Athlete of the Month: Maddy Paige

Each month we are going to feature a real athlete on the blog. This month I have chosen Maddy Paige.

Maddy is a 12 year old football player from Georgia. Last year she was an important part of the team and had four sacks. She had the support of her team and even her principal came to her games to show his support. But next year, because of a new rule at the school, she will not be allowed to play.

Maddy's mom, Cassy Blythe, decided to take her story to the internet. She started a facebook page called, Let Her Play. The page already has over 47,000 likes. The description of the page reads, 

This page was started because my daughter was told she could no longer play football simply because she is a girl. We stand behind all female athletes who are told no. Join our fight for equality. Our daughters should not have limitations. Let them soar!

The page has become a place for girls who play all sports to post their pictures and their stories. Maddy and Cassy leave posts to let their supporters know what's happening in their fight and how they are feeling.

Yesterday Cassy posted:

We are approaching the deadline where I will have to make a decision on where Maddy will attend school next year. I gave myself until July 20th to make a final decision. That date is approaching fast.

Here are the questions I want answered. Why is it acceptable for the male wrestlers at Strong Rock Christian School to be allowed to compete 1 on 1 against female wrestlers from other schools, but the school refuses to allow females to from their own school to wrestle because it's a "male" sport? Why would you allow your varsity football team to play against a team that has a female player? Using your theory of what's good enough for your athletes to compete against, why are the females at SRCS not allowed? If keeping it a purely male sport means as much as the administration says it does, shouldn't the school forfeit all matches or games where females are allowed to compete? The current policy is hypocritical. Perhaps the administration or board of directors can answer that for us.

Maddy has not given up hope of playing this fall. She started her work-out routine last week and asked that we start kicking lessons soon. I'm so proud of my oldest for standing up for herself. The easy route would have been for her to hear she isn't welcome any longer and walk away like the dainty little female she is (I just had to throw a bit of sarcasm in there). Instead, she wanted to fight for all athletes. No matter where Maddy continues her education she wants to continue to support all female athletes.

I will keep everyone updated as much as I can. Thank you all for your continued support! -Cassy

We hope that the school will recognize Maddy's right to play before the school year begins. You can show your support for Maddy by liking her facebook page and by following her twitter feed @LetHerPlay.