High school volleyball player suffers serious head injury after transgender girl throws ball
Footage has emerged of a North Carolina girl playing high school volleyball, in which one player suffered a serious injury after a transgender girl threw a ball at her opponent and hit her in the head.
The physical injuries the athlete sustained at Hiwassee Dam High School involved her head and neck, but the action has since had wide-ranging implications for how the game is played in the state after news broke of what the offensive shot had been was played by a natural male.
The Cherokee County School Board then voted 5-1 to abandon all games played by their schools’ women’s volleyball teams against the Highlands School, for which the trans player performed, as a result of the incident.
The volleyball is estimated to have been thrown at 70mph – and was described as “unusually” fast by one viewer.
During a girls’ volleyball tournament last month, a Highlands High volleyball player, seen right, who was biologically male, threw the ball at a player’s forehead
A transgender girl, seen on the right, was seen throwing a ball at her opponent, hitting her in the head
The board appeared to be dancing around the controversial issue of trans people playing sports for teams whose gender they weren’t born into.
In fact, the board made no reference to player sexuality, citing safety concerns instead.
“The county will not participate in any volleyball game, varsity or junior varsity game against Highlands for safety reasons,” read the minutes of the board meeting.
Hiwassee Dam High School athletic director David Payne, who was present at the meeting, commented that “a statement needs to be made that it is so [was] unfair and unsafe” for teams to play against Highlands.
The Hiwassee Dam player, a biological girl, seen left, fell to the ground after being hit in the head
The girl is seen stretched out on the floor of the court. She suffered serious head and neck injuries, along with long-term symptoms of concussion, including blurred vision
However, he noted that there were “mixed feelings” from players and parents involved.
“There’s a competitive advantage and safety concern for certain teams – it’s not the same for all teams,” added vice chairman Jeff Martin. “I can tell you the board wasn’t looking for anything like that. This was brought to our attention due to safety concerns.
“The biggest thing for us, especially after seeing the video of the injury, was that we had a very strong belief that these were safety concerns,” said board member Jeff Tatham. “I think most board members also felt that there was a problem with competitive advantage.”
“The county will not participate in any volleyball game, varsity or junior varsity game against Highlands for safety reasons,” the board said.
Teammates rushed to the girls’ aid after following the powerful shot that knocked them down
The game stalled as team paramedics rushed to the high school athlete’s side
The Hiwassee Dam player is still suffering from long-term symptoms of a concussion, including blurred vision, and has not been cleared to play.
A 2015 study of volleyball players stated that men are far more effective than women at ‘attacking’ the ball towards the opposing side.
The males’ physique also allows for more momentum and power on the return of the jump ball.
In recent months, the issue of transgender athletes competing in women’s sports has become a controversial issue, but the parameters of what is allowed vary.
The issue was the focus of attention this year for UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas (pictured), who began competing in women’s collegiate swimming a year and a half after her transfer
The theme was the focus this year of UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas, who began competing in women’s collegiate swimming a year and a half after her transfer.
Thomas continued to break several women’s records, much to the dismay of some of her teammates, and the NCAA and US swimming associations have been criticized for allowing Thomas to compete.
The NCAA requires testosterone suppression treatment for one year.
In the US volleyball leagues, men’s testosterone levels must be within normal female reference ranges for at least six months.
Several states have even passed laws requiring athletes to play sports based on their sex.
The professional competitive swimming association FINA has since effectively banned trans women from participating in the sport, saying they must have started the transition before puberty hit, which is illegal or nearly impossible in most parts of the US.
By the summer, 18 states had banned transgender students from participating in girls’ sports.
A notable example is Ohio, which passed a law requiring students accused of being transgender to produce a medical certificate detailing their sexual anatomy, testosterone levels, and genetic makeup.
In New Jersey, Republican lawmakers proposed the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which would require student-athletes to verify the nature of their genitals in order to compete.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator Michael Testa, compared genital screening to random drug tests college athletes undergo and said he foresees no problems with angry parents accusing girls of being transgender.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11342755/Female-high-school-volleyball-player-suffers-head-injury-transgender-girl-lobbed-ball.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 High school volleyball player suffers serious head injury after transgender girl throws ball
