Trans-Identifying Male Athlete Wins Maine State Title In Girls' Pole-Vaulting

That thing that never happens has happened again. An 11th-grade trans-identifying male high school athlete won a Maine state title in girls' pole-vaulting, defeating the closest competitor by more than six inches. 

Katie Spencer, as the trans-identifying male is now known, is a member of the girls' track and field team at Greely High School in Cumberland, Maine. Spencer captured first place with a pole vault of 10-feet, 6-inches on Monday at the Class B state indoor meet. Spencer defeated two girls from Freeport High School, who tied for second, with their equal 10-foot vaults.

In addition, Greely won both the boys' and girls' team state indoor titles. Had Spencer competed in the boys' division, the athlete's jump would have tied for 10th out of 13 competitors.

According to the Portland Press Herald, Greely beat Freeport in the girls' division by one point, meaning Spencer's victory in the pole vault – which "earned" 10 points – directly impacted the outcome of which school captured overall victory. 

An 11th-grade trans-identifying male high school athlete won a Maine state title in girls' pole-vaulting, defeating the closest competitor by more than six inches.

(Stock Photo - Getty Images)

Spencer previously competed as a male under the name John Rydzewski as a freshman and sophomore at Greely. Last year, Rydzewski participated in the Maine Class B state meet against boys. He came in a tie for ninth place. 

Allen Cornwall, a former pole vault official for the Maine Class B state meet and current coach of a Class A team, told OutKick that he tried to warn officials about the male athlete competing against girls in an email to Western Maine Conference (WMC) officials. 

He said that while "numerous parents, coaches, athletes, volunteers and fellow officials" have told him that "this is wrong" but "no one dares to address it." 

Cornwall added that one of the assistant coaches of the Greely high school team even told Cornwall that he suspected a female pole vaulter at Greely declined to try out for the team this season, knowing that she could not defeat Spence and wouldn't make the team. 

"I know as a coach, it's tough," Cornwall said. "I think I would stop coaching… but [the Greely assistant coach] was kind of into it. Someone said he had ‘championship fever’… [he was excited] to win both the boys' and girls' championships at the state level. It was kind of disgusting." 

According to WMTW, the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA) said last week it would allow male athletes to continue competing in girls' and women’s sports, in direct defiance of President Donald Trump's recent executive order, "Keeping Males Out of Women's Sports." 

An 11th-grade trans-identifying male high school athlete at Greely won a Maine state title in girls' pole-vaulting, defeating the closest competitor by over six inches.

(Imagn Images)

Greely is a public school, which means it relies on government funding. According to Trump's order, Greely would lose federal funds for allowing a male to compete in girls' sports. However, the school also relies on state funding and Maine is one of the states that changed its discrimination definition to protect "gender identity" over biological reality. 

"The decision by the Maine Principals' Association to continue allowing male athletes to compete against female athletes in school athletic competitions is outrageous," Maine State Rep. Laurel Libby said in a statement to OutKick.

"Not only does their decision violate President Trump’s February 5 Executive Order, but it jeopardizes the safety and privacy of female athletes, all while allowing male athletes to take medals, trophies, and podium spots away from women, effectively erasing them. I urge the Trump Administration to move swiftly to ensure that female athletes in Maine can once again compete on a level playing field, preserving the integrity of women's sports."

Whether Trump steps in to cut Greely's funding remains to be seen. But Cornwall added that while cutting educational funding for a school is a terrible consequence, it's necessary because the adults have refused to right this wrong. 

"Greely High School administration – the athletic director, the principal, the superintendent – made the decision to let this boy compete as a girl without considering [its effect on] their own girls," Cornwall said. "The punishments that they're going to receive are just."