Sports
Girl athletes express fear over school district switching sports conferences to accommodate trans athletes
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A public school district is in the process of transferring from Nevada’s high school sports conference to California’s so it can avoid Nevada’s new policy that keeps biological males out of high school girls’ competitions and locker rooms.
The Tahoe Truckee Unified School District (TTUSD) in Truckee, California, is leaving the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) to join the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).
The change will go into effect in Fall 2025 and comes after the NIAA voted to ban male athletes from the girls’ category during its April 2 Board of Control meeting. It was made in order to comply with President Donald Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order. However, California has continued to defy the order and enable trans inclusion in girls’ sports.
Multiple TTUSD parents and girls’ athletes pleaded with school officials not to make the switch to California’s federation at the Truckee Unified school board meeting Wednesday night.
Not only did they speak out the notion of letting trans athletes in girls’ sports, but many speakers also pointed out that other details of the switch would affect the district’s sports teams’ ability to conduct their seasons, including travel and scheduling changes that would bring about potential weather complications for outdoor events.
The current setup with Truckee competing in the NIAA allows its teams to travel east into Nevada for most of its away competition, as the town sits near the northern California-Nevada border. But with the coming change, the student athletes could soon have to travel west for most of their away competition.
This means that students will often have to travel through California’s Donner Pass, a 7,056-foot-high mountain pass. During winter, the pass is known for being dangerous due to extreme weather conditions like heavy snowfall, strong winds and icy roads. The high elevation and frequent storms contribute to treacherous travel conditions, including the potential for avalanches.
A school bus at Truckee Historic Downtown during snowfall in Truckee, California, on December 13, 2024. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Truckee high school girls’ track and field athlete Ava Cochram expressed her fears of playing against trans athletes.
“Men generally have more muscle mass, higher lung capacity and greater bone density that gives them greater advantages, physically, in sports, and I think that it’s very unfair to watch all of our hard work as women to go down the drain,” Cochram said. “I do not have anything against trans people, but I think this is a violation of our privacy.”
Truckee High School girls’ soccer, track and basketball athlete Kenzie Zilstorf lamented the idea of changing with trans athletes in the same locker room, and having to increase the risk of travel with the change.
“It’s even more bad if a woman has to go in the locker room with a man and change with them. There’s two genders, a man and a woman,” Zilstorf said. “And I think it’s unfair that we have to take a dangerous drive to risk our lives over the summit when there’s snow, all because of a privacy rule. This is wrong.”
North Tahoe High School girls’ soccer player Anna Holly said she isn’t even going to be playing girls’ soccer anymore because of the change.
“It’s sad for me, because this is the only time I get to play soccer in my life, and I really do enjoy it, but I’m choosing basketball over that,” Holly said. “And biologically, boys are born with greater speed and strength than girls, and having to play against them, they do have an unfair advantage, and I would not feel safe with them. There’s also safety concerns about how much stronger they are than us.”
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TTUSD still defended its decision to switch to CIF in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
“A recent Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) policy change made on April 2, 2025, directly conflicts with California state law, specifically the California Education Code’s mandate against discrimination and protection of student privacy. Given the direct conflict between the NIAA’s recent policy changes and the mandates of California state law, TTUSD viewed joining a California athletics association as a necessary action to ensure legal compliance,” read a statement from the TTUSD to Fox News Digital.
TTUSD also said it anticipates the new arrangements will lead to shorter travel times for its student athletes for away competitions, despite concerns over the Donner Pass.
“TTUSD is working with CIF on details related to league assignment, schedules, and travel distances. We anticipate that the overall mileage student-athletes travel within the CIF will be less than our current travel schedules,” the district’s statement read.
Tahoe Truckee High School in Truckee, California, July 4, 2024. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
CIF is one of many high school sports conferences located in blue states to defy Trump’s executive order since it was signed on Feb. 5.
It is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for its defiance of the order, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon has warned Governor Gavin Newsom that his state could be subject to federal funding freezes if it continues to defy.
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Sports
Olympic medalist suffers serious injuries after ‘death-defying’ skateboarding stunt
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An Olympic medalist and 13-time X Games winner suffered serious head injuries after a stunt went wrong.
Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in Paris in 2024, said he suffered a fractured skull and eye socket.
“A harsh reminder how death-defying skating massive rails can be…” Huston wrote in an Instagram post which included a photo of himself in a hospital bed. “Taking it one day at a time. I hope yall had a better new years then me. We live to fight another day.”
Nyjah Huston of the United States competes in the men’s street prelims during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde 3. (Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Sports)
The post also featured Huston being treated by first responders and friends, along with another photo showing a large black-and-blue mark on Huston’s eye.
Numerous skating legends showed their support for Huston, who is considered one of the best skateboarders in the United States today.
Nyjah Huston of Team USA reacts at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park on July 25, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
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“Been watching @nyjah grow up into one of the best skaters to ever do it and it amazes me the amount of grit this kid has,” Shaun White shared on his Instagram story, via Pro Football Network. “You got this brother. Heal quick!”
