The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has ruled that a student-athlete from Germany is currently ineligible to play high school sports in the state, but not because of where she’s from.
According to KCCI, Julia Harris tried out and made the Ankeny High School girls’ soccer team, but the IGHSAU has banned her from playing. Harris continues to practice with the team, and she shows up to games, helping teammates warm up and then staying on the bench for the remainder of the game.
Harris was born and raised in Germany, but her father is a U.S. citizen, granting her citizenship as well. Because of this unique situation, Harris did not qualify for traditional foreign exchange programs. Rather, she moved to the U.S. to live with family and attend school here. This classified her as a transfer student and not an exchange student which would be subject to different rules.
Transfer students in Iowa are ineligible from interscholastic athletics for the first 90 days of their transfer — the entire length of the girls’ soccer season.
"The IGHSAU has been in communication with the student’s family and school regarding this matter, and has provided a ruling. Due to student privacy considerations, we do not comment publicly on individual eligibility cases. Eligibility decisions are made in accordance with Iowa law and IGHSAU regulations to ensure fairness, consistency, and a level playing field for all student-athletes. These rules are essential to maintaining the integrity of interscholastic athletics and preventing undue competitive advantage."
"This is the period where a lot of German students go abroad and learn English and improve it. That's what I wanted to do too, and soccer was part of that experience. And now I can't really have it," Harris said. "I was sad. Really sad. Because that was part of my experience and I wanted to play."
