The Washington Post

An Equal Opportunity Athlete

School Without Walls Has Only Girls' Lacrosse, So What's a Boy to Do?

The Washington Post, By Judith Evans, Washington Post Staff Writer, Tuesday, April 29, 2003; Page D01

In ball, nearly 4,000 boys nationwide competed in sports traditionally reserved for girls during the 2001-02 season, but only one from the District: Ralph Chittams, above.

Glen Morrison did a double-take as the School Without Walls girls' lacrosse team took the field for a recent game against Wilson. Morrison, whose daughter, Rebecca, plays for Wilson, quickly realized that his eyes had not deceived him.

There among the ponytailed School Without Walls players was a 5-foot-10, 140-pound boy. Ralph Chittams, a senior at the Northwest school, asked to try out for the girls' team after learning D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association schools do not have boys' lacrosse programs. He is believed to be the only male athlete in the history of District public school athletics to compete on an all-girls team.

"I didn't know that could even happen," Morrison said. "My first thought was that seems like a very big girl. But I'm not sure it really makes a difference. But it was surprising to see him out there. He doesn't seem to overpower the girls."

Many school systems and leagues prohibit boys from playing on girls' teams, including the Virginia High School League and the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association, which govern public school athletics in their respective states. Women's rights advocates argue that boys should not be allowed to play on girls' teams because of safety concerns and the possibility that their participation reduces opportunities for female athletes.

But the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association sanctioned Chittams's spot on the team, and he has been embraced by coaches and teammates. Opposing players and coaches don't seem to mind that School Without Walls's leading scorer is a boy.

"Discrimination is something that we don't do, even though it is not specifically written in the handbook," DCIAA Deputy Director Patricia Briscoe said. "It's not a situation that I truly believe is being done to create a problem."

Chittams enrolled at School Without Walls this school year, transferring home after attending a boarding school in Maine. He had become enaRead More ..with lacrosse while playing on the junior varsity boys' team in Maine, but his only options to play on a boys' team in the Washington area would have been attending a private school or joining a club team. Between financial and transportation constraints and differences with school administrators, none of those choices were possible, Chittams's parents said.

"I put out queries on [public affairs Web site] DCWatch and other Web sites and got absolutely nowhere fast," said Chittams's mother, Patricia. "Meanwhile, [Ralph] is walking around with the lacrosse stick attached to him like an appendage. I was a bit concerned because this is the sport that he was so in love with."

Then the Chittams saw an episode of the HBO series "Real Sports" that included a story about a high school boy in Massachusetts who was playing for the girls' field hockey team.

"Title IX cuts two ways," Patricia Chittams recalls telling her son, referring to the federal anti-discrimination law that is credited with creating athletic opportunities for girls at public schools nationwide.

So Chittams asked to try out for the School Without Walls girls' team.

"It really didn't matter who I was playing with," he said. "I just wanted to play lacrosse. I got attached to it last season when I played it at school. . . . It's the best way to keep up my skills."

The DCIAA and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association -- which also allows boys to compete on girls' gymnastics teams -- aren't the only scholastic sports governing body that sanction male athletes on female teams. In February, the executive council of a suburban Detroit school system changed its rules to allow boys to participate in its competitive cheerleading competition. Other jurisdictions allow boys to play on slow- and fast-pitch softball teams.

In all, nearly 4,000 boys competed in sports traditionally reserved for girls during the 2001-02 season, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

DCIAA officials -- who began offering girls' lacrosse in 2001 in an effort to boost girls' participation in sports -- say they are reluctant to deny any student a chance to compete, no matter their gender.

"This is being done by a parent and child who want to participate," Briscoe said. "They are in a situation where there is no other choice."

The DCIAA's neighbors in Maryland and Virginia would likely take a different stance. The VHSL recently responded to a complaint filed to the Office of Civil Rights by two boys at York High School in Yorktown who want to play on the girls' volleyball team.

Allowing the boys to play would "undermine" girls' teams, said VHSL Executive Director Ken Tilley, noting that girls' participation among high school students has grown from 16 percent in the 1970s to 44 percent today.

"We feel we have responded to the matter," Tilley said, "and it will be dismissed without substance to the argument."

Some state courts have found that prohibiting boys from playing on girls' teams violates the individual rights of boys. But federal courts have ruled that protecting the rights of girls as a previously discriminated against class outweigh the rights of individual boys, said Donna Lopiano, the executive director for the Women's Sports Foundation.

"Under Title IX, there is no obligation . . . for the school to provide opportunity for the over-represented sex," Lopiano said. "It further exacerbates the lack of opportunity for the underrepresented sex. . . . We all know that schools can't fully meet the interests of boys and girls because budgets are limited. There is just no inherent obligation to have unlimited athletic or academic programs."

At School Without Walls, Coach Adora Curry didn't make cuts -- including Chittams, there are 12 players on the team. With such a small squad, his presence doesn't cost female players much playing time, Curry said.

DCIAA officials recommended that Curry contact each team on the school's eight-game schedule and offer them the option to back out of the game. So far, no team has canceled a contest, although Bowie Coach Robyn Toulotte said her assistant coach was concerned about safety.

Those fears proved unfounded, she said.

"I commend him for wanting to be out there no matter what," Toulotte said. "It takes guts. . . . If he had to play with guys, he'd rough it up with them. But he was very polite to the girls. They felt at ease, because he is not a big guy. We were checking the heck out of his stick. I told the girls, 'Whatever you need to do, play like he's one of the girls.' "

Chittams is clearly the most skilled player on the team and has scored three of the Penguins' four goals this season. But his ability is somewhat neutralized by the fact that only four of his 11 teammates had played the game before last year. And his statistics might climb if he weren't so committed to giving teammates a chance to shine.

"I think it's silly," Curry said of those who criticize Chittams's participation. "If it were the opposite and a girl wanted to play on a boys' team, they would let her play. If she got hurt, she got hurt. It's one guy, not nine boys on my team. I don't think it is a big deal."

Chittams's teammates welcome his presence.

"He's really a great supporter and he's enthusiastic," junior Lia Wright-Tesconi said. "Ralph is willing to teach us a lot of little things."

Added senior Rachel Blessing: "There is no reason that he should not be able to play with us. He shouldn't be denied an opportunity to compete simply because the school system doesn't offer lacrosse for boys. When it comes down to it, I'm proud of him. It isn't easy being the only guy on a girls' team."

Chittams says he has endured taunts from students at his school, and a small group of boys at Bowie High School teased him from the sidelines during School Without Walls's 17-2 loss. Bowie coaches asked the fans to leave.

"Personally, I like the hecklers," said Chittams, who scored both School Without Walls goals against Bowie. "I use it as motivation. . . . I just realize that the guys teasing me probably haven't been on a field and never played the game before. So I just prove that I can play."

Officiating also has caused some frustration. Against Wilson, he was called for more than a half-dozen stick and tripping violations.

At one point, Chittams arrived on the sideline, saying: "If I touch their stick, they're calling a penalty against me. I can't do anything." After the game, he said, "It's frustrating, but I have to get used to it and learn to play through it."

Even Wilson senior Sandra Gustitus questioned whether the referee was being overly cautious.

"There are girls that play just as tough as him," she said.

The good news for Chittams is that he plays against and in front of plenty of people like Gustitus, who are happy to stick up for the boy who has invaded girls' lacrosse. He makes sure their unselfishness is reciprocated.

"It's not about me," Chittams said. "There are others players on the field. This is not the Ralph Chittams show."

2003 The Washington Post Company