Even Tony Hawk shared well-wishes on Huston’s Instagram post.
“Heavy. Stay strong; we know you’ll be back,” the skateboarding legend wrote.
“Man.. prayers for healing brother!” added Ryan Sheckler.
It is unknown whether Huston was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.
Nyjah Huston, of the United States, celebrates during the men’s skateboard street final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Huston has seven gold medals and five silvers in world championships. He has not competed since the 2024 Olympics, but the California native has his eyes set on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
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Sports
Prep talk: JuJu Watkins returns to Sierra Canyon on Friday
JuJu Watkins is returning to Sierra Canyon High on Friday, the place where she was a high school basketball All-American.
The school will hold a ceremony retiring her jersey at halftime of the boys’ basketball game between Sierra Canyon and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
She will be presented with a framed jersey.
Watkins is sitting out this season at USC while recovering from a knee injury.
Sierra Canyon girls’ basketball coach Alicia Komaki said, “She raised our standards, which was hard to do because we had won four state championships. She was an incredibly talented player.”
Watkins was also making a huge impact in the college game until her injury last season during the NCAA playoffs.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Miami beats Ole Miss behind Carson Beck’s game-winning touchdown to reach CFP National Championship Game
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The Miami Hurricanes are heading to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, coming away with a narrow victory over Ole Miss, 31-27, in an all-time postseason contest.
The Hurricanes will now await the winner of the other semifinal between the Indiana Hoosiers and Oregon Ducks to see who they will play on Jan. 19. But Miami will do so on their home turf, with the National Championship Game being played at Hard Rock Stadium – the site of their home games.
The game began slowly for both teams, with only Miami getting on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a field goal on their 13-play opening drive. But the fireworks came out from there for the Rebels thanks to the speed of running back Kewan Lacy.
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Charmar Brown of the Miami (FL) Hurricanes celebrates a run in the first quarter of the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Steve Limentani/ISI Photos)
On just the second play of the second quarter, Lacy was off to the race, finding a seam and busting out a 73-yard touchdown run to go up 7-3 after the extra point.
But this game was back and forth for quite some time, including the ensuing Hurricanes drive as quarterback Carson Beck led the way on a 15-play touchdown series with a CharMar Brown rushing score from four yards out.
The game was deadlocked at 10 apiece when Beck decided to air it out to Keelan Marion, and it was worth the risk. Marion made the grab for a 52-yard touchdown to help Miami go up 17-13 at halftime.
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The third quarter was an odd one for both squads, as their opening drives resulted in a missed field goal apiece. Then, after Beck threw an interception, the Rebels were able to cut the lead to 17-16 in favor of the Hurricanes heading into the fourth quarter for the ages.
There was no absence of electric plays when it mattered most in the final 15 minutes, as Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss got his team downfield enough to take a 19-17 lead with a field goal.
But the speed of Malachi Toney changed the scoreboard for Miami in the best way possible, as he took a screen 36 yards to the house, capping a four-play, 75-yard answer drive for the Hurricanes right after Ole Miss took the lead.
Trinidad Chambliss of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the second quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
With a 24-19 lead and five minutes left to play in the game, Chambliss and the Rebels’ offense had quite enough time to retake the lead. He did just that, finding trusty tight end Dae’Quan Wright for 24 yards to send the Rebels faithful ballistic.
Ole Miss wanted to go for two in hopes of making it a three-point lead, and Chambliss came through again, finding a wide open Caleb Odom for the key score.
It was up to Beck and the Miami offense to keep the game alive with at least tying the game at 27 apiece. On a crucial third-and-10 just inside field goal range, Beck was confident with his pass to Marion to get well within range. Another pass to Marion made it first-and-goal, and it was clear Miami wasn’t trying to force overtime. They wanted to win it all.
How fitting was it that Beck, scanning the field, found a seam to his left and just sprinted for the colored paint to score the game-winner with 18 seconds left.
But things got fascinating at the end, with Ole Miss going 40 yards in just a few seconds to set up a Hail Mary for the win. Chambliss had the space to loft a pass to the end zone, and though it hit off the hand of a teammate, it landed incomplete for the Miami victory.
Carson Beck of the Miami Hurricanes passes the ball against the Ole Miss Rebels in the first quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
In the box score, Beck was 23-of-37 for 268 yards with his two passing touchdowns and an interception. Marion was a key player in the victory with seven catches for 114 yards, while Mark Fletcher Jr. set the tone in the ground game with 133 yards rushing on 22 carries. Toney also tallied 81 receiving yards for Miami.
For Ole Miss, Chambliss also went 23-of-37 for 277 yards with his touchdown to Wright, who finished with 64 yards on three grabs. De’Zhaun Stribling was five for 77 through the air, while Lacy rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries.
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