A high school freshman in O’Fallon, Illinois, is at the center of a growing controversy after being banned from competing in a cross-country championship.
Fourteen-year-old Cole Deering’s passion for running isn’t just a hobby. It’s part of who he is.
“I like running in the morning or the evening or on a cloudy day," he said, adding that he loves running pretty much anytime.
The O’Fallon Township High School freshman spends every free moment running with his cross country team. Running has become an outlet for Cole, who has autism. But recently, that love for the sport has landed him in the middle of an uphill battle.
“I'm pretty disappointed because recently I've been training pretty hard," he said.
Over the weekend, Cole ran a race for Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, finishing first. The cause was personal: His little sister had recently been hospitalized there. Cole then came to school at O’Fallon Township High School, only to face a reality he never saw coming. He was told he could no longer compete in the school’s qualifying races, with his dreams of reaching the state level suddenly out of reach.
Cole said he was barred from running in a qualifying race on Oct. 15. This means he will not be eligible to compete in the state championship.
The Illinois High School Association said Cole violated its rules by running in a “non-school event” during the season. A spokesperson said the rule ensures equity for all athletes and, despite acknowledging it wasn’t intentional, the penalty must stand. The school confirmed it cannot overturn the decision.
“It is very frustrating," said Jiggar Hindia, Cole's stepfather. “The thing that he enjoys most, it was taken away from him.”
His family said they were blindsided. His parents launched a petition, now with over 2,300 signatures, drawing support from across the state, many arguing the rule is poorly understood and in desperate need of an update.
A spokesperson with the National Federation of State High School Associations said in a statement: "The NFHS upholds and supports state associations in the enforcement of their own rules and regulations. All state associations would have similar rules in place for this type of situation to ensure fair and equitable competition. Students, parents and coaches have to know the rules that must be followed during the season of competition."
“What change do you want to see now?” asked 5 On Your Side's Paula Vasan.
“There should be situational modifications made... There's currently no process to even appeal this particular law," said Cole's stepfather.
“I won't be able to make varsity and run state. So I think that's pretty big," said Cole.
For now, Cole’s cross-country season is in jeopardy.
“I definitely don't think that's fair," he said.
But he and his family said they’ll continue to fight until state policies are reconsidered.
An SSM Health company spokesperson told us in an email: “We are aware of the situation involving a student who participated in our recent event and the subsequent action taken by the Illinois High School Association. While this is an unfortunate circumstance, we recognize that this matter is between the family, the school, and the Illinois High School Association.”
A spokesperson with O'Fallon Township High School District 203 told us in an email: "The OTHS administration is aware of a recent eligibility determination from the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) impacting an OTHS student athlete. The eligibility determination made by IHSA involves the application of IHSA bylaws prohibiting in-season participation in non-school affiliated competition. OTHS must follow and abide by the ruling of the IHSA as IHSA is the governing body for our athletic programs."
A spokesperson with the Illinois High School Association told us: “The member high schools who make up the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) created rules on participation at non-high school events within the high school season to help create equity for all competing student-athletes. The IHSA is charged with enforcing these rules to help maintain that equity, regardless of the circumstances. While we recognize that there was not a deliberate attempt to break this rule, the penalty remains consistent with past precedence for similar violations. We will continue to work with our member school administrators and coaches to improve educational efforts on IHSA rules in hopes that we can prevent situations like this from occurring again in the future.”