Support Kacy Stuart! Female kicker booted from team for being a girl
September 17, 2008 by mhueter
Filed under From the blogosphere, Sports Headlines, Sports Journalism, football
Awhile back, I posted about Kacy Stuart, a prospective high school place-kicker in Georgia (kicks 50-yard field goals) who was dismissed from the New Creation Center Crusaders, a private Christian academy in McDonough, Ga., for being a girl.
Today, Kacy’s mom, Angie Stuart, posted a comment on my blog asking readers to write Hank St. Denis, executive board chairman of New Creation Center, and ask him to reconsider his decision to boot Kacy from the team.
First, Angie, it’s totally awesome that you’re so supportive of your daughter. I’m sure she’s thankful to have you in her life.
Second, you’re doing a great job of posting on blogs. Keep it up. This is where you’ll find your support (see my blogroll).
I highly encourage everyone who reads this to jump on board. Take five minutes and write a letter. Support a girl who breaks gender barriers through athletics. It’s the only way to create change in a world that sometimes resists.
Here is where you can write Hank St. Denis:
Hank St. Dennis
905 Ferncroft Court
Roswell, Ga. 30075
770-714-5775
I searched for an e-mail address and couldn’t find one. However, according to this discussion thread, you can contact electronically here.
Here’s the letter I wrote and submitted online:
Mr. St. Denis,
I am writing to ask you to please reconsider your decision to boot Kacy Stuart to the team.
We have fought long and hard as women to take steps towards gender equality, and this is the wrong message to be sending to young women out there who are trying to be the best they can.
I compete in a sport that is dominated by males. Motorsports is one of the few sports where women and men can compete equally… the car knows no gender, yet I still run across tremendous hardships and gender bias. The Good Ole Boy network is firmly rooted.
Kacy obviously has talent, and if she is able to hold her own against boys in a sport where physically she is at a gendered disadvantage, then why would you NOT encourage her to build upon and explore her talent.
Please do not add to the list of Good Ole Boys who have made it so difficult on young girls’ self-esteem and empowerment.
Allow Kacy the right to play!
Thanks,
Erica Ortiz
http://www.horsepowerandheels.com
Thanks Erica! You’re awesome.
That is total insanity! How is that even legal??
Several years ago in Colorado, there was a girl that played high school football and went on the play for the CU Buffs. I remember there was a big deal about the H.S. not wanting girls to play. You might get a hold of one of the news channels in Denver. They could probably really help Kacy out.
We had several girls that I can remember try out for the football team at my highschool. None had the proven talent I don’t believe that Kacy has, but all were left “waiting for their special pads to come in”.
None ever played. All of them eventually got so discouraged and bullied they quit.
In answer to Dayngr: Private school, they can do whatever they want and that’s why people put their kids there, for micromanaging control.
Lesson learned in the value of a strong and non-theologically based public school system (not that public schools don’t have their share of biases as well, but there public pressure and public support, as well as law, can change those biases).
My father was the head coach of the team that had the first female kicker in the state of New Jersey back in the early 90’s. Watching her play football made me feel like I could accomplish anything. She was my idol and such a role model. She had such an impact on the team and football reciprocally had an impact on her life. My parents not only attended her wedding but get yearly updates about she and her family almost 20 years later. It’s imperative that females take a stand on this issue. We have to fight for an opportunity. In this case, one loss of a player really means more than one.
Thanks for posting the address and bringing this to the public’s attention. This is 2008, right?
LET HER PLAY,
People for years have said that women should not play football. They are WRONG and have been proven WRONG. There are over 50 semi-pro women’s football teams in the United States today. Women are playing this sport of full contact football and being very successful in it. Men need to understand that women are athletes too and can play full contact sports. I agree with the issue of women and men playing against each other in most sports to include full contact football do to the difference physically and mentally. I feel however that at certain positions like a kicker should be exceptions to the rule. I say this because if I was playing defense tackle and there was a young woman playing offense line across from me, I would be concerned to hurt her as well as the moral inferences. This issue could cause many players on each side to get hurt for the young men and women. For this reason the young women I think should not play with the young men in most positions on the field no matter of their physical abilities but also because of the moral issues. However as a kicker the young women would not be in the position to have the hard full contact of the rest of the team. There are rules against hitting and or even running in to a kicker male or female. These rules do not need to be adjusted for a young lady to play. These rules keep the young lady safe from injury do to any physical shortcomings in which are obvious and also from moral issues because they are not allowed to hit the kicker anyway. So there are no physical or moral issues to be concerned in this whole situation. The ONLY issue I see in this matter not allowing her to play on the team as a kicker is the issue of sexist men not wanting women to play a mans sport. Give this talented young woman the opportunity to showoff her God given talents. I know it will be difficult for these men to admit a young woman is better then the young men at the kicker position, but face it men women are better then men in many areas of life. These men need to grow up and accept these facts and LET HER PLAY !!!!!
I hope this young lady gets to play and I also hope when she turns 18 she will make it up to Tennessee to play for the Clarksville Fox which is one of the BEST teams in Women’s Full Contact Football in the entire Unites States.
Sincerely,
Rob “Pops” Brown
Owner/General Manager for the Clarksville Fox
http://www.TheClarksvilleFox.com
CoachoftheFox@AOL.com
931-320-2976
In 47 states, the public athletic associations do not allow boys to play on girls teams, no matter how small or young. Even when boys are in middle school and give up the advantage to the girls, they are denied.
God forbid we limit a girl to equal rights.
Just remember, you are fighting for special privileges based on gender. You are teaching a whole new generation that discrimination is acceptable. Congratulations
Sexist pigs