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Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
CA track meet spotlight should have been on competition, not shaming
Finally, the charade of President Donald Trump and other politicians pretending to care about girls' sports is over with Saturday night's closing of the 2025 California Interscholastic Federation Track & Field Championships at Buchanan High's Veterans Stadium. Well, I hope it's over. I have covered the state track meet off and on since 1979 when I traveled to Berkeley to cover the event for The Bakersfield Californian. I don't recall any politician showing up and cheering for the female competitors. I was there last year, and I'm sure Fresno County Supervisors Garry Bredefeld and Nathan Magsig didn't attend a press conference to promote the girls taking part in 17 track and field finals. This year's edition of a sporting event that draws more than 1,500 boys and girls would likely have come and gone with little notice if not for Trump threatening on Tuesday to withhold federal funds for California if the state track meet included a transitioned girl from Riverside County. 'In the meantime I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals,' the president posted on Truth Social. 'This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!' What is ridiculous is that the transitioned girl has followed the rules, which have allowed transitioned girls to compete at the high school level since 2013. The CIF did amend its rules for a pilot program to allow any biological girl that was displaced by a trans girl to compete at the state meet. The CIF also released a statement on Wednesday: 'A biological female student-athlete who would have earned a specific placement on the podium will also be awarded the medal for that place and the results will be reflected in the recording of the event.' The pilot program sounds a bit confusing, but blame it on the politicos who should get a gold medal for spotting a microphone and television camera. Saturday, GOP gubernatorial hopeful Steve Hilton spoke at a press conference outside Veterans Stadium where he blasted the state policy that allows trans girls to compete. All the noise – and the extra dose of media attention – is misguided. Last year, finding a place at the media table was no problem. Saturday, the area was inundated by media drawn not so much by the sport of track and field, but by a 16-year-old performer who drew the wrath of Trump. Authentic track and field supporters would show up to cheer for Giselle Fernández of Riverbank High in the 1,600-meter race. Or Khaliq Muhammad of Pittsburg High in the pole vault. Or the Herbst twins (Morgan and Makenna) from Carlsbad. Only those stuck in the Middle Ages would dare root against the trans athlete. The real attention should have been on the competitors named above and others, who transform the California state meet into the best in the nation. Fernández and Riverbank have been a perfect match for the state finals. The senior didn't match her brother Germán's 2008 state double in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters that people still talk about, but Giselle proved she deserves a shot at the title by improving her personal mark in the 1,600 by more than 10 seconds. She placed sixth Saturday in 4:43.8. Does having her brother, who still holds the state record in the 1,600 with a 4:00.9 time, help? Of course, said Giselle, who was a year old when her brother won his state titles. 'My brother has connected with many people that are now professionally running, and that's given me benefits,' said Giselle. 'I'm not finished here. I think next year I can improve even more.' Muhammad is another state competitor with a pedigree. His older sister, Jathiyah, won the girls state pole vault last year. Their father, Gary, is a pole vault coach at Pittsburg. Khaliq dominated the boys pole vault, clearing a personal-best 17-10½ and besting the meet record by half an inch. He missed a try at 18 feet, ½ inch before calling it a day. 'I was tired,' he said. 'I knew I was going to win. I had confidence in my ability to win,' said Muhammad, who credits his father for his success. 'He's been my coach for 12 years, ever since I started.' Morgan Herbst shattered the meet record in winning the girls 300-meter hurdles (39.64 seconds), while sister McKenna won the girls 800-meter race less than a quarter-second off the meet record (2:02.28). I could mention many other athletes who deserve the attention at claiming a medal on a 100-degree-plus day. That is where the focus of this state meet should have been all along.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Why Trump's panic over one trans kid among 1,500 CIF track and field athletes is fake news
