next season. Advertisement Ward wasn't afraid to say that he's ready to bring whatever he can to help the Spartans build off their Big Ten Championship and try his best to help get the Spartans back to the final four, especially after seeing this past team fall just short. "Just an all-around guy, do whatever the team needs to try and get wins," Ward said when asked about what he thinks Spartan fans can expect from him. He certainly sounds like a very confident guy, and that could bode well for MSU basketball. Confident young players have been a good thing for Coach Izzo, just look how special Jase Richardson was in 2024-25. Cam Ward is oozing with confidence.
