Christian Coach Fired For Stating Views On Obvious Sex Differences
David Bloch says he was unjustly terminated after sharing his beliefs about men competing in women’s sports with two student-athletes.David Bloch says he was unjustly terminated after sharing his beliefs about men competing in women’s sports with two student-athletes.
HS girls' volleyball player suffers severe head, neck injuries after trans opponent spikes her in the face with the ball
A girls' high school volleyball player in North Carolina recently suffered severe injuries to her head and neck after a trans opponent spiked a ball into her face.
Early last month, Hiwassee Dam High School competed against Highlands High School in a girls' volleyball tournament. During the game, an unnamed biological male playing for Highlands spiked a ball over the net and hit an unnamed Hiwassee Dam player directly in the face.
Though video of the incident is grainy, the unnamed female player can clearly be seen lying on the floor for some time before recovering enough to walk off the court on her own power.
The girl is still said to be experiencing long-term concussion symptoms, such as vision problems, and has not been cleared to return to play either by a physician or a neurologist.
As a result of her injury, the Cherokee County Board of Education voted 5-1 to cancel all future volleyball games against Highlands High School, citing a "safety issue."
One long-serving coach allegedly persuaded at least one board member to vote in favor of canceling the games. Cherokee board member Joe Wood said that "a coach of 40 years said they’d never seen a hit like this. That was really what sealed the decision, at least on my part."
The Post Millennial claims to have confirmed that assertion from the unidentified coach.
Fellow board member Jeff Tatham added that the ball had allegedly been traveling at 70 mph when it struck the girl's face. "I don’t know if that’s faster than normal, but it seemed like it was coming off very fast, abnormally, especially fast," Tatham said. "It not only hit her in the face, then the ball came off of her face with enough force to then go back through the net."
In addition to the safety concerns, the board also said it believes that male competitors have a "competitive advantage" over female opponents.
"The competitive advantage issue certainly has to come up in any scenario with that type of transgender conversion, per se," said Jeff Martin, vice chair of the board. "I can tell you that the board wasn’t searching out this kind of thing. It was brought to our attention based on safety concerns."
However, despite the concerns voiced by the board, some local residents have chided the decision to cancel district games against Highlands.
"All the events for one incident? It’s not right," said Tony Graham. "There’s risk getting out of bed in the morning, crossing the street, and going to the store. I'm sure the teammate that did get hurt wants them to go out there and fight for it, right? That's what we do."
Board member Arnold Mathews reiterated that the decision applies only to Highlands and only to girls' volleyball. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association confirmed that each "local school system" can decide not to play games against particular opponents or schools.
"While we would prefer that schools or teams play all games it schedules," the NCHSAA said, "that latitude does exist."
Though the WTVC video below does contain clips from the Hiwassee Dam/Highlands game, it does not depict the spike in question. The MaxPreps video for this particular game also appears to be unavailable.
VIDEO: High school runner who collapsed at finish line speaks out about 'not being able to get enough air' due to face mask
"I felt like I just wasn't being able to get a full breath," track and field runner Maggie Williams recalled to KTVZ-TV. "Multiple times of that happening, not being able to get enough air — I just felt super-dizzy, and then eventually passed out."
With that, Williams — competing in an 800-meter run last week for Summit High School in Bend, Oregon — collapsed at the finish line.
Image source: YouTube screenshot
Williams, a junior, told the station her lack of oxygen was a result of the mask she was required to wear during competition according to Oregon Health Authority guidelines for outdoor sports due to COVID-19.
Image source: YouTube screenshot
"In the past, this has never happened," Williams added to KTVZ. "Then this race that I was wearing a mask, it did happen, which I don't think is a coincidence."
Her coach Dave Turnbull said Williams, with her mask on, suffered "complete oxygen debt," the Oregonian reported, adding that she was unresponsive after her fall.
"I've been doing this for 31 years, I've never seen anybody basically lose consciousness," Turnbull told the paper. "I've never seen that in the way it happened with Maggie."
Image source: YouTube screenshot
He added to the Oregonian that Williams "wasn't sure where she was."
In the end, Williams' momentum carried her across the finish line in 2:08:45 — a new school record by two seconds, KTVZ said.
"I found out a couple minutes after my race, when I had recovered from my fall," she recalled to the station. "So super exciting for me."
State revises mask mandate for outdoor athletics after Summit HS runner collapses at finish ... youtu.be
Bigger issue at hand
But more important was Williams' passing out and what could have happened to her — and KTVZ reported that she and Turnbull appealed to the OHA.
"She just ran a 2:11 in Arizona without a mask on," Turnbull told the station in regard to Williams. "Three seconds faster from my experience isn't going to cause a kid to hit the track. When you're in a mask, it certainly does."
After the meet, he added to the Bend Bulletin: "I am concerned with the mask rule. This is what I am worried about, and I said this at the beginning of the season. You get a kid running the 800 with a mask on, it is actually dangerous. They don't get the oxygen that they need. This rule needs to change."
