The Dighton-Rehoboth field hockey team has decided to put the safety of its players ahead of two potential victories this season, forfeiting both of its games against an opponent that includes a male on its roster.

It’s a move that caught the attention of prominent women’s rights advocate, 12-time All-American swimmer Riley Gaines, who encouraged other schools to stand up.

“Safety and fairness should take priority over inclusion,” Gaines said Tuesday in a post on X. “Schools shouldn’t participate in the farce. I know it’s easier said than done, but all schools should follow Dighton-Rehoboth’s example.”

Gaines’ comment came after Dighton-Rehoboth Superintendent Bill Runey informed the media Monday evening that the regional high school’s field hockey team had opted to forgo its game against Somerset Berkley, scheduled for next Tuesday.

The team also decided to forfeit its second game with Somerset Berkley, scheduled for Oct. 8.

Not all were on board with the development, with a critic saying on social media, “So quitting is encouraged now? sad how far our nation has fallen.”

In a release to the media, Runey cited the district’s “Interscholastic Athletics” policy, which the School Committee passed in June allowing student-athletes to forfeit games against teams with players of the opposite sex.

Coaches won’t be penalized for forfeiting games against such teams.

“Our Field Hockey coaches and captains made this decision, and we notified our opponent accordingly,” Runey stated in a release. “The district supports this decision as there are times where we have to place a higher value on safety than on victory.”

“We understand this forfeit will impact our chances for a league championship and possibly playoff eligibility,” he added, “but we remain hopeful that other schools consider following suit to achieve safety and promote fair competition for female athletes.”

Matt McKinnon, Dighton-Rehoboth’s athletic director, said the team made the decision “toward the end of the summer,” one that he called a “surprise to Somerset Berkley,” in a statement to The Sun Chronicle.

On Tuesday, Somerset Berkley Superintendent Jeff Schoonover shared this statement: “The Somerset Berkley Regional School District follows all MIAA regulations and school district policies for participation in interscholastic athletics. Somerset Berkley supports the rights of all students to access and participate in athletics for which they are eligible.”

Somerset Berkley has been a field hockey powerhouse over the years, a team that has had boys help lead them to numerous Division 1 state titles.

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association has said it won’t intervene in Dighton-Rehoboth’s policy that allows an athlete or coach to opt out of playing against mixed-sex opponents.

According to the MIAA handbook, males are allowed to participate on female teams in Massachusetts based on the state’s Equal Rights Amendment.

Boys’ field hockey is not offered in Massachusetts, allowing males to play the sport on girls’ teams, per the MIAA rule.

Dighton-Rehoboth, a rural district of roughly 2,500 students in Bristol County, has risen in the national debate of whether males and females should be allowed to intermingle in sports following a scary incident involving its field hockey team last year.

A girl player, in her senior year, had to be rushed to the hospital after suffering significant facial and dental injuries when a Swampscott High School boy player’s shot struck her in the face.

The same player who took the shot, off of a corner, scored both goals in a 2-0 shutout for Swampscott in a tournament contest.

Swampscott Athletic Director Kelly Wolff called the incident “an unfortunate injury” that came on a “legal play” and the shot “deflected off her teammate’s stick.”

The nature of the play also triggered a debate on MIAA equipment rules– field hockey players are allowed to wear facial protection on offensive corners, but the equipment is not required.

“The Swampscott player who took the shot is a 4-year varsity player and co-captain who, per MIAA rules, has the exact same right to participate as any player on any team,” Wolff said in a statement at the time.

A legal note from the MIAA highlights how “boys have been competing on girls’ teams, and girls have been competing on boys’ teams, for more than 40 years,” based on the Equal Rights Amendment and Title IX.

Runey and a team captain, after the “horror” last November, called on the MIAA to revisit its guidelines. He  also pointed out how the advancement of equipment and training that student-athletes receive today should require officials “to be more thoughtful about all of our rules and policies regarding safety.”

“Seeing the horror in the eyes of our players and coaches upon greeting their bus last night is evidence to me that there has to be a renewed approach by the MIAA to protect the safety of our athletes,” Runey wrote in a letter to the school community.

The MIAA has said “student safety” is not a “successful defense” in not including males from playing on female teams and vice versa. “The arguments generally fail due to the lack of correlation between injuries and mixed-gender teams,” the association said last year.

Originally Published: September 10, 2024 at 5:57 p.m.

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