FloTrack
Track and Field events are not meant to be full-contract sports. Sure, there’s some jostling for position here and there. But for the most part, runners run their own race and avoid making contact with opponents. However, it appears that nobody told this to Alaila Everett of I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Everett is at the center of controversy after a incident at last week’s Virginia High School League Indoor Track Championships. During the 4 x 200 meter relay, video shows Everett getting boxed in by Brookville High School junior Kaelen Tucker. But rather than re-establishing her position or going to the outside of Tucker, Everett then appears to rear back and slam her Baton into the head of Tucker.
Tucker immediately ran off the track and reached for her head. She and her parents say that doctors believe she suffered a concussion and potential skull fracture. Everett and her team were immediately disqualified. But she says that despite what the video seems to show, she had no intention of hitting Tucker.
“Everybody has feelings, so you’re physically hurt, but you’re not thinking of my mental,” Everett said. “It’s like they are going off of one angle.”
Everett then gave her view of what happened.
“After a couple times of hitting her, my baton got stuck behind her back like this, and it rolled up her back. I lost my balance when I pumped my arms again. She got hit,” Everett said. “I know my intentions and I would never hit someone on purpose.”
Now look, obviously only one person can judge intent, and that’s Everett. But the video truly does not do her any favors. It looks to most viewers as if she reared back and hammered Tucker in the head.
Everett says she reached out to Tucker but has been blocked by her on social media. The Tucker family also reportedly served her with a protective order.
Track batons are typically made of anodized aluminum. The lightweight metal is also used in cookware and is treated to develop a durable finish. So you can imagine being struck with one in the head was not a fun experience for Tucker.