Female Student Athlete at Southern Utah University Fighting for the Future of Women’s Sports
“what I signed up for was running against similarly advantaged competitors — other women”
Madisan DeBos is trying to stand up for female athletes who don’t want to compete against biological males. More young women need to stand up like this.
She writes at FOX News:
I’m a female collegiate athlete fighting for the future of women’s sports
I can take a few bumps and bruises. After all, I signed up for this. Playing college sports is a privilege, not a right. Losing sleep, missing classes because you’re traveling, taking care of sore muscles and maintaining a strict training regimen — they’re all part of the game when you’re a collegiate track and cross-country athlete.
But what I signed up for was running against similarly advantaged competitors — other women. What I have experienced, and seen repeated across the nation, is a different story, and it’s why I’m speaking out.
I was born into a family of college athletes in Ohio and ran my first race at the age of 5. Running has had my heart ever since. In high school, I was a three-time All-Ohioan for cross-country and six-time track All-Ohioan.
The allure of the West drew me to Southern Utah University and, after meeting the track coach and the girls on the team, I fell in love with my new family away from home.
I’m heading into my senior year at Southern Utah and run cross-country and track in the fall, winter, and spring, specializing in events including the 1,500m, 3k steeplechase, and 5k. Competing at this level takes every ounce of your dedication and energy, but it is so rewarding to play the sport you love.
At my time here at SUU, I, along with my teammates, have set the school record in the distance medley relay. At the 2022 Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships, I scored in the 3k steeplechase and 5,000-meter run. This year I was also able to break into the top-10 list in the 1,500m and 5k, as well as reach into the top five in the 3k steeplechase.
I wake up every day excited that I’m able to run, and that I have the privilege of training my body to become stronger and faster. I also now realize the fragility of fair competition and how easily it can be taken away from female athletes.
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Comments
The women’s collegiate record for 1500 m is right at 4 minutes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_collegiate_records_in_track_and_field
The men’s record is about 30 seconds faster. If a top man decides to race as a woman, he will set records that real women can never approach, and will discourage them from trying.
But what I signed up for was running against similarly advantaged competitors
That’s funny, I thought you signed up for an education.
I also now realize the fragility of fair competition and how easily it can be taken away from female athletes
A pity you still haven’t realized that the second you graduate no one will care how fast you can run and all those classes you skipped are the reason you can’t pay your rent.
This woman signed up for an education paid for by the university and to compete against women. She’s not a football player in the NFL Minor League (sorry, Football Bowl Subdivision or whatever it’s called), so she has to attend class and make her grades, and her progress is monitored. She also has to make up work she misses. She seems to be motivated and a hard worker. She’ll do fine.
Actually as a student athlete she probably has to and does maintain a higher GPA than most of her peers. The thought of you not being able to compete against and beat women bothers you doesn’t it Daniel….interesting
A pity you still haven’t realized that the second you graduate no one will care how fast you can run
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perhaps–but admire her courage–unlike so many of her contemporaries (both men and women) she’s not self-absorbed but rather concerned for the plight of ALL female collegiate athletes–she’s doing something that no one else seems to have the conviction to do–she’s telling you and me and everyone else that letting “men” compete against women in women’s events is fundamentally unfair, is fundamentally wrong–lord, what an example for us all
such actions speak to her character, her concern for others, her commitment to fairness for ALL her female contemporaries–such qualities are beyond the scope of a 4.0 grading system–her parents should be proud of her–she is a leader indeed
Seems one assumes se has no aspirations to professional sports. From what I can see, the Diamond League athletes for the most part are doing OK, and those with good sponsorships are doing even better.
And to say she signed up for an education, not sports, is being disingenuous. I think most people read that as her saying she signed up for sports. Otherwise, her statement about competing against men makes no sense.
Only inferior men who cannot compete against other men need to compete against women.
It is not unlike bullies taking advantage of people smaller than themselves to steal their lunch money. In this case, it is to steal their trophies and scholarships.
The simplest solution would be to have a “tranny league,” or whatever they decide to call it.
I wonder if the women identifying as men would have a prayer against the men identifying as women.
And by “identifying,” I mean “pretending.”
I don’t understand the problem or the reasoning behind this article. The NCAA voted last winter to use USATF eligibility rules for track. The USATF and the USOC have voted to follow the international rules. This involves a lot of random testing of hormone levels, and more time before an athlete can transition from one gender to the other.
Hence, it is much harder for a man to compete as a woman in track. The rules are based on scientific data, not an arbitrary, short time limit.
The USATF has debated and studied this problem for a decade based upon objective data and research. The goal is fair competition, not whether an athlete’s feeling will be hurt. The same goals apply to the detection and use of performance enhancing drugs.
The USATF establishes rules of competition and has the funding to back up its rules with medical testing.