Sometimes, I sweat at badminton practice. Crazy, I know. It turns out it is actually an intense sport with conditioning. Not to say that I don’t sweat after immediately starting to run, but still. We work out.

Sometimes, now this is sort of a secret, the gyms are hot. Careful, don’t act too surprised. I guess you could say this combination of heat and running would make a normal human being sweat and be a little uncomfortable. Good investigating skills. You are correct.

For some reason, someone, probably a long time ago, decided that girls’ badminton players should not be allowed to wear tank tops.

Why? Oh, I don’t know. It probably has something to do with our messed up patriarchal society that believes shoulders are oh-so scandalous. But who knows? Maybe they’ve never worked out and don’t understand the sensation that we call armpit sweat.

So, I just have one request to the lord of the badminton rules. It’s 2018. Let me wear a tank top.

The official IHSA badminton rules have recently allowed “sleeveless” shirts, but still keep a strict ban on razorbacks and spaghetti straps. This applies to team shirts at competitions, but not necessarily to practice attire. At New Trier, sleeveless shirts are still not allowed at practice.

As I have been recently injured, our head coach often has me sit out for parts of practice to rest. He has quickly come to realize that this “relaxation time” has turned into my “lobbying for allowing tank tops at practice” time. However, he very generously agreed to let me sit down and talk about this even more with him during the school day.

He is a saint, but has not surrendered in this battle. One could say it’s an even fight. Good (him), versus even more good (me).

“I know that it’s important to you guys specifically for comfort, and sometimes our gyms are hot, so I do understand it is a concern of yours. But on my list of priorities it is much lower,” he explained.

As former Athletic Director and head badminton coach Debbie Ofcky recently retired, this is his first year as head coach of the badminton team. So, it is understandable that he has many other new responsibilities on his plate.

Well, my question was, how much time out of his day does it take to decide, “Hey, I’m going to let them wear tank tops!” which he replied, “I want to put more thought and consideration into it.” Coach: 1. Mia: 0.

Just kidding. It looks something more like this. Society and objectification of women: 10000. Mia and Coach and everyone else: 0.

With there being a new transition to two male coaches, he expressed his worry of the assumptions people might make if the rule were to be changed this year. “Inferences aren’t made when you have female coaches with female sports. I wouldn’t want an inference that we are there for anything other than bettering you guys as young ladies.”

While I do understand this point completely, I do wish that it could be seen from the other side. Are we any better than society if we entertain these worries?

It is clear that this is not a New Trier specific problem. Ruth Steinhouse, a sophomore badminton player at Evanston Township High School, had a memorable experience at this year’s tryouts. “When I was at badminton, I wore a tank top at tryouts, and at the end of the tryout my coach called me out in front of everyone to say that what I was wearing was not appropriate to wear to badminton,” she said.

She added, “She doesn’t want your ‘girls to fall out.’ Those were her words.”

If you agree with me that there is not a worthy justification for the ban on tank tops, help me change this rule. Not in four years, not next year, not at the end of the season. But tomorrow. Or even today.

It’s the small victories. Just ask my armpit sweat.