Huron Plays, Sans Girls

Center Of Controversy Cindy Morris (left) and Emily Barrett are members of the Huron High tennis team but still haven't played an inter-scholastic match. It may take a court ruling to enable them to play. (Ann Arbor News photo by Jack Stubbs) The Huron High tennis team is scheduled for a match in Adrian today and it appears that Cindy Morris and Emily Barrett, two female members of the squad, won't be playing. School officials have decided to play the match with boys only rather than deprive other members of the team the opportunity to play and face another forfeit. Huron's South Central Conference match at Lansing Harry Hill was forfeited Tuesday when the home team cited an SCC resolution which says "any team which enters a participant in violation of an MHSAA (Michigan High School Athletic Association) rule will forfeit the contest in which the player was entered." An MHSAA rule states that "girls are not to engage in interscholastic contests when part of all of the membership of one or both of the competing teams is composed of boys." Attorney for the girls, Lawrence W. Sperling, has indicated he'll try to get a temporary injunction or a temporary restraining order which would enable the girls to play pending a court ruling. The State Legislature also has in the works a bill which would make girls eligible for varsity competition with the boys. In Lansing, Allen Bush, MHSAA head, said "under our rules there's no forfeit because the schools didn't play. but I understand the league met and handed down its own ruling. A Lansing girl, Mary Carter, has practiced with the Sexton High squad but has not been entered in any meets. Iggy Konrad, Sexton's athletic director, said "I don't plan to make a test case out of this and my coaches are instructed not to use any girls."