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Girls Barred From Hockey After Playing With Boys

Girls Barred From Hockey Newfoundland

First Posted: 03/23/2012 12:27 pm Updated: 03/24/2012 4:24 pm


A hockey tournament for girls in eastern Newfoundland has turned into a debate about who is eligible to play after some players were disqualified because they have played on a boys' house league team – rather than girls' house league team.


Five players onthe Conception Bay Renegades — a girls' under-12 team — played on boys' house league teams and were barred from playing by Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador.


When the girls showed up at the tournament on Thursday in Whitbourne anyway, officials told them they couldn't play. When other team members refused to play as well, the team forfeited the opening game.


"We find it's not really fair if only half the team gets to play,” Kaitlyn Sutton, one of the protesting players, told CBC News.


Girls can't play in a regional tournament unless they played on a girls' house league team. If they were on a girls' house league team and a boys' house league team they could play regional tournaments for either gender - if they qualified to play on a regional team.


Clare Howie, another player, said the league should let the players decide whom they play with.


"Some of the adults are ruining it for us kids," Howie said. "They're not the ones who are playing … we're the ones who are playing, but they're ruining it for us."


Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador declined a CBC request for comment.


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ryanosaur
6 Fans
02:42 PM on 03/24/2012
The ball (or in this case, puck) is rolling, and we can all see it now.

By 2050 I suspect all Major Sports Leagues will have included women in their rosters. Which is something long overdue anyway. If a lady can score goals, baskets, homeruns, etc. then why shouldn't she be allowed to?
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Reader2222
39 Fans
06:23 PM on 03/23/2012
Clare Howie got it right "Some of the adults are ruining it for us kids." For crying out loud, none of the kids are older than 11, so the adults shouldn't get their knickers in a twist over some of the kids previously playing on mixed gender teams. At their age hockey should still be about fun and learning teamwork. No one's future NHL career is at risk.
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francesk
57 Fans
06:57 PM on 03/23/2012
How do you know that? Anyone of those girls could go into the NHL in future
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Reader2222
39 Fans
07:10 PM on 03/23/2012
Yes, they certainly might. What I meant is that no one's future career (boy or girl) will be impacted by who they play with or against in this particular tournament. So the adults organizing it should lighten up a little.
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erchan2000
5 Fans
04:04 PM on 03/23/2012
Pre-pubescent boys/girls should be allowed to play with each other. Once puberty hits, then they shouldn't. This is because boys can get aggressive and can be much stronger than girls at that point.

Otherwise, they are on equal footing, so I don't see the harm.
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CharlesBrown008
91 Fans
03:57 PM on 03/23/2012
I would love to know the reason for this decision, and the person who thought of it. Better yet, lets start keeping track of all of the nutters and flag them away from important posts.
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sgillhoolley
Occupy the discussion.
351 Fans
02:46 PM on 03/23/2012
My son, who is six years old, plays hockey. The best player on the team, by far, is a girl. She scores more than half of the teams goals, and can skate rings around the boys. This decision is unfortunate, as all unfair decisions are. Why should the girls have to have competed in the girls and boys league in order to play...is that a requirement that the boys have as well? Doubtful.
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