Girl’s and Boy’s Cross Country starts at the same time, 2:45, and end at the same time, 5:00. Even though both teams are a part of Cross Country, the girls and boys run and practice separately— and have separate rules.

“What I’ve heard from other people is that no athlete is supposed to take their shirt off while being on campus.” Senior Josephine Sibert said.

If this were the actual rule, this situation would quickly fall under a Title IX violation. But there is actually not a dress code for all athletes, and it is ultimately up to the individual team’s coaches what athletes can and can’t wear. Girl’s Cross Country see the boys with their shirts off a lot, especially when they’re preparing to start practice.

“When they’re about to start running, most of the time they do always have it off. When they’re on the track, I always see them with their shirts off.” Sophomore Jasmine Garciga said.

The manager for the Boy’s Cross Country team sees the boys at practice every afternoon, always with their shirts off.

“Every day, 24/7, all the time.” Senior and Boy’s Cross Country Manager Nasiha Az-Zubair said.

Members of Boy’s Cross Country are aware that while they take their shirts off, the girls seem to always have them on.

“The boys have their shirts off, and girls don’t. It gets hot out, and it allows our body to breathe easier without shirts on.” Senior Marshall Heck said.

According to one athlete, the only real requirement for their dress code is to have their lower body covered.

“We are allowed to basically strip down to nothing but shorts.” Junior Parker Shipp said.

When they wear so little and stand next to the girls, they can make them feel uncomfortable.

“When they’re sweating, and they stand really close to me, I’m like, you guys

gotta back up. I don’t like that.” Boy’s manager Az-Zubair said.

While the boys have gotten used to having their shirts off, the girls seem to notice it the most when the boys hang out in their area.

“They’ll always either be in your space or they’re just, especially if they’re muscular, and they’re right in front of you, that is equally as distracting as if I didn’t have my shirt on. It’s kind of unfair.” Alexa Braton said.

Even though this can make some girls uncomfortable, some don’t mind.

“I don’t really care. Most of the time, I’m focused on my workout, and I’m not looking over at them. I don’t care what they do. Or what they look like.” Sibert said.

Most girls feel like this privilege should be shared, even with the difference in gender.

“I’m not saying to take the privilege away from the boys; it’s just like, if you’re going to let the boys, let us too…And I feel like we just wanna be the same as the boys. It’s just unfair.” Guevara said.

The girls don’t understand why the coaches tell them to put their shirts on, but don’t say anything to the boys.

“I get told to put my shirt back on, and then they don’t get told. It’s like, why don’t they have to put their shirt back on? You know, we’re equally sweating, we’re equally hot. Why do I have to do that?” Braton said.

Not only is this not a rule for boys, but athletes feel like it targets certain types of girls over others.

“If one girl is built more curvy than the other, obviously, they’re gonna get shamed more if they dress a certain way, rather than a girl that’s not as curvy as them. It is kind of biased towards that.” Braton said.

There have been times when girls with different body types were asked to cover up, but not others.

“Our coaches were enforcing this rule with some girls and not others. So certain girls with a certain stature were allowed to be wearing a shirt that was basically a sports bra, while other girls that had a different body shape and stature were not allowed to wear that same shirt or same type of thing at practice.” Sibert said.

When the heat is at it’s high and their body starts to sweat, girls feel like they should be able to take off their shirts and be more comfortable in a sports bra.

“You guys take your shirt off all the time. If a girl wants to take her shirt off because she’s hot, she’s sweaty, she doesn’t want to feel the material stick to her skin because it’s uncomfortable, then she should be able to have the right to do so.” Az-Zubair said.

The Cross Country girls, and even the Boy’s Cross Country manager, ultimately agree that the girls should  have the freedom to remove their shirt along with the boys.

“We’re not in the 19th century. It’s not that big of a deal if it’s hot and we want to take off our shirts. I’m sorry I have a chest. I don’t know, I’m just a girl.” Guevara said.