Leading off today: The decision doesn't figure to be popular with advocates for handicapped athletes, but last weekend's 18-page U.S. District Court ruling made the right call by ruling against a high school wheelchair racer.
Judge Andre M. Davis denied Atholton (Md.) High School junior Tatyana McFadden's bid to have wheelchair races at the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association championships count in scoring. The state athletic association's policy might be unfair, Davis suggested, but it's not unlawful.
Maryland enforces something known as the "40 percent rule," which does not allow certain events at state championships -- such as diving in the swim meet or the girls pole vault in track and field -- to count in scoring if they are not offered by at least 40 percent of schools. Only 12 of 186 Maryland schools offer wheelchair racing.
Davis let stand the MPSSAA plan to run as many as 12 events for wheelchair racers at the state championships May 24-26 without affecting team scoring. McFadden, 18, wanted those events to count toward team scoring.
Depending upon your perspective, McFadden, an accomplished Paralympian, is either being mistreated or is being given far too much power to influence meet scoring because she has little or no opposition in up to four events per meet.
Davis danced between those arguments in the decision but ultimately determined that the MPSSAAA had not violated the Americans With Disabilities Act.