Fortunately, the high school transgender athlete competing in the girls' jumping events at the CIF State Track & Field Championships over the weekend in Clovis is not a javelin thrower. Had she been, Donald Trump would have spent last week alarming his followers with ghastly tales of innocent bystanders impaled by the mighty, errant javelin heaves of the teen. When Trump goes on a crusade, all truth, reason and perspective saunter out for a smoke break. When he objected to a San Jose State trans volleyball player, Trump told wild — and wildly untrue — tales of opponents suffering injuries from 80 mph spikes of said Spartan. You can't injure opponents by jumping into a sand pit or high-jumping onto a big air mattress, but from Trump's level of alarm and outrage, you might have thought that the SoCal teenager was planning to compete with a nuclear bomb strapped to her back. Trump has signed an executive order banning trans athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports. When California didn't jump to comply on something that does not, after all, have the force of law, he opened up a can of blowhard. 'Please be hereby advised,' Trump trumpeted on social media, 'that large scale Federal Funding will be held back (from California), maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to… 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!!!' The high schooler in question did compete Friday in the preliminaries of her three jumping events, and qualified to compete in Saturday's finals. Look, this is an issue, at least insofar as people have been told that's the case by Trump and his cronies. Seven of ten American adults, according to one poll, say they are opposed to transgender athletes competing in girls' and women's sports. But had a poll been taken before Trump made this a moral crusade, 10 out of 10 adults would have had no idea that this was even a thing, let alone a national crisis. I understand the concept of a 'slippery slope,' but fears of any wholesale invasion and destruction of female sports by trans athletes seems to be not a thing that is happening or ever going to happen. The CIF serves 835,000 California high school athletes, and the CIF has long let trans girls to participate in girls' sports, since 2013 statewide, in some school districts 20 years or more. It was never a problem before Trump. There were 1,533 athletes, boys and girls, competing at the state meet in Clovis. Only one of them was a trans person competing in girls' events. The San Jose State volleyball controversy, remember, was about one athlete among tens of thousands of competitors just in her sport. On a middling team in a second-tier conference. As one of less than 10 trans athletes among more than 500,000 college student-athletes. Trump sees one tortoise creeping out onto the highway and calls it a stampede. The state track meet was such a colossal crisis that about a dozen protestors showed up outside the event. One airplane towed a banner. It was, as Trump might say, a protest like nothing we've ever seen before. It would be cool to be able to write that California and the CIF stood their moral and legal ground and told Trump to pound sand, which conveniently can be found in the jumping pits. Instead, the CIF took a stab at appeasing Trump by cobbling together a new rule. The trans girl could compete, but an extra girl would be allowed into the competition, so that no girl would be 'deprived' of a shot at glory by the lone trans competitor. Any medals or places the trans athlete earned would be shared with the competitor who finished just behind her. Never mind that this 'solution' won't work in any other sport, and that it works — sort of, awkwardly — only in the 'field' half of track & field. The effort, no doubt, was genuine. Recognize that many now see this as a problem, and seek areas of compromise. Buy time for civilized discourse and discussion. Yeah, no. The CIF and the state are dealing with a man who is open to discussion and debate, as long as it ends quickly in supplication, followed by tearful gratitude. Not that it matters. Had the CIF and the state and all those 'local authorities' yielded to Trump and kicked one trans athlete out of the state meet, another villain would have been quickly targeted. The trans athlete 'issue' was never a legitimate crisis, it was a convenient club used by a bully to beat California into submission, to further demonize the heathen state. Maybe the way out of this situation would have been for her parents to buy a couple of tickets to a million-dollars-per-plate Trumpy event. They could have raised the money through GoFundMe or whatever. Then, not only would the athlete in question have been given Trump's blessing to compete, the unprincipled prez would have commissioned a bronze of her for his planned statue garden of athletic heroes. Trump recently issued 60 pardons/commutations — not counting 1,500 or more related to the January 6 insurrection — and at least 10 of those free birds have clear financial or political connections to the Pardoner-in-Chief. Ah, but even if Trump had been briefly distracted from the high school track & field controversy, he quickly would have re-aimed his wack-a-mole club at another random California crime against humanity. The CIF's quick fix will be just that. Eventually, you either bow down in surrender, or stand up for what you believe.
