Every parent of a young athlete knows what it’s like to comfort their child after a disappointing loss. For Rita Larson,* however, holding her teenage daughter after a third-place finish at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) state track and field meet in May 2024 was far from routine. 

“She was just bawling,” Larson told Independent Women’s Forum. “She just kept saying, ‘This is bullsh*t.’” 

This year, the Washington state cross-country and track community was rocked by the presence of transgender-identifying male athlete Veronica Garcia. Garcia, who previously used the names Davina Brown and Donovan Brown, is entering his senior year at East Valley High School in Spokane, Washington.

Larson’s daughter, who attends a different high school in the state, competed against him in both the 400-meter sprint and 4 x 4 relay preliminary events in the days leading up to the state championship. According to Larson, however, it wasn’t immediately apparent that Garcia was male.

“He’s got long hair in a ponytail and he was running in sleeves, so it wasn’t as obvious,” she said. 

Once the 400-meter preliminary race began, however, Garcia’s physical advantages became clear. Easily outpacing his female competitors, he won first place. 

Since the top two finishers in the 400-meter move to the state championship, Larson said, only Garcia and the second-place finisher—who should have won first place—advanced. The third-place finisher, who should have won second, was cheated out of her rightful spot at state. That runner was Larson’s daughter. 

“I could cry right now just thinking about it,” Larson said. “All I could do was hug her.” 

In the 400-meter sprint at the state championship, Garcia not only won first place but also set a season record with a time of 55.59 seconds. Ironically, Larson said that while Garcia’s record-breaking time in the 400-meter is considered very fast in competition against female athletes, he would never have made it to state with that time as a boy. 

“He wouldn’t even have made it to districts,” she said. “That time isn’t competitive for a varsity high school male athlete. He’s a JV runner.” 

She continued, “He can do whatever he wants with his life, but he’s jeopardizing what these girls work so hard for. My daughter goes to practice every day, runs in the off-season, lifts weights—she never stops running.” 

After that devastating loss in the preliminary 400-meter sprint, Larson said, her daughter was set to race against Garcia again in the preliminary 4 x 4 relay. 

“Now she knew what she was up against, but she still tried and ran the best leg that she’s ever run,” Larson said. “It was just really hard.” 

Thanks to his first-place finish in the 400-meter sprint at the state championship, Garcia scored 10 extra points for his high school, which ultimately pushed his team to take first place at the meet overall. 

“It just added insult to injury,” Larson said. “East Valley would not have won without those points.” 

Since Garcia is a junior this year, Larson said, her daughter will likely compete against him again in just a few months, both in the fall 2024 cross-country season and in the spring 2025 track and field season. 

Recruiting for college is still largely based on a runner’s individual times, so Larson said that she’s hopeful her daughter’s chances at a college scholarship won’t be affected. However, Larson added that Garcia’s high placement in girl’s events could make his female competitors, like Larson’s daughter, look less skilled than they really are.

“If you were a coach and you didn’t know who Veronica Garcia was, you would see him as the top 400-meter [athlete] and have no idea he’s a boy,” Larson said. “So it does kind of screw [girls] … it definitely looks like you’re not a top runner because there are people ahead of you.” 

Larson said that she was not the only person at the state championship who took issue with Garcia’s podium finish. The girls, she said, didn’t clap and instead kept their hands behind their backs.

“There were also some protesters there booing,” she said. “It’s hard because you don’t want to make a kid feel bad, but at the same time, this is wrong and needs to stop happening.” 

*A pseudonym has been used throughout to protect the storyteller’s identity.