WILL Wins Again
A Wisconsin high school athlete can now play varsity softball after the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) secured a waiver from the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) for student Macy Weigel, following a legal challenge to the association’s initial ruling.
The WIAA, the governing body for high school athletics in Wisconsin, had deemed Weigel ineligible to compete in varsity sports for one year due to its transfer rule, which restricts athletic participation for students who switch schools without a corresponding change in parental residence.
The rule aims to prevent recruitment and maintain competitive fairness but allows waivers under certain circumstances, such as financial hardship or lack of athletic programs at the previous school. Despite Weigel’s application for a waiver, the WIAA denied her request, citing the transfer rule and determining that her circumstances did not meet their criteria for an exception. WILL filed a lawsuit, arguing the WIAA’s decision violated its own regulations and unfairly penalized Weigel. After a temporary injunction and legal pressure, the WIAA granted the waiver this week, allowing Weigel to play for the remainder of the season.
“WIAA’s initial decision was clearly wrong, and violated their own rules,” said Skylar Croy, WILL associate counsel. “Left unchallenged, it would have denied a student-athlete the ability to play a sport she loves. All students deserve to benefit from the educational experience of interscholastic athletics. We’re thrilled that Macy is now officially on the varsity team and making the most of this important opportunity and hope other students will not have to face these hurdles going forward.”
Weigel expressed gratitude for the chance to compete. “I just want to be on the field with my friends, and I am so grateful to have this opportunity,” she said.
The dispute arose when Weigel transferred from a private Christian school in Baraboo, which offered no athletic programs, to her local public school. The move followed significant family challenges, including her younger sibling’s diagnosis with a rare blood condition requiring extensive medical care. The financial burden, worsened by her mother leaving her job to care for the family, made continuing at the private school unsustainable. Weigel, who had played softball for years in a recreational league, saw the transfer as an opportunity to compete in high school athletics for the first time, only to face the WIAA’s initial ineligibility ruling.
WILL’s legal action led to a temporary injunction, allowing Weigel to play while the WIAA reconsidered its decision. The waiver’s approval ensures she can continue competing without further interruption.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, founded in 2011, is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit public-interest law firm dedicated to promoting individual liberty, limited government, and free-market principles through litigation, policy advocacy, and education. WILL often represents clients in cases involving education reform, property rights, and challenges to government overreach.
