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Footage has surfaced of a North Carolina girl’s high school volleyball game in which a player was seriously injured after a transgender girl threw a ball at her opponent and hit her in the head.
The physical injuries suffered by the female student-athlete at Hiwassee Dam High School were to her head and neck, but the action has since had far-reaching implications for how the game is played in the state after news spread what the offending shot had been like. played by a biological man.
The Cherokee County school board then voted 5-1 to lose all matches for the school’s women’s volleyball teams against Highlands School, before whom the trans player appeared, as a result of the incident.
It is estimated that the volleyball was thrown at 70 mph – and was described by a bystander as ‘abnormally’ fast.
During a girls’ volleyball tournament last month, a Highlands High volleyball player, seen right, who was biologically male, pelted a player in the forehead with the ball.
A transgender girl, seen on the right, could be seen throwing a ball at her opponent and hitting her on the head
The board seemed to be dancing around the controversial topic of transgender people playing sports for the teams they weren’t born to.
Indeed, the board did not refer to players’ sexuality, instead citing safety concerns.
“The County will not participate in volleyball games, varsity or junior varsity, against Highlands for security reasons.” minutes read from the board meeting.
Hiwassee Dam High School athletic director David Payne attended the meeting and noted that “a statement must be made that it is [was] unfair and unsafe’ for teams to compete against Highlands.
The Hiwassee Dam player, a biological girl, seen on the left, fell to the ground after being hit on the head
The girl can be seen sprawled on the floor of the court. She suffered serious head and neck injuries, along with long-term concussion symptoms, including vision problems
He noted, however, that there were “mixed feelings” from involved players and parents.
“There is a competitive advantage and a safety issue for certain teams – it’s not the same for all teams,” added Vice President Jeff Martin. “I can tell you that the board wasn’t looking for this sort of thing. It was brought to our attention based on safety concerns.
“The most important thing for us, especially after seeing the video of the injury, we felt very strongly that it was a safety issue,” said board member Jeff Tatham. “I think most board members also felt there was a competitive advantage.”
“The county will not participate in volleyball matches, varsity or junior varsity, against Highlands for security reasons,” the board said.
Teammates rushed to the girls’ assistant after the powerful shot that hit her
The game came to a halt as team medics rushed to the side of the high school athlete
The Hiwassee Dam player continues to suffer from prolonged concussion symptoms, including vision problems, and is not free to play.
a 2015 study of volleyball players explained how men are significantly more effective than women at ‘attacking’ the ball to the opponent’s side.
The body of the males also provides more momentum and power when returning jumping balls.
In recent months, the issue of transgender athletes participating in women’s sports has become a controversial topic, but the parameters about what is allowed vary.
The issue took center stage this year with UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas, pictured, who began competing in women’s collegiate swimming a year and a half after transitioning.
The issue took center stage this year with UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas, who began competing in women’s collegiate swimming a year and a half after the transition.
Thomas went on to break several women’s records, much to the dismay of some of her teammates, and the NCAA and US Swimming bodies were criticized for allowing Thomas to compete.
The NCAA requires testosterone suppression treatment for one year.
In American volleyball leagues, men’s testosterone levels must be within the normal reference range for women for at least six months.
Several states have even passed laws requiring athletes to participate in sports based on their biological gender.
The professional competitive swimming association FINA has since effectively banned trans women from participating in the sport, saying they must have started menopause before puberty started, which is illegal or nearly impossible in most of the US.
By the summer, 18 states had banned transgender students from participating in girls’ sports.
One notable example is Ohio, which has passed a bill requiring students accused of being transgender to produce a doctor’s note detailing their sexual anatomy, their testosterone levels, and their genetic makeup.
In New Jersey, Republican lawmakers proposed the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which would require female student athletes to verify the nature of their genitals in order to compete.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator Michael Testa, likened genitals checks to random drug tests that college athletes are subjected, and said he didn’t see any problems with angry parents accusing girls of being transgender.