The Colebrook school board has sent a letter to the Senate Education Committee in favor of House Bill 1205, Fairness in Women's Sports Act, which "requires schools to designate athletics by sex and prohibits biological males from participating in female athletics."

According to the bill text, school-sponsored teams must be designated as males, men or boys; females, women or girls; or coed or mixed. Teams designated for females, women or girls "shall not be open to students of the male sex where selection for such teams is based upon competitive skill or the activity involved is a contact sport," according to the bill, and the sex of a student for the purpose of determining eligibility to participate in a sport shall be based on the official birth certificate.

One of the bill's sponsors is Representative Mike Ouellet (R-Colebrook), who testified before the committee at a hearing last Tuesday. He spoke of his 30 years of experience in coaching softball from eight-year-olds to high school and college, and said, "I think I've got as much experience and knowledge as anybody in this area." He said he supports the bill because it would make sports safe for players. "When she releases the ball, she's no further away from home plate than the length of this room," he said of a varsity softball pitcher. "The extra strength that biological males have makes it unsafe. When you are 35 or 38 feet away as a 13-year-old from a possible 18-year-old biological male, nothing good can happen."

Rep. Ouellet distributed a letter written by Colebrook school board chairman Tim Stevens, also in support of HB 1205. "This letter is designed to highlight how male-born athletes playing competitive sports against girls raises serious safety issues, especially in districts similar to Colebrook Academy," Mr. Stevens wrote. The letter includes headlines purporting incidents of injuries involving transgender players, and Mr. Stevens said potential problems are exacerbated at smaller schools such as Colebrook.

"This year our high school varsity girls' softball team consists of an eighth-grade girl and two seventh-grade girls," the letter states. "We do not have a freshman, junior varsity, and varsity team, we have a varsity team. Because of our limited population we need to recruit seventh- and eighth-grade players to have enough girls to address an entire team. The headlines above highlight transitioned girls injuring female players in their own age group. Think of the devastation and injuries that could occur if the above scenarios occurred with a transitioned female who's a senior and the injured student a seventh-or eighth-grader. Though most competitive sports have an acceptable level of risk we are willing to take, are we willing to endanger our seventh- and eighth-grade girls by requiring them to compete against seniors who were born males, and bring along a certain level of strength females do not have? Passing HB 1205 is necessary if we have any desire to protect our female athletes. Pass it now."

The board held a special meeting last Monday to discuss the letter and take action on it. Vice-chairman David Brooks called the meeting to order in the absence of chairman Tim Stevens, who was excused. Rhonda Lyons, Cayenne Amey and Julie Brunault were present, and Nathan Lebel and Robert Murphy were absent. The members stated they were in favor of the letter as written, and the motion to accept it passed 4-0.

Others at the hearing spoke out against the bill. "My older daughter played pee-wee soccer with a trans child," Rep. Loren Selig of Durham said. "She also took a soccer ball to the face in a direct hit that ended her desire to ever play soccer again. The person who kicked the ball was not the trans child, it was a cisgender kid who grew up to play varsity soccer before she left for college."

She said her younger daughter has also received concussions in basketball and cheerleading, and in both cases they were caused by a cisgender girl. "Both my girls also swam on our swim team," she said. "They competed against, and usually lost, to cisgender girls who were a full foot taller than them. They're advantage was height, not gender."

A transgender student from Plymouth Regional High School also testified. "I am not a physical threat to my peers on the field, nor do I seek an unfair advantage by playing on a girls' sports team," she said. "Claims that I should play on a team based on my assigned gender at birth completely disregard the very real risks I would face on a boys' soccer team. It is not just about the risks. I can't play on a boys' team because I am not a boy, I am a girl. My safety, well-being and sense of belonging matter just as much as anyone else's."

At its meeting last Wednesday, May 1, the New Hampshire Executive Council voted to confirm Colebrook attorney Jonathan Frizzell's nomination as a superior court justice.

"I am very honored to receive the approval of the Executive Council, and I look forward to the next steps," he said. "I thank all those who attended the hearing and wrote letters of support."

The council held a hearing on the nomination on April 10, with Attorney Frizzell providing a statement about his qualifications and answering questions from the members. Several people then testified on his behalf, including retired N.H. Supreme Court Justice Gary Hicks, recently retired Chief Administrative Judge of the New Hampshire Circuit Court David King, Mr. Frizzell's longtime law partner Phil Waystack, and Colebrook police chief Paul Rella.

As for what's next, "I will undergo training starting sometime during the month of June, with the exact timetable to be determined by Chief Judge Mark Howard," Mr. Frizzell said. He is leaving the Waystack-Frizzell partnership, as judges are required to work full-time, and does not yet know where he will be assigned.

The Lancaster Fair Arts and Crafts Department is seeking recipe submissions from fans and fairgoers, to be published in a keepsake cookbook that will be sold next year as a fundraiser for ongoing improvements to the fairgrounds.

This special cookbook will help retain and treasure the prized recipes, history and traditions of Coos and Essex counties' agricultural and educational legacy. Rec-ipes of all types of foods are welcome.

Those submitting recipes should include their name, town of residence and phone number for any questions. Recipes can be sent by e-mail to [email protected] or by post to Lancaster Fair, Attn. Sandra Younghans Cookbook, PO Box 515, Lancaster, NH 03584; or given to any fair director. More information about the fair can be found at www.lancasterfair.com.