Los Angeles Times
3 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
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump says ‘large scale Federal Funding' may be held back from California
President Donald J. Trump stated in a post to Truth Social: 'California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum, continues to ILLEGALLY allow 'MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN'S SPORTS.' This week a transitioned Male athlete, at a major event, won 'everything,' 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 is 'UNFAIR.' 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!!!' Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Published first on TheFly – the ultimate source for real-time, market-moving breaking financial news. Try Now>> See the top stocks recommended by analysts >> Read More on SPY: Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust: Pivot points Stock Market News Today, 5/27/25 – Futures Edge Higher After Trump Postpones EU Tariff Citigroup (C) Raises Price Target on Gold by 11% as Market Uncertainty Remains High How Retail Investors Beat Out the 'Smart Money' This Quarter SPOT, ARM, BIRK: European Stocks Rise as Trump Pushes Out Tariff Deadline to July Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Anni Amalnathan embracing the pressure that comes with leading Saint Joseph girls tennis
Wins and losses don't matter much to Anni Amalnathan right now. She's more focused on embracing her final season as a member of the South Bend Saint Joseph girls tennis program. The senior star wants to make sure that her final go around for the tradition-rich Huskies is an enjoyable one. Advertisement More: HS Tennis: Who are the top prep girls tennis teams this season? Last spring: Saint Joseph girls tennis claims elusive state title with 3-2 decision over Fishers "This is the last time together with my high school friends, and I want to make sure to enjoy it and have fun," Amalnathan said. "I just want to go out there and be the best that I can be. I also want what is best for our team." A decorated career Amalnathan has known nothing but success at St. Joe. She posted a 27-1 mark at No. 1 doubles as a freshman in 2022. Anni teamed with older sister, Ashi, to go 18-0 and win the No. 1 doubles state championship in that season. Advertisement She then was 28-1 in 2023, going 19-0 at No. 3 singles and 9-1 at No. 2 singles. Amalnathan was 28-1 at No. 3 singles in 2024, playing behind senior stars Molly Bellia and Ashi as the Huskies won the team state championship. Amalnathan has moved into the No. 1 singles spot this season for her team. She admits that there are more eyeballs on her now to succeed for a squad that was 77-9-1 the past four seasons and has been to the State Finals each of the past four years, with runner up finishes in both 2021 and 2023. "There is definitely pressure," Amalnathan said. "Molly and Ashi were definitely great players and definitely made a name for themselves. Now, I'm the captain and I'm in a new spot at No. 1 and playing the top players on every team. "I have a lot of belief in myself and that's what I need to focus on. I need to learn from my losses and keep looking forward." Advertisement Amalnathan started the year 4-0 before losing three of four matches against top flight competition. She lost versus the top player from No. 4 Westfield April 25 and then to players from No. 6 Fishers and No. 10 Columbus North in the loaded Park Tudor Invitational April 26. Longtime Saint Joseph coach Bill Mountford isn't concerned about the losses. "Anni will be fine," said Mountford the day after his team placed third in the Park Tudor event. "Honestly, this was a bump in the road. She did not play her best and lost to some very good players. "Is Anni one of the best players in the state? Yes she is. She knows what it takes and will go back to work and put in the time on her game. She has all the shots and the game to do it. She just needs to get her mojo back." Advertisement Amalnathan bounced back after the tough go down South by winning Monday versus Elkhart and Tuesday versus Culver Academy. The Huskies, who were ranked No. 15 in the latest coaches poll, are 6-1 through Wednesday's matches. An expected showdown with rival Penn Thursday, May 1 was postponed to Tuesday, May 6, due to weather. "Playing at No. 1 singles is a whole different ballgame, and Anni is learning that," Mountford stated. "It makes a difference when you are playing every team's best player every match. Then-Saint Joseph junior Anni Amalnathan pumps her fist after scoring a point during a girls tennis semistate match against Carmel Saturday, May 25, 2024, at Culver Academies in Culver. "The thing about Anni is that she knows her way around the court. She has a complete game. It's just all about her confidence. She beat a good player (in the win at Culver Academy) and played a lot better. It was fun to see her figure it out." Advertisement Amalnathan admitted that she had almost decided not to play collegiate tennis until opting to commit to Colorado State. "I contemplated quitting tennis and just playing club in college," Amalnathan explained. "But then I found I loved the game. I'm so excited now to play for Colorado State. I fell in love with the environment there on my visit and the coaches there are just the sweetest people." 'How am I still alive?' Concord senior reflects on crash that nearly killed her, recovery More: Here are the best South Bend area high school girls sports performances, April 28 - May 3 Amalnathan did note that she does miss playing with her sister and Bellia. Ashi is now playing at South Carolina State, while Bellia is at the United States Naval Academy. Bellia played No. 1 singles each of the past four years and was the individual state champion in 2021. Advertisement "Ashi and Molly were the best role models, and I learned a lot from both of them," Amalnathan said. "Molly had grit and perseverance and never gave up. Ashi was able to bounce back from tough things." Amalnathan has been around the game her entire life. Her father Arul currently teaches tennis in South Carolina. He used to be a teaching pro at the South Bend Racquet Club. Amalnathan is keeping things in perspective as the Huskies chase another long postseason run starting later this month. She will also try to navigate through the No. 1 singles tournament as well. "The obvious goal is to win state," Amalnathan said. "That's always the goal. But tennis isn't everything." Advertisement Mountford praised the makeup of his top player on a team that boasts some strong underclassmen like sophomore Libby Yergler and freshman Coco Burfien. "Anni is definitely a team kid," Mountford said. "She has a great attitude. The right attitude. She's a tennis rat and a bright kid." This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Anni Amalnathan is making sure to enjoy her final prep tennis season
