The title of articles that flooded the news about this ordeal left me chewing on my feminist thread until I read these words:"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cassy and Megan [Black] and their accomplishments. However, wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times.
As a matter of conscience and faith, I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most other high school sports in Iowa."
A sophomore at an Iowa High School, forfeited a tournament wrestling match due to the difference in their sexes. Interesting. Now, I'm a bit confused with the faith aspect {I'm not sure which religious group he affiliates with}, but, I must admit, I respect his honestly and his beliefs. Anyone who stands up for their ideas {as long as they aren't harmful} is alright in my book.
And, as you see, the girl's father felt pretty good about it as well:
"My understanding is that they've got strict convictions [as a family], and I respect them," states Bill Herkelman. "I don't have any ill will toward them and I don't think it's any kind of boycott about [Cassy Herkelman] being a girl."
So, there you have it, I smiled, shrugged, and thought for a moment maybe the world was a pretty decent place, where kids can make up their own minds based on their own beliefs and others are tolerant of those choices.
What about You? What's your take on skipping out on a medal simply because you and your opponent are of different genders??
No comments:
Post a Comment