Camas girls walk off rather than race a male teammate
Two Skyview runners had already protested at Camas, and Washington voters will decide Initiative 638’s school-sports rules on Nov. 3.
Girls should not be forced to race boys; Initiative 638 would bar biological males from K–12 girls’ sports. @BillboardChris reported Oct. 14 that Camas High girls walked off rather than race a male teammate1. OutKick reports he switched from boys’ JV (76th) to girls’ varsity, where he won2.
The walkoff followed a protest by Skyview High runners Charlie Garrett and Sierra Retzlaff, who stepped off the course at Camas after the Sept. 15 race began, Clark County Today reported. Retzlaff pledged respect for the runner while calling the biological difference an unfair advantage3.
The team switch those girls challenged is permitted under Washington Interscholastic Activities Association rules, according to OutKick; the association governs high school sports statewide. At the Arlington invitational, a Camas assistant coach told the reporter, “Nobody wants to talk to you. I'm trying to be nice2.
One mother pointed to the rules governing schools: “There needs to be more work done to change the law, because schools are kind of tied to what the law is telling them to do.”
OutKick reported that the Camas runner finished 39th in a field of 135 at the Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational. His time was 18:36.8. OutKick calculated that the same time would have placed last among 159 boys in the elite 5K2.
With districts approaching, Garrett and Retzlaff expected to face the Camas runner again; Garrett told Clark County Today she planned to race3. Washington voters will decide the eligibility question on Nov. 3 through Initiative 638, which would bar biological males from K–12 girls’ sports, OutKick reported2.
Sources
- @BillboardChris on X, 2026-10-14: Girls on the Camas High cross-country team walked off today instead of being forced to compete against a male teammate. He started the season on the boys' team, finished 76th in a boys' JV race, then switched to the girls' team and won a varsity race. From, 2026-10-14
- A cross country runner switched to the girls team midseason, parents voice their disapproval at meet
- Skyview girls share the reason for their decision not to compete against biological male
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