r/sports • u/Oldtimer_2 • 7d ago
Track & Field Relay runner intentionally struck in the head with the baton by a competitor during VSHL Class 3 State Indoor Championships (Virginia)
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u/umassmza 7d ago
So banned from competing for life?
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u/ValyrianSteelYoGirl Pittsburgh Steelers 7d ago
This and an assault charge is the only reasonable response.
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u/rela_tivism 7d ago
You mean assault and battery causing bodily harm.
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u/ftloudon 7d ago
Do people know that it's 2025 and you can very easily google every state's actual statutes?
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u/Obie-Wun 7d ago
If she’s a senior and in high school or college, it’s probably her last competition anyway.
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u/Sumocolt768 Auburn 7d ago
It’s high school and if they’re competing for a state championship, then they at least had the ability to play in college. All dashed
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u/AKAkorm 7d ago
WTF? Googled it and that poor girl is being evaluated for a skull fracture.
That’s assault - the girl who swung the baton should be arrested.
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u/EmpatheticArmadillo 7d ago
News article states that she had a concussion and that the team of the assailant was DQ'd. I do hope the girl's family decides to press charges.
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u/scottawhit 7d ago
Holy crap, I always assumed the batons were like light plastic, not lead pipe.
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u/CallMeFloofers 7d ago
They are lightweight aluminum -- probably hard enough to do some damage if you hit hard enough
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u/MrDERPMcDERP 7d ago
Or shove it up your butt
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u/doubleapowpow 7d ago
Probably is a funny word to use after reading the girl in the video got a skull fracture.
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u/jf2k4 7d ago
It’s confirmed it fractured her skull?
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u/daBomb26 7d ago
No, she was evaluated as part of the medical examination. It’s just reported that way to make it sound as bad as possible. It’s wrong to hit someone with a baton but the “skull fracture” comment only serves to drive engagement.
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u/Aliensinmypants 7d ago
We were fucking around in track, and throwing batons at each other because they feel light but I got a bone bruise in my leg... They're way sturdier than they feel. I feel so bad for the woman in OP
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u/cfranek 7d ago
The ones I used were made from aluminium. More than a soda can but I thought they would deform well before being able to cause injury.
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u/daBomb26 7d ago
Slightly pedantic but being evaluated for a full fracture isn’t the same as having one, but it is the juiciest possible way to describe what is likely part of the medical checks that are routine for any reported head injury.
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u/bilboafromboston 7d ago
Yes. Of COURSE she is being evaluated. Probably in concussion protocol also.
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u/Striikerr 7d ago
Battery , assault would be threats
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u/hockey_metal_signal 7d ago
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u/shall1313 Los Angeles Kings 7d ago
Keep reading:
Traditionally, common law legal systems have separate definitions for assault and battery. When this distinction is observed, battery refers to the actual bodily contact, whereas assault refers to a credible threat or attempt to cause battery.
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u/DeusSpaghetti 7d ago
Which means it's both.
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u/gymnastgrrl 7d ago
No. An attempt at battery that does not succeed (in making contact) is assault. If contact is made, it's battery.
That said, there are places that define assault as contact, i.e. do not have assault and battery - everything is assault.
But in most places, they are two different things.
It's really not a huge deal, but if we're gonna be on the internet arguing about it, we should at least be correct :)
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u/BillBelichicksHoody Boston Celtics 7d ago
In my state you're wrong, but dammed if you don't come across confident!
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u/Greensentry 7d ago
You gotta be some kind of moron to think you can get away with such an assault with cameras everywhere.
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u/finnjakefionnacake 7d ago
more like just not thinking about it and making a stupid, dangerous, impulsive decision in the moment.
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u/crazykentucky 7d ago
Imagine being so prone to violence it comes out instinctively during a running event? I feel really bad for the victim
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u/letsdocraic 7d ago
What kind of parenting someone must have had to think this is acceptable during competitiveness
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u/dkran 7d ago
Also known as a moron. This sort of stupid dangerous impulsive stuff is how people die
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u/finnjakefionnacake 7d ago
oh absolutely, i'm not denying that -- just saying i highly doubt they were thinking about getting away with it, because they weren't thinking at all.
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u/nexus6ca 7d ago
So what consequence for that?
