Well, let me tell ya, I heard some things about this Long Trail Mountain Lions. This team, they play games, you know, like basketball. They got this, uh, this player, I hear, different from the other girls. Some folks are making a big fuss about it.
Long Trail School and them Mountain Lions
This school, Long Trail, they’re way up there in the mountains. Must be cold up there. They got all them kids playin’ sports and all. Now they got this basketball team, the Mountain Lions. Sounds fierce, don’t it? They play lots of games, like 20 of ’em in the regular time. And nobody said nothin’ about this player before. Not a peep. Then comes this big game, and everyone starts talkin’.
What’s the Big Deal with this Trans Player?
See, this player, they say she used to be a boy, but now she’s playin’ with the girls. That’s what all the fuss is about. Some folks think it ain’t right, sayin’ it ain’t fair to the other girls. They say this trans player has an advantage and all that. I don’t know about all that, but that’s what I hear. It’s like when old man Johnson tried to enter his prize-winning rooster in the hen contest. Folks got riled up then, too.
This other school, Mid Vermont Christian School, they were supposed to play the Long Trail Mountain Lions. But they said, “No way, no how!” They packed up their bags and went home. Didn’t even play the game! Said they wouldn’t play against that team with the trans player. They forfeited. That means they lost without even playin’.
This Hiking Trail Thing and Mountain Lions
Then there’s this long trail, not the school, but a real trail. People like to walk on it, way up in the mountains. It’s real long, I hear. Some fella, Benton MacKaye, he’s the one who started it. Heard he got the idea way up on a mountain. Must be somethin’ about them mountains, makes people think of big things.
And speakin’ of mountains, they got mountain lions out west. Big cats, they are. Not the kind you want to meet on a dark night, no sir. They say there ain’t none of ’em left around here, though. Hunted ’em all out, I reckon. So you don’t have to worry on this long trail around here.
Folks Got Opinions
Some folks are sayin’ that this Christian school is brave for standin’ up for what they believe in. They think it ain’t right for this trans player to be playin’ with the girls. Others are sayin’ it ain’t right to exclude someone just ’cause they’re different. They say this trans player is a girl, and that’s all there is to it.
- Mid Vermont Christian School wouldn’t play.
- They said it wasn’t fair.
- Long Trail played all their other games fine.
- This trans player, she’s just playin’ ball.
My Two Cents
Well, I don’t know what the right answer is. It’s a mess, that’s for sure. Seems like folks are always gettin’ riled up about somethin’. Back in my day, we didn’t have all these problems. We just played ball. Didn’t matter who you were, as long as you could throw the ball in the hoop. This whole Long Trail Mountain Lions trans player thing is causin’ quite a stir.
I reckon everyone’s got a right to their own opinion. But it seems to me that kindness and understandin’ go a long way. Maybe if folks talked to each other more, instead of yellin’ and leavin’ games, we could figure this all out. It’s like when my old cow Bessie got out of the pasture. Instead of hollerin’ at her, I just coaxed her back in with some sweet feed. Worked like a charm.
This whole thing reminds me of a saying my mama used to say: “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Maybe that’s what we need here, a little more honey and a little less vinegar. Maybe then this Long Trail Mountain Lions team and everyone else can just get back to playin’ ball. This whole situation, it’s got folks more riled up than a hornet’s nest poked with a stick. This trans player, she just wants to play. It’s a shame, is what it is.
And just like those mountain lions they talk about, people can be fierce and set in their ways. The long trail of life is full of surprises, ain’t it? This is just one of them.
