In the hotter months of the year, members of the community commonly see dedicated runners blazing Neenah sidewalks shirtless or in sports bras.

This image remains in the imagination of the girls’ cross country team; senior Megan Altekruse sees a near future where this wish changes to reality.

Because of backlash from the community and N.J.S.D., on days when the 95° heat index makes skin stick and sweat swamp, they remain in t-shirts and tanktops — whilst the boys team enjoys the freedom of running without the restraint of unneeded clothing.

Though school board instructed the boys to wear shirts, they regularly break this rule, with limited followup from coaches or administrators.

For Megan, the fight to wear sports bras means much more than feeling better during runs; the end goal is to start a conversation about the gender inequalities creeping into the high school.

Megan feels that many female sports can drown in a sea of male achievements. The disconnect lies not only in varying degrees of recognition, but in the standards to which each gender is held.

This passion for change gains the speed of a sprinter through the team as their reputation dangles on the line after recent false accusations of breaking clothing rules. Hurt by the lack of support from the school board after the team has always followed the rules, the girls finally speak out.

Megan and two others take the issue from the sidewalks to the school offices, meeting with administration and expressing their opinions.

“…it matters to me for the future generation of cross country girls, not just cross country girls, but girls at our school, that things will be more equal, with more equal opportunity.”

Happy to have the team’s voice heard, Megan waits eagerly like a runner waits on the starting gun — ready for change to come to NHS.