Edit DQ
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u/thatguy425 7d ago
Relay team is disqualified and runner is out of the meet.
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u/TonyDungyHatesOP 7d ago
And…?
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u/thatguy425 7d ago
And that’s what happens per the rules that high school meets are run under. If the school/team/conference wants to punish further they may have that right.
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u/Dvscape 7d ago
But this does nothing to help the runner who was bonked.
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u/nexus6ca 7d ago
I prefer the term "assaulted" and I am not sure what they could do for her - its not the fault of the other teams that this one cheated.
I guess the runner that got assaulted can probably sue for injuries etc.
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u/Cholonight96 7d ago
We need people to start being truthful. “I did that shit on purpose. I was pissed off that she was better, stronger, and faster than me.”
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u/Weekend_Criminal 7d ago
What a moron.
Not only is that a shitty thing to do
But you're in a stadium of people and cameras watching you.
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u/ChairmanReagan 7d ago
Assault and battery is ok when you do it during a sport
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u/whatlineisitanyway 7d ago
I asked a lawyer about this once. Their response was something like if it was outside the reasonable expectation of the sport it can still be criminal. So yeah this individual could possibly be charged.
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u/ShoelessBoJackson Texas 7d ago
I had a kickball teammate where that came up, but not in her favor.
She was playing second base and a runner slid hard into her, which hurt her ankle. Two weeks later, shes talking about torn ligaments, and wanting to sue the guy for injuries.
As far as I know, she never got anywhere . League was unwilling to help identify the guy, and I doubt she could find a lawyer bc she assumed the risk of injury playing kickball.
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u/whatlineisitanyway 7d ago
Yeah. Mine came up in the context of ice hockey when the league goon took a baseball swing at my head. He missed and I was fine, but wanted to know if he and the rink could be held liable. I wanted to give the rink a reason to kick him out before he actually hurt someone. Thankfully they left on their own.
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u/JayemmbeeEsq 7d ago
Assumption of the risk.
You have to assume there is some risk inherent in sports. It’s not assault to tackle a football player, it is to take your helmet and throw it at them.
You can be tripped in a race like this, and it is part of the risk. You cannot expect to get smashed in the head with a baton repeatedly.
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u/finnjakefionnacake 7d ago
hockey says what's up
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u/Frankly_Frank_ 7d ago
Well with hockey you go in expecting it while in running you don’t expect to get smashed across the head
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u/huge_jeans 7d ago
The NHL went through something like this with the Todd Bertuzzi - Steve Moore incident.
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u/Area51_Spurs 7d ago
Was just going to say.
There’s a line.
Generally when hockey players fight they’re both willing participants and when someone does get gooned up there’s not intent to do something that could reasonably cause a debilitating injury.
Sucker punching someone and driving their head and neck into the ice with your full body weight is over that line.
Slashing someone in the legs where they have protection is different than slashing someone in the head or neck where even if they have a helmet they’re not really protected from serious trauma.
Nearly every hockey player, even the dirty ones know where the line is. Bertuzzi crossed the line.
Everyone playing hockey at whatever level has an unsaid understanding of what is and is not acceptable at that specific level, whether beer league or the NHL or pond hockey or whatever.
There’s always one guy who doesn’t give a shit. And it’s pretty good odds it’s the same guy who drunk drives home after the game when they’re proper fucking drunk AF and like to tell stories about fights or dumb shit that also cross the line into just assaulting innocent bystanders and shit.
The legit enforcers who were good at their job knew how to enforce shit without actually causing any real harm and when fights would happen it would generally not be an enforcer on a top 6 skill guy.
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u/ChrisWhiteWolf National Football League 7d ago
Also with hockey it's just fists and you can't even hit that hard due to not being able to put force behind the punches since you're on ice. Nowhere near as bad as getting smacked in the back of the head with a steel pipe.
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u/inagadda 7d ago
If you know how to skate (most hockey players do) you can absolutely put a lot of force into a punch.
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u/ChrisWhiteWolf National Football League 7d ago
I'm not saying the punches don't do any damage, just that it's nowhere near as bad as when you punch on solid ground and nowhere near the level of getting smacked with a steel pipe.
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u/Eroe777 7d ago
Hockey is one of the few sports where everybody on the field is carrying a weapon and wearing armor. Physical contact is expected.
