The boy on the Camas High School girls' cross-country team shared a hotel room with a girl teammate on an overnight team trip, Clark County Today reports.
The team stayed in a hotel, paid for by the district, for the Nike Hole in the Wall XC Invitational at Lakewood High School in Arlington on Oct. 10. He ran in the girls' elite 5,000 meters and finished 39th.
The district didn't deny the room arrangement. It said coaches set room assignments.
"Coaching staff coordinate room assignments for overnight athletic trips and may consider student-athletes' preferences," district spokesperson Doreen McKercher said. "We can confirm that no student was required to share a room with someone they were uncomfortable rooming with. To protect student privacy, we will not discuss individual room assignments or accommodations."
An "incident" sent to police
On Monday, Oct. 12, Principal Travis Drake verbally reported an incident from the trip to the school's resource officer, a Camas police officer. The district confirmed he made the report but won't say what it was about.
Camas police Sgt. Chuck Nadgwick told Clark County Today the incident involved two people, neither of whom complained. A third party did. Police found no crime, so no report was written and no case number was assigned. The district has referred the matter to Educational Service District 112 for a third-party review.
A $4,772 charter bus
The district also hired a charter bus for the trip instead of a district bus. It cost $4,772. McKercher said the district often charters for long or overnight trips, but also "considered the significant online attention directed at our team, including comments about identifying and approaching student-athletes at events."
The girls aren't backing down
A day after the team got home, about a dozen Camas girls walked off the start line of a dual meet with Battle Ground rather than race him. Police were on hand at that meet.
The district says none of them will be disciplined. "Students have the right to express their views through peaceful protest," McKercher said.
A source told Clark County Today at least one girl quit the team after the trip. The district says some students have left voluntarily and no one has been removed.
He started this season on the boys' team, placing 76th in a boys' junior varsity race on Sept. 5, before switching to the girls' team, the Seattle Times reports. The state athletic association says its rules allow the switch.
Nov. 3
Washington voters decide on Fairness in Girls' Athletics (I-638) on Nov. 3. It would keep girls' sports, and the trips that come with them, for girls.
Cover photo: Video by Amy Sousa
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