Latest news with #trackAndField
CBS News
an hour ago
- Lifestyle
- CBS News
West Sacramento track star talks sharing podium with trans athlete amid political spotlight
WEST SACRAMENTO — A West Sacramento teen and track star is speaking out following the scrutiny over a transgender athlete competing in the state finals. President Trump shined a bright political spotlight on the state track and field championships this past weekend over trans athlete AB Hernandez competing in female events. River City High School senior Brooke White ended up sharing that spotlight and a second-place medal with Hernandez in the girls' long jump event. "I'm feeling so much relief," White said. White was back on campus with the silver medal proof of her state finals performance. "I'd say that California really thrives in the track community," White said. "I'd say choosing to join track was one of the greatest things for me because it built a family community for me." After being announced as a co-winner of the second-place medal with Hernandez, White said the two shared a hug with each other. White says the scrutiny surrounding the state finals, with protests over the politics of transgender athletes in female sports and with President Trump singling out the event, did add pressure to the athletes. "It made me really emotional seeing how people could be so hateful to a 16-year-old girl," White said. White says Hernadez's performance inspired her. "It also eased me a lot to talk to AB personally and see how she was handling the situation as a rock star," White said. "Like she PR'd, I'm pretty sure, in all three events." White will be graduating from River City High School on Wednesday. Her next stop is UC San Diego, where she will be competing on the track and field team. She also earned an athletic scholarship. "Overall, I just want to help foster peace and community and acceptance," White said.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
California track-and-field championships draw limited protest over trans student's participation
CLOVIS, Calif. (AP) — California's high school track-and-field state finals will award one extra medal Saturday in events where a transgender athlete places in the top three, a rule change that may be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body. The new California Interscholastic Federation policy was written in response to the success of high school junior AB Hernandez, a trans student who competes in the girls high jump, long jump and triple jump. She led in all three events after preliminaries Friday. The CIF said earlier this week it would let an additional student compete and medal in the events where Hernandez qualified. The two-day championship kicked off in the sweltering heat at high school near Fresno. The atmosphere was relatively quiet Friday despite critics — including parents, conservative activists and President Donald Trump — calling for Hernandez to be barred from girls competition leading up to the meet. There was some pushback Friday. A group of fewer than 10 people gathered outside the stadium ahead of the meet to protest Hernandez's participation. Some of them wore 'Save Girls' Sports' T-shirts. At one point as Hernandez was attempting a high jump, someone in the stands yelled an insult. An aircraft circled above the stadium for more than an hour during the events, carrying a banner that read, 'No Boys in Girls' Sports!' The rest of the night ran smoothly for Hernandez, who finished the triple jump with a mark close to 41 feet (13 meters), nearly 10 inches (25 centimeters) ahead of her closest competitor, San Francisco Bay Area junior Kira Gant Hatcher. Hernandez also led in the long jump with a mark close to 20 feet (6 meters) to advance to the final. She advanced in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 5 inches (1.7 meters) with ease. She did not address the press. California at center of national debate The CIF rule change reflects efforts to find a middle ground in the debate over trans girls' participation in youth sports. 'The CIF values all of our student-athletes and we will continue to uphold our mission of providing students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete while complying with California law,' the group said in a statement after announcing its rule change. A recent AP-NORC poll found that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and women's sports at the high school, college or professional level. That view was shared by about 9 in 10 Republicans and roughly half of Democrats. The federation announced the rule change after Trump threatened this week to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls teams. The CIF said it decided on the change before then. The U.S. Department of Justice also said it would investigate the state federation and the district that includes Hernandez's high school to determine whether they violated federal sex discrimination law by allowing trans girls to compete in girls sports. Some California Republicans also weighed in, with several state lawmakers attending a news conference to criticize the federation for keeping Hernandez in the competition and a Republican gubernatorial candidate planning to attend Saturday's finals. California law allows trans students to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity. The federation said the rule would open the field to more 'biological female' athletes. One expert said the change may itself be discriminatory because it creates an extra spot for 'biological female' athletes but not for other trans athletes. The federation did not specify how they define 'biological female' or how they would verify whether a competitor meets that definition. Hernandez told the publication Capital & Main earlier this month that she couldn't worry about critics. 'I'm still a child, you're an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person,' she said. Another student breaks a record California's state championship stands out from that of other states because of the number of competitors athletes are up against to qualify. The state had the second-largest number of students participating in outdoor track and field in the nation during the 2023-2024 school year, behind Texas, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations. Olympians Marion Jones and Tara Davis-Woodhall previously set state championship records in the long jump in 1993 and 2017, respectively, both surpassing 22 feet (6.7 meters). The boys 100-meter dash heats were also a highlight Friday. Junior Jaden Jefferson of De La Salle High School in Concord finished in 10.01 seconds, about .2 seconds faster than a meet record set in 2023. Jefferson's time won't count as a record unless he can replicate his results in the final. ___ Austin is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X: @sophieadanna
