Recently, Presidents Day was the one-year remembrance of a truly unfair outcome to a high
school sporting event at the highest level of any sport … the State Championships. It was the
Class B Indoor Track and Field meet, where a female pole vaulter from Freeport High School lost the state title to a transgender girl (a boy) from Greely High School. Adding insult to injury, Freeport lost the girls team title to Greely by one point.

I have been a track official since 1974, and was assigned to officiate the pole vault at the
outdoor WMC championships. I submitted a proposal to the meet administrators and the head
of USATF Officials, Don Berry, that would allow the Greely athlete (a boy) to compete
with the girls but would be scored under the boys competition — a real rule. In short order, I
was reprimanded by the chief official and fired from working the meet.

No one would give me a response. When I wrote to the four administrators/coaches asking for a response, I received an email from Maine Principals’ Association Executive Director Michael Burnham. In summary, he stated the MPA would follow the advice of its legal team and continue to follow state law.

His final statement said, “We continue to support all student athletes throughout the state.” If that were true, he would have recognized that the girls of Maine are treated very unfairly in this scenario.

I will not officiate in Maine and violate my oath to ensure safe and fair competition.

Bob Oates
Hollis