Turnbull added to the Bulletin that "unfortunately in Oregon we have to follow the OHA, and the OHA is not reasonable. I would like those people to come out and run an 800 with a mask on."
New rules
The OHA said Monday it will no longer require high school athletes to wear masks during non-contact outdoor sports, the Bulletin reported in a second story.
But the state hasn't dropped its mask mandate for athletes who compete less than six feet apart from each other, the paper said.
And athletes still must wear face masks while training for competitions and directly before and after competitions, the Bulletin noted, citing OHA spokesperson Jonathan Modie.
Anything else?
Earlier this month, a New Hampshire track coach said he was fired after refusing to make his athletes wear face masks during competitions as recommended by the state athletic association.
Bradley Keyes called the mask requirement "senseless, irrational, cowardice bulls**t" in a letter to Pembroke Academy's athletic director.
The Mayo Clinic indicated that the highest-risk activities for spreading COVID-19 involve unmasked people in close contact for long periods of time, the Bulletin noted.
Outrage erupts after HS runner — forced by state to wear mask — collapses at finish line. Then suddenly the powers that be have change of heart.
After Maggie Williams of Summit High School in Bend, Oregon, collapsed at the finish line during an 800-meter race last week, outrage erupted over the state's mask mandate for athletes — even for runners like Williams who compete with the sun shining on their backs and the wind blowing past their faces.
Her coach Dave Turnbull said Williams, with her mask on, suffered "complete oxygen debt," the Oregonian reported. Indeed, the paper said she fell face-first three meters shy of the finish line and was unresponsive.
"I've been doing this for 31 years, I've never seen anybody basically lose consciousness," Turnbull told the paper. "I've never seen that in the way it happened with Maggie."
And the paper added that one longtime track coach in the state said the Williams' mishap is "absolute craziness. Are we going to wait until something catastrophic happens? So irresponsible by the authorities."
The good news — apart from the fact that Williams broke her school record after her momentum carried her across the finish line — is that she came to, and now folks are monitoring her for a concussion, the Oregonian said.
"I am concerned with the mask rule," Turnbull told the Bend Bulletin after her fall. "This is what I am worried about, and I said this at the beginning of the season. You get a kid running the 800 with a mask on, it is actually dangerous. They don't get the oxygen that they need. This rule needs to change."
The coach added to the Bulletin that "unfortunately in Oregon we have to follow the [Oregon Health Authority], and the OHA is not reasonable. I would like those people to come out and run an 800 with a mask on."
Change of heart
Well, wouldn't you know it but the OHA said Monday it will no longer require high school athletes to wear masks during non-contact outdoor sports, the Bulletin reported in a second story.
And there may not have been anyone happier than Turnbull.
"This is a big step in the right direction," he told the Bulletin. "We don't want to see another Maggie Williams hit the track."
Still, the state hasn't dropped its mask mandate for athletes who compete less than six feet apart from each other, the paper said.
Athletes still must wear face masks while training for competitions or directly before and after competitions, the Bulletin noted, citing OHA spokesperson Jonathan Modie.
Anything else?
Earlier this month, a New Hampshire track coach said he was fired after refusing to make his athletes wear face masks during competitions as recommended by the state athletic association.
Bradley Keyes called the mask requirement "senseless, irrational, cowardice bulls**t" in a letter to Pembroke Academy's athletic director.
The Mayo Clinic indicated that the highest-risk activities for spreading COVID-19 involve unmasked people in close contact for long periods of time, the Bulletin noted.
(H/T: The College Fix)
California: High school baseball team suspended because 8 seniors took a yearbook photo without masks
A varsity baseball team at a California high school was suspended after pictures of the team's seniors were posted on social media. They were suspended because they were not wearing masks in the photo.
Eight senior baseball players at John Burroughs High School in Burbank, California, took a picture in January as part of a nearly 20-year tradition for varsity seniors to take a group photo for the yearbook.
The photo was organized by the boys' moms and was posted on social media.
According to KABC-TV, Burbank Unified School District officials saw the picture and decided to punish the students for violating COVID-19 safety protocols by not wearing masks and not social distancing.
The entire varsity baseball team was suspended from organized practice and conditioning drills, and all eight seniors on the team were suspended for two weeks.
One of the seniors on the team claims that the school board wanted to cancel the whole varsity season but received pushback from the school baseball coach.
"The district and board members decided, or they tried to cancel the whole varsity season as a result of the pictures," senior Rory Freck said. "But our athletic director and coach fought for us, and they compromised on a two-week suspension instead."
In an email to the Los Angeles Daily News , school district superintendent Matt Hill explained his decision: "We had a group of players and families dress up in uniform and take pictures on campus in violation of health orders (no masks, no social distancing, and mixing of families). They then posted the picture on a JBHS baseball social media site. No player or family from the team notified the coach, school, or district of this health order violation."
