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It’s always been a source of great debate – should girls be allowed to compete in predominantly male sports?

The answer for one local high school girl could come from a jury in federal court.

On Aug. 5, Ivyanne Elborough of Evansville, Wis., her mother and her attorney, Andrea Farrell, filed a discrimination suit against the school district and football coach Ron Grovesteen.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/299721

Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association rules allow girls to compete on any school sports team, provided that there isn’t a similar athletic opportunity in the district.

But for Elborough, a sophomore, it was not a case of being denied the ability to play with the boys. She alleged the boys simply didn’t play fair.

As someone who has both played and covered high school football, I’ve seen firsthand how a coaching staff has dealt with a girl on the gridiron. The varsity program at New Berlin West High School carried a girl on its roster several years ago and one of the coaches at the time noted that when the kids are on the field, they aren’t boys or girls, just football players.

That simplistic philosophy might have saved some people in Evansville from potentially paying a substantial financial price in court.