We've seen other girls cross country runners in Washington state walk off the start line in protest of having to compete against a boy, but Elise Bierer was the first to do it all by herself.
asserted
Bierer → see → herself
It happened Wednesday during the Greater St. Helens League District Meet, where a runner for Camas High was competing as a girl after starting the year racing against the boys.
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runner → happen → boys
And when the gun went off for the women's varsity race, Bierer walked off the line toward her mother, Sheona, who embraced her tearful daughter.
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who → go → daughter
This was certainly not how Elise, a sophomore at Battle Ground High, pictured her season ending when the school year began.
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year → picture → High
She was the second-fastest female cross country runner on her team, and almost certainly would have advanced to regionals had she participated Wednesday.
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she → advance → regionals
But as her mom explained, Bierer had been anticipating a moment like this for a couple of years, and was prepared to stand â or more precisely, walk â on principle.
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Bierer → explain → principle
"Before she entered high school â she's a sophomore â I told her that it's a real possibility that this could come into play, that she might be forced to race against a male.
uncertain
she → enter → male
When we talked about that, she said if that were to happen, she would stand up for what was right and just not compete," said Sheona Bierer, speaking for a daughter who didn't feel comfortable being interviewed.
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who → talk → daughter
So two Tuesdays ago, when Battle Ground met Camas in a dual meet, Bierer and other teammates decided that they were simply not going to compete.
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they → meet → meet
This time, a protest meant saying sayonara to her season.
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protest → mean → season
Sheona said Elise and other Battle Ground girls who didn't want to compete against the biological boy were pressured into running in the JV race Wednesday.
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who → say → race
This would maximize Battle Ground's chances of finishing in the top three of four teams to advance to regionals.
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This → maximize → regionals
1) Because of all this controversy, only five Battle Ground racers even showed up for Wednesday's women's varsity race (the other three teams had seven apiece).
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teams → show → seven
And 2) Elise felt it was her rightful place to line up with the varsity.
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it → feel → varsity
She'd earned that position.
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She → earn → position
Sheona said that the initial plan was for other Battle Ground girls to walk off the start line with Elise.
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girls → say → Elise
But those plans changed before the race, leaving Elise to make a statement all by herself.
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plans → change → herself
What was that like to watch as a mom?
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that → watch → mom
I asked.
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I → ask → ?
I'm still overwhelmed," said Sheona, adding that Elise has been running since sixth grade but would not return to the team next year if she had to run against the Camas boy.
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she → say → boy
"I know this is really hard, but I love her, and I'm so glad that she's going to stand up for what's right, even when everybody else is walking away from what's right and chose to buckle under pressure.
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what → know → pressure
Sheona said Elise didn't inform Battle Ground coach Patricia Tester of her plan for fear of being relegated to JV.
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Elise → say → JV
I attempted to ask Tester about Bierer after the race â and about the exodus of female runners from her team â but she wouldn't even offer a no comment.
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she → attempt → comment
Then, another Battle Ground coach stepped in.
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coach → step → ?
That's my comment," he said.
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he → say → ?
I told him I was just trying to get answers about an athlete who protested.
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who → tell → athlete
"Leave the kids alone," he said.
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he → leave → kids
I can't speak for other writers â and there were quite a few of them out there Wednesday â but I'd love to leave the kids alone.
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I → speak → kids
Unfortunately, Washington state law allows high school males to compete against high school females if they identify as the latter â leaving myriad girls distressed.
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they → allow → girls
The Camas boy finished second out of 26 runners Wednesday, officially displacing a biological girl from competing in regionals â as only 21 can advance.
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21 → finish → regionals
He also helped lead his Papermakers to first place in the women's varsity team results.
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He → lead → results
Earlier this season, he finished first in a varsity dual meet despite placing 76th among boys a couple weeks prior.
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he → finish → boys
People are tired of this â and not just those on opposing teams.
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People → oppose → teams
Eight days ago, about a dozen of the runner's own female teammates walked off the starting line for Camas.
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dozen → walk → Camas
One of them was Holly Burns, who spoke at a pre-meet rally attended by scores of supporters of Initiative 638, a Nov. 3 ballot measure in Washington state that would require K-12 athletes to compete according to their sex at birth.
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that → speak → birth
She had no idea her walking off the start line would spark the reaction it has â but it helped turn Wednesday's meet into the kind of media spectacle rarely seen in high school cross country.
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it → have → country
"When I was talking about it with the girls, we were kind of like 'what's the point of even doing this?'
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point → talk → this
It's not like it was going to change anything," said Burns, who, according to one parent, is one of 18 girls from Camas to have quit the team entirely.
uncertain
who → go → team
"But it seems like it definitely made a wave."
This won't be the only OutKick column from Wednesday's meet.
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This → seem → meet
There is much more to be written about the adults who are finally showing the courage that's been almost exclusive to the high schoolers so far.
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that → be → schoolers
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
