Going where no trans has gone before

Interesting, if a bit odd. And yet has an upside to it.

In England, there is a national Shore Angling fishing team. Yes, really. Not only a men’s team, but a women’s team, too. (Gotta be in the running of “most obscure sports teams”, right?)  Seems the women’s UK team is pretty successful in the world of competitive shore fishing, too, as they are defending their Shore Angling world championship this year. But half the team quit rather than compete unfairly with a dude trans team member, pictured above.

There has been opposition to former rugby player Birtwhistle Hodges competing with England since 2018, when she was first selected, with suggestions that other nations snub the team over claims that her strength advantage is unfair.

The trans angler, who one former team-mate described as having ‘hands like shovels’, was the only member of the team to catch any fish during a competition in rough weather earlier this year that was held by governing body the Angling Trust to select the final England team.

Last night, Heather, 66, who asked that her surname was not published, said: ‘Our decision to pull out of this year’s Home Nations was difficult – especially as we should be defending our gold medal we won last year.

I’ve been an international angler for 22 years. The sheer effort and hard work, making so many sacrifices for the love of my sport, and it comes to this.’

She said male-born competitors had far more upper-body strength, adding: ‘This is such an advantage, with the ability to cast longer distances than any woman. They have the capability of doing this while using more powerful equipment, such as stiffer and more powerful rods.

‘Not to mention the extra strength she has wading in and out of the surf or walking through mud and rocks, and the stamina to keep this going for four or five hours.

She pointed out that biological males’ advantage in casting, able to cast as much as 150 yards, whereas the typical women can maybe get 70 yards,  allowed them a much wider fishing area*. The previous team received negative feedback from other teams the last time Hodges was on the women’s team.

Jamie Cook, chief executive of the Angling Trust, said: ‘As the national governing body for angling, the question we are required to address by Sport England is whether the sport of angling is gender impacted to an extent where fairness overrides inclusion or safety.

‘The view of the Angling Trust board is that as a non-contact sport, the safety concern is not deemed significant within the sport of angling.’

Mr Cook admitted that stronger competitors have an advantage in shore angling but ‘technique, watercraft, knowledge, tactics, rig creation and focus’ were also important factors.

Given that these women are at the top of their sport, and in the above-cited qualifier for the championship team Hodge was the only one to catch a fish in grueling conditions… sure seems like maybe there was a competitive edge. Wonder what that was…. Guess I may as well wonder why I have NEVER seen or heard of a trans man (aka former female) crashing a men’s team event. Hmm…

Fishing? Who would have thought. Glad to see the women’s team had the guts to stand behind their principles, though!

*Half circle at 70 yards is about 7,600 square yards. At 150 yards radius, a half circle is more like almost 36,000 square yards.  I would think  a 5:1 ratio significant.

Category: "Teh Stoopid"