Dozens of cross-country spikes dug into the ground just behind the white start line drawn onto the grass at Sun Willows Golf Course on Saturday. Parents readied their cameras.
“Have a great race, and do your best,” an announcer said as a race official walked down the line to check that no one had crept over the edge.
The starter’s pistol fired moments later, and the girls in the 4A state cross-country championship race were off.
This year’s state final came on the heels of a midterm election where voters in Washington approved Initiative 638, a ballot measure that will ban transgender girls from competing in K-12 girls sports. It also requires that all girls wanting to compete in girls’ individual or team sports submit documentation from a healthcare provider that “verifies the student's biological sex,” according to the initiative's text.
Eyes were on Saturday’s race, where a team of seven runners from Camas High School, including a transgender girl, competed for the final time this season. With I-638 set to take effect Dec. 3, the race was among the last athletic events to have a transgender girl competing in Washington.
Camas finished 12th and was led by the transgender girl, who placed 23rd out of 155 runners with a time of 18 minutes, 53.9 seconds. The Seattle Times has not named the Camas runner in coverage because she is a minor who has not given her consent to be identified.
The Camas program has been in the political spotlight for the past month after social-media posts called attention to the transgender girl's participation on the girls' team. Outside attention and protests ramped up in the following weeks, coinciding with the final weeks of the campaign for I-638.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association says it is aware of no more than 10 transgender athletes competing each year out of an overall number of approximately 225,000 students. It’s acknowledged that number may be higher because schools aren’t required to report transgender athletes.
Camas’ road to state
Camas athletes saw protests, departures by their teammates and changes to many of the races they competed in throughout October due to security concerns.
The Camas team became the subject of online attention in early October when an X account posted a video of the transgender girl running in a junior varsity race. Online posts, many of which go beyond criticizing the state’s policy and include disparaging remarks targeted at the runner, have gathered millions of views throughout the month.
The Camas athlete at the center of attention ran the first race of the season in the boys category Sept. 5. Her first race in the girls category was a dual meet on Sept. 15. Social media posts have drawn attention to the in-season switch, but both the WIAA and Camas School District have said the student’s participation did not violate any rules.
The athlete competed in eight races after moving to the girls category, including the district meet where she placed second amid protests and led the Camas girls to the district title.
Camas advanced to the regional state-qualifying race, where the athlete placed seventh. The top 49 individual runners from the Oct. 31 race and seven teams, including Camas, advanced to the state meet.
In the days leading up to Saturday’s race, the parents of the 50th-place finisher at regionals, a runner from Puyallup, filed a lawsuit against the WIAA and OSPI. The lawsuit is ongoing, but a temporary restraining order asking the court to allow the 50th competitor an extra entry into the race to “provide equal athletic opportunity for members of both sexes” was denied.
State championship
The girls 4A championship race took place as planned Saturday afternoon, with Mt. Si senior Sophia Rodriguez winning her fourth consecutive title in a time of 17:31.3.
A small group of protesters carrying signs that opposed transgender girls’ participation in girls’ sports stood on a curb near the entrance to the event in the late morning.
Amy Sousa, an advocate for I-638 who organized the rally that took place before the district meet, said she was “really encouraged” by the results of the election. Sousa noted the possibility of legal challenges to the initiative and said the group was present to “remind people that there’s still a reason to put pressure on the WIAA to enforce.”
Sousa passed out pink slips of paper that celebrated I-638’s victory on one side and encouraged people to contact the WIAA and OSPI and ask them to implement the policy.
People wearing XX-XY shirts and hats in opposition of trans girls participating in girls sports were scattered throughout the crowd Saturday. The majority of spectators wore apparel with school logos and held playful signs including “run if you think I’m cute.” Cheers focused on encouraging individual athletes and their programs.
After the race, a parent of one Camas runner who competed reflected on the season. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, she described the season as “stressful” to navigate and noted she had gone in expecting it to be like other years.
It was a challenge to “very quickly try to think of everyone else’s point of view and everybody else’s feelings” while also trying to keep a supportive environment, she said.
“This is high school cross-country,” she said, adding that the girls on the team were balancing classes, practice and social relationships throughout the season. “This is about friendship and sportsmanship and learning to be healthy.”
“As an adult, this would be hard to navigate,” she added.
The looming changes to the WIAA’s policy left her feeling “conflicted.” She said it seemed “some change” might have been needed, but “in a way that allows for more support and inclusion.”
“On the one hand, I feel a little bit protective of some of the rights that girls have had to fight really hard for, but at the same time I also want there to be acceptance and opportunity for all athletes,” she said.
What’s next?
The gender identity policy will remain in place until I-638 takes effect Dec. 3.
Most winter sports begin in mid-November, and at this time it is unclear how immediately new documentation requirements will impact athletes’ ability to participate.
“The WIAA Executive Board has the authority to adjust the WIAA Handbook to align with new Washington state law at the time the measure takes effect,” Sean Bessette, WIAA communications director said. “The WIAA office will have all necessary changes in place by December 3, 2026. Implementation details, including updates to requirements with physicals, are undergoing legal review. Upon completed review, implementation details and updated forms will be provided to schools to help with compliance of new laws.”
The measure is also expected to face legal challenges.
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