On Monday afternoon, the boys varsity golf team headed to regionals with a district title under their belts, hoping to qualify to defend their state title from last year.

But they never got a chance. When the two-day match got rained out after the first day, the competition was cut short – and so were the Langley boys’ dreams.

Several circumstances surrounding the tournament made it extremely unfair. The first is that Chantilly High had one girl starting for their team, and Madison High had two.

Girls tee closer to the hole, allowing them to finish with less strokes. They can also replace weaker boys on a school’s team. This gave Chantilly and Madison an unfair advantage.

Although girls are able to play with their male teammates in district and regional golf championships, the VHSL (Virginia High School League) has strict rules and regulations that do not allow girls’ participation in states.

The idea that girls can play on boys’ golf teams at all has been a topic of gender inequality for years in the United States. It is also a problem because after the regional finals, the elimination of previous girl participants can leave a team without starters and holes to be filled by other players who did not qualify originally.

To make matters worse, VHSL rules state that if the second day of a golf championship tournament is rained out, then the score stands as is. In many occasions, good players don’t play on the first day in order to rest for the second day. This meant Langley didn’t get to field all of its best players all at once, and the official match was only halfway complete. Imagine calling off the Super Bowl at half time!

The outcome of the regional tournament left me – and the entire Saxon Community – upset and outraged as to how these rules are used and the lack of their logic. For the seniors, this is the end of the line. It is unfortunate they have to finish out their high school careers with bitterness towards the sport and the rule book.