There is growing resistance to the Richmond School District’s move to gender-neutral, non-competitive track meets for elementary students.
The district says it promotes diversity and inclusion, but some parents say it does not reflect the real world or how they grew up.
“It seemed a lot more competitive,” Scott Tolman, a parent, told Global News.
This year, at Richmond elementary track meets, students participate in a wider range of events. They can pick between competition and recreation, but there are no ribbons and events are gender neutral.
“I want a ribbon to remember it since it’s my first time and also like because if you do it, then it feels like you’re more proud of it and you’ll remember it for longer, but I also just want one,” Amaya Sagarbarria, a Grade 4 student, said.
One parent with a son in Grade 7 started a petition against the changes.
“So the last few years he’s been really looking forward to high jump and he did quite well in previous years and got ribbons for that and this year he didn’t even get a chance to try the high jump because the lines were so long because they encourage everyone to try it,” Kim Nowitsky said.
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Richmond City Councillor Alexa Loo is a parent and also a two-time Olympian in snowboarding, and has also been vocal about the changes.
“I think it’s important for kids to be able to evaluate their effort against their results and understand how they’ve done and compare themselves against each other,” she said.
“You know, what’s the other person doing differently that I’m not doing, how could I have done better?”
In a statement, School District 38 said it is aware of recent questions and media attention about changes to elementary track and field, including concerns that competition has been removed.
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However, the district said each student may choose between competitive or recreational options and students who wish to have their results recorded may do so.
“The updated format also gives students more ways to participate, try different activities and stay active throughout the day,” the statement read.
“The district has increased the number of Grade 4 to 7 elementary track and field meets from six to eight. This change is intended to give more students the opportunity to take part.
“The updated format is aligned with the Physical and Health Education curriculum, set by the B.C. Ministry of Education and Child Care. This curriculum focuses on physical literacy, self-awareness, movement skills and the enjoyment of physical activity. The Richmond School District is responsible for delivering this curriculum to all students.”
The reaction is still mixed.
“It’s good, good exercise and everything, but at the same time it’s kind of losing that, you know, that feel that it used to have where it was competitive back then,” Tolman said.
Another parent likes the idea that kids get to choose more.
“If they feel like confident to do it, they go to do it competitively and that’s a, that’s one of, one of the things that I like — it’s not forcing the kid to be competitive all the time,” Jorge Espinosa said.
The district tried the changes last year through a pilot project with four schools.
They said feedback showed that students wanted the chance to participate in more events.
The Fake Roy Stephenson – Oh wait I forgot you wouldn’t know what it’s like to have a girlfriend. Definitely not a cute blonde from Poland. Maybe some fat war pig from the trailer park. That’s because you spend all of your time on the internet pretending you’re an old crippled man named Roy Stephenson 🤣🤣
Joke Country – Then leave. Bye 👋
The Fake Roy Stephenson – Nah bro my girlfriend is from Poland. She immigrated to Canada just like your inbred relatives immigrated to Canada from Europe
This country is truly a joke run by clowns at all levels. Why would you even want your kid to be taught by people like this. This country is cooked.
Biff most teachers are liberals and you get all painted with the same brush deal with it or find a new profession or stop your colleagues for that matter
If it’s non competitive there’s no point you may as well just go for a jog on your own free time
Jv halfwit or halfbreed you decide but one things for sure he’s got a rainbow bandana.
The fake Roy Stephenson has spoken !!!
HOW CAN A BORN MALE COMPETE WITH A BORN FEMALE ? THEY CAN’T, AND SHOULDN’T !!! A MALE BODY, COMPETING AGINST A FEMALE BODY ! THE MALE BODY WILL ALWAYS WIN !!! BIG FACTS ! WAKE the F/ UP ! THESE FEMALE ATHLETES NEED TO PROTEST BY DROPPING OUT, LET THE TRANS RUN ALONE !!! LIBEERAL SH IT GONE MAD
Jv the serial loser has spoken !!!
Seriously who cares. We’ve got grown f**king adults whining and crying over some kids track meet 🤣 Let the kids run around the field for awhile. Heaven forbid they enjoy themselves without the pressure of winning or losing. You must have no life whatsoever if this is the type of thing that bothers you
Driving the world into a place where no effort goes ignored. If you take away rewards you take away incentive to improve.
As a public school teacher…this is nuts. I know my profession gets a lot of vitriol. When my wife, a nurse, wants a raise, its “Go nurses, our heroes on the frontline”. With teachers, “Greedy buggers using our kids as leverage”. Just pointing out that me, and a lot of my colleagues, are rather conservative and are against this lunacy. Please don’t paint all educators with the same brush stroke.
If it isn’t being done at the Olympics or other world events why is our school district doing this ? A student who wants to train and compete against their own gender identity as a boy or girl still needs to have competition so they are acclimatized to events they train for. Making it more noncompetitive like this stops it. In my opinion it is already non competitive as school sports in Canada doesn’t show the results at track meets and is all fun. I am in other school district and they altered the relay and other standadd races for sports day. It was all fun and games. So how do you know who is out performing who for selection. Do parents have to go private for training only and pursue private track only and can’t showcase their kids talents infront their peers at a sports day. How do you expect to train kids in track and field to meet targets for regional school districts and national events if they can’t compete against, the peers in the regular format to prepare them. You can have gender neutral separate events for those who are transitioning etc but not like this. It defeats the purpose and furthermore it speaks to BC not having high expectations for athletics that’s why the Americans kick our asses at so many sports!
Are you people out of your minds? If someone is born a girl, they compete with girls. If they were born a boy, they compete with boys. Why are you making life so difficult?
Too right 0% LIEberal! Too right! The level of stupid from some parents and gov officials is gone past terrifying to absolutely frustrating!
Don’t you just get a warm fuzzy feeling when wokizem comes up with an brand new level of stupid that gets to be a news headline?
Jeesus this is getting stupid! Raising a bunch of p*nis tucking v*gina stapling idiots.
Maybe the school District should teach proper math and English. Maybe teach them how to sign their name in script before teaching them that it’s ok to cut off your body parts.
Honestly you have a dck or you don’t.
Why? Stop this madness. The parents need to go on mass and say stop this insane thing.
Only two genders people just like all creatures male female and that’s it. Push your narrative as much as you like but since time began there’s only been two genders.
WHY DID THE SCHOOL DISTRICT MAKE SUCH RUBBISH CHANGES
THEY DONT KNOW WHAT OUR KIDS WANT OR LIKE..THEY NEED TO COMPETE .AND LEARN ABOUT REJECTION….THATS WHAT LIFE IS ABOUT . U WIN AND LOSE .
I DONT SUPPORT THE TRACK MEET
Nerdbully Woketards destroy everything.
As the first poster says! 100%
In life you are dealt a hand of cards. In life you have to play the cards that you get. You don’t get to pick and choose which cards like or don’t like because everyone else has to be playing the cards they got too!
What the point of track meet if there is no winners?
Why not have a race for who walks the slowest and last place wins.
You have a coc or a cnt. Get over it