PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A student athlete suffered a head injury when she was struck by a baton held by an I.C. Norcom High School competitor in a relay race.
The incident occurred during a race last Tuesday in the state championship meet, when Kaelen Tucker was hit in the head by a baton held by her competitor, Alaila Everett. Everett has since said it was an accident.
The event has prompted sports officials to call for a review of safety protocols in track events.
Watch previous coverage: I.C. Norcom's Everett says viral track meet incident was an accident
Virginia Davis, a USA Track and Field official with 16 years of experience as an umpire, described the incident as tragic — but emphasized that the individuals involved are high school students.
"I think it’s tragic. They bumped into each other. Whether you think what they did was correct or not, they’re still high school students," she said.
Following this incident on March 4, Davis advocates for discussions with local teams on proper responses when an opponent is injured. She highlighted the importance of athletes knowing how to act in such situations to ensure safety.
"In my opinion, they should keep going. You have a team relying on you with a relay. Is it better to wait until the end of the race and approach the person you might have injured? Absolutely," Davis stated. "In fact, I would say you have a running referee, and that would be the person you would go to."
Watch previous coverage: I.C. Norcom track athlete accused of injuring opponent during state title race
Davis also pointed out a critical lack of oversight at the event, noting that no umpire was present at the corner of the track where Tucker was injured.
"The very first thing I saw was that there is no umpire there. If you don’t have an umpire there, you are already depending on what people think they saw," she said, adding that the accuracy of eyewitness accounts can be questionable.
The Virginia High School League was contacted for comment regarding the absence of an umpire but did not provide a direct answer. They stated that they thoroughly review every instance involving player safety with the participating schools.
Regardless of whether the baton incident was intentional, Davis indicated that injuries are not uncommon in track and field events, particularly during relays.
"Relays are particularly prone to that. There is a lot of high emotion, so there tends to be a lot of pushing and shoving. I've seen athletes fall, roll around on the track, and bump into each other—that's on a regular basis," she said.
As the investigation continues, emphasis remains on the need for proper safety protocols and supervision in high school athletics to prevent future injuries.