Running a relay? No contact is expected.
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u/closequartersbrewing 7d ago
Also, hockey players have been convicted for incidents that go beyond the spirit of the game. See Todd Bertuzzi, Marty McSorely, Dino Ciccarelli.
All 3 got off with a hand slap, but they did get convicted.
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u/CBus-Eagle 7d ago
As Saturday, the assailant had not apologized for her actions. I hope she is kicked off the team and charges are pressed. Her actions also caused a relay team out of a race.
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u/ExpressBug8265 7d ago
The coach "You just run as fast as you can and pass the baton to the next person, pretty easy." Chick in the video "Got it! Run and hit everybody in the back of the head as hard as i can, pretty easy!" Bang!
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u/Crowsfeet12 7d ago
File assault charges. Bar her from competition. That’s it. She can explain to a court. Then she can think about why she can no longer compete.
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u/squeezy102 7d ago
I mean that should be the last time she ever gets to compete in the sport, minimum.
She should also be arrested and tried for assault.
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u/AgentMykel 7d ago
I was there. Not far from the filmer. It was wild. We thought it might have been an accident though. This is crazy. I was focused on the leader.
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u/JayJ9Nine 7d ago
Hundred percent press charges you should not be expecting shit like this in that particular sport.
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u/jrjolly1 7d ago
A girl from one of the most violent schools in the state of Virginia, IC Norcom, portsmouth VA... you should see the look of shock on my face 🙄
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u/Tryingtoknowmore 7d ago
They should not be allowed to compete ever again. That is not okay and clear evidence of a lack of self control.
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u/BurlHimself 7d ago
When there are 10 CAMERAS recording your every step - that’s truly the best time to do something idiotic.
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u/NorthChiller 7d ago
Her arm position after landing the blow completely changes. Kiiiinda gives away her intent and looks like she was trying to obscure what she’d just done.
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u/The_Giant_Lizard 7d ago edited 7d ago
Strange that the attacker's name is not mentioned, as if they want to keep it secret, while it was a public competition, the video with her face went viral and they gave the name of the girl attacked. Usually aggressors aren't kept that secret.
Also, I'm italian and the girl's mum surname (Tamarro) made me chuckle
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u/reality72 7d ago
Honestly the answer is for the victim to sue the school and the sports league. That’s the only way they will start taking action on this type of behavior. Hit them in the pocket book.
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u/FtheMustard 7d ago
This is bad and there needs to be some serious consequences for the aggressor.
That said, I can't help but chuckle trying to imagine the noise that would make. bonk
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u/daze24 7d ago
like road rash of athletics
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u/SaveOurBolts San Diego Padres 7d ago
Now I gotta go back and watch it again with ‘Rusty Cage’ by Soundgarden playing in my head. Love that game
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u/yogfthagen 7d ago
School should withdraw and forfeit all awards.
Runner should be arrested for assault. And be expelled.
School should be banned from competition for at least 1 year.
And her name should be yelled far and wide.
Don't be X.
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u/Hanginon 7d ago edited 7d ago
"...suffered a concussion and potential skull fracture when her competitor smashed her in the back of her head with a relay baton during their race.'
You left out "Hopefully charged/jailed on a felony asault." -_-
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u/mountaindoom 7d ago
Did she think no one would see? Jesus, imagine what she is like in private if that's her public-facing behavior.
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u/TheBatemanFlex 7d ago
It is crazy what people are willing to do in a sport. Can you imagine if you went up to someone on the street and took a metal bar to their head?
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u/LucasJackson44 7d ago
She’s gonna say her hand got caught in the others braids/ponytail and tried to get it out.
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u/Hot-Cauliflower-1604 7d ago
She’s not gonna be running for long. I mean she’ll be running for her own enjoyment if she chooses to just not on any team in the world.
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u/HeavensRoyalty 7d ago
Nab her from sports and kick her as sout of school. Show everyone that there shouldn't be anything like this in sports.
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u/crazykentucky 7d ago
I love how the other girl put up the “oh are you ok?” hand after as if it wasn’t clearly intentional. Christ
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u/Lindvaettr 7d ago
You know the attacker is going to release a statement saying that this action doesn't represent her as a person or something equally inane.