He added, "I have decided to delay the return of athletic conditioning for the JBHS baseball team by one week so that the team can review health guidelines and safety protocols. I look forward to the team beginning conditioning on Monday, safely."
Rory's mother, who took the photos, said, "I'm very disappointed that our kids are being punished for something that the moms arranged. And I understand that there are COVID protocols, but the boys were just trying to make us happy."
Other parents expressed outrage with the school district's decision.
""It's an egregious abuse of power," Brian Nichols, whose son was among those suspended from the team but was not involved with taking the picture, said.
Other players who spoke to KABC-TV said they just want to move past the controversy and play ball.
North Dakota House passes bill banning trans athletes from competing on school sports teams of their preferred gender identity
North Dakota's state House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday banning student athletes from participating on sports teams based on their preferred gender identity.
The bill, HB 1298, passed the state's lower chamber with a vote of 65-26.
The bill will now move to the state's Senate for consideration.
What are the details?
North Dakota state Rep. Ben Koppelman (R), who sponsored the bill, argued, "Some have said this bill just doesn't follow the science. We've got science going back well before the United States that backs this. This isn't new science. Men and women didn't just cease to exist. They've existed for a long time, and we've been able to recognize the differences."
North Dakota state Rep. Kathy Skroch (R), who co-sponsored the bill, told Grand Forks Herald that the bill is important for protecting the integrity of girls' and women's sports.
"This is about girls competing with girls, ensuring equal opportunity, and keeping a level playing field in girls' sports," Skroch said. "It upholds 50 years of progress and protecting women against discrimination and advocates for the preservation of biological standards."
North Dakota state House Minority Leader Josh Boschee (D) said that the bill will disappoint kids.
"It's about learning about yourself, being part of a team, solving problems, figuring out life," Boschee said. "But we're gonna tell some kids you can't. ... And even though most of those kids aren't gonna go up for high school athletics because it's not within their skillset or desirability, they're gonna see the action made by this body and it's going to play into some unfortunate other decisions that they'll make."
North Dakota state Rep. Greg Westlind (R) told KYFR-TV that he has concerns about the bill potentially opening the door for potential litigation and more.
Similar bills are progressing through approximately 12 other state governments across the country.
HB 1298 also bans sporting events from receiving public funding if they allow trans athletes to play on a team based on their preferred gender identity.
(H/T: The Daily Wire)
Marcellus Wiley calls for 'separate transgender category in competition' after Biden's executive order affecting girls' sports
Former NFL player Marcellus Wiley propositioned the idea of a separate category for transgender athletes in response to President Joe Biden's executive order forcing women to compete in sports against biological males.
The retired defensive end who played 10 years in the NFL for four teams called for the change in athletics with a tweet.
"As a father of 3 daughters & the husband to a former collegiate athlete, this hits home in a special way," Wiley wrote on Twitter. "It's time to create a separate transgender category in competition! Also think it's time for me to start a podcast bcuz some things need to be discussed in detail!"
As a father of 3 daughters & the husband to a former collegiate athlete, this hits home in a special way🤯It’s time… https://t.co/zBJkYKMDyr— Marcellus Wiley 🧢 (@Marcellus Wiley 🧢)1611972226.0
The tweet includes a screenshot of a May 2019 article from World Magazine titled: "Built-in advantage: NCAA hurdler shows how the Equality Act would undermine the very thing it claims to champion."
The article chronicles transgender collegiate athlete CeCe Telfer, who was ranked In ranked 200th and 390th in 2016 and 2017, respectively, among Division-II men's college athletics, before transitioning, and then becoming a national champion when competing against women.
CeCe (formerly Craig) Telfer of New Hampshire's Franklin Pierce University won the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 25 in Kingsville, Texas. Telfer's time of 57.53 seconds was more than a full second faster than that of his nearest competitor.
A peek at Franklin Pierce's track and field website says nothing about Telfer competing as a man for his first three college seasons or about his accomplishments during those years. The press release touting the Ravens' first NCAA individual champion in any sport says nothing about Telfer being transgender, either.
Cory Procter, also a former NFL player, weighed in on the debate, "No extra category. Men and women."
Wiley, who is also a sports television commentator, responded, "I'm hearing that pushback. But, is that respecting all? That's what I want to dive into."
@CoryProcter 🤔 I’m hearing that pushback. But, is that respecting all? That’s what I want to dive into— Marcellus Wiley 🧢 (@Marcellus Wiley 🧢)1611974588.0
On his first day as president, Biden signed the "Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation." The executive order declared that any school that receives federal funding must allow biological males who identify as females to compete in girls' sports teams. Schools that don't abide could face administrative action from the Education Department, which could include the loss of federal funding.
"Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports," the executive order reads. "Discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation manifests differently for different individuals, and it often overlaps with other forms of prohibited discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race or disability."
Biden has signed 40 executive orders and actions in his first 10 days in office.
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