Soccer Player Sues Over School Restriction Cda District Won’T Let Her Play For Amateur Club, Too

Liz Hail wants to play on the U.S. Olympic women’s soccer team, but the Coeur d’Alene High School athlete feels her school district is hampering that dream.

The Coeur d’Alene School District argues it’s just following state rules.

Hail, 17, filed a lawsuit Aug. 30 against the district for not allowing her to play both varsity high school soccer and for an amateur soccer club, the Spokane Valley Flash.

“It’s basically a civil rights issue,” said Hail’s mother, Cynthia, on Wednesday. “Can a school tell you what you can or cannot do on your free time away from school?”

The Coeur d’Alene School District argues it has nothing against Hail, but is merely honoring a state rule that prevents high school athletes from playing on a nonschool team during the season.

This year, the Idaho High School Athletics Association is overseeing high school soccer.

Previously, the Idaho Youth Soccer Association and individual school districts made the rules, which most people agreed were ambiguous and inconsistent.

That’s why Hail was allowed to play on both soccer teams during her freshman year, but then was told to make a choice prior to her sophomore season. Hail chose the Spokane Valley Flash, but said she felt cheated of an opportunity to improve her skills.

This year, Hail’s senior year, she wants to play on both teams.

A federal district court judge has granted Hail a temporary restraining order against the school district until a Sept. 15 hearing. That means she can play for both soccer teams until the court makes a decision.

If Hail’s lawsuit is successful, she could play on both teams all year.

Charles Dodson, the school district’s lawyer, said now that soccer is governed by the IHSAA, it’s clear that allowing Hail to play on both teams is a violation of state rules.

Dodson said Hail has the option to seek a waiver from the IHSAA, but hasn’t done so. He added that Hail must also include the IHSAA in her lawsuit.

“They filed their lawsuit on what used to be the situation,” Dodson said.

Paul Young, IHSAA executive director, wasn’t available for comment Wednesday.

Geary Jerde, the former Coeur d’Alene girls soccer coach, said the state rule is intended to keep high school athletes from getting overwhelmed with sports and academics.

“Some people lose sight how much time commitment that is,” said Jerde, who has coached Hail off and on since she was 8.

Jerde said Hail is a tremendous player with a bright future.

However, he said, even before soccer became IHSAA sanctioned this fall, Coeur d’Alene High School’s activities manual prevented athletes from playing on two teams during the same season.

“It’s black and white,” he said, adding “I followed that rule.”

Hail claims the school district is violating her constitutional rights by making her choose between the high school team and the Spokane Valley Flash. She adds that the district’s restrictions may decrease her chances of getting a college athletics scholarship.

“Coaches and athletes have told me that if I want to become the best I can be and to be in a position to secure a collegiate scholarship in one of the premier women’s collegiate soccer programs in the country, I must play soccer at every level and maximize every opportunity I can,” Liz Hail wrote in an Aug. 29 court document.

Hail’s parents did not want their daughter interviewed for this article.

Paul Danelo manages the Spokane Valley Flash and teaches at Central Valley High School. In a court document dated Aug. 25, Danelo said he has women players who have simultaneously played high school soccer and amateur soccer without problem.

“The soccer players who play Premier soccer and high school soccer, in my professional opinion, enhance their opportunity to secure a collegiate scholarship due to the enhanced competition,” he wrote.

Washington state rules allow high school athletes to play on more than one team during the same season.

Dodson, the school district’s lawyer, said those are Washington’s rules and don’t apply to Idaho high schools.

The Hails said their daughter began playing soccer at age 4 and began competing at age 7. Over the years she’s logged 10,000 hours of practice and game time.

“What we asked the court to decide is the issue of fairness,” said Hail’s father, Jim. “It’s just that simple. If a high school student is in chorus and elects to sing for his or her church on Sunday morning, the school district, to my knowledge, doesn’t prohibit that.”

The Hails’ lawyers, John Bardelli of Spokane and Ruth Fullwiler of Coeur d’Alene, weren’t available for comment.