«I dream of being a professional», he assures Kendall Martin (Blanes, 2004) while he has just placed the knee brace on his right leg. Just last week he returned to training after a knee injury. It still hurts, he runs with a limp. Lives in Blanes and trains in Sant Feliu de Llobregat with him Barça B. He arrives a little late, and comments that the train was going badly – he has about two and a half hours to get there. Since he was 16 years old – one after he started the transition – plays with women’s teamsbut cannot play in the competitions managed by the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB).
Last year, Kendall played in the CEEB Tordera, of Copa Catalunya, the fourth state category. Since it is a competition managed by the Catalan Federation and governed by the Sports Law, they processed her federation card, since legally she is a woman with a general character. The conflict came when the team qualified for the promotion playoffs, which are managed by the Spanish Federation. Despite the fact that the Sports Law allows him to play, the FEB did not process his card because the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) recommends not registering any transgender players in national competitions until there is no regulation – without deadlines or forecasts – on this subject. With the promotion, Tordera made a request to the Superior Sports Council (CSD), however they are still waiting for an answer. And Kendall ended up signing for Barça B to be able to play.
“He had two lives”
“When I was a cadet I had two lives. I would go to training like a boy and, when I came out of the locker room, I would put on a dress,” explains Kendall. He has been playing basketball since he was six years old. He did it in the male until cadets. At that time, she stopped because she felt “uncomfortable”. Two years later, she was called to play with the same team, the Blanes Basketball Club, but with the feminine. He returned to the pavilion, but had to adapt to a new way of playing due to hormones.
“I had a pretty hard descent. She was used to running a lot, jumping a lot and holding more. When I started with the hormones I was noticed with less force, weaker… I have to work a lot more to be physically well», he explains.
“I’ve been training since I was six”
She feels trapped in a category that doesn’t fit her level. Does an average of 17 points per game. “It’s frustrating because I want to reach my highest level, and in this league I feel quite superior. I am not superior because I am tall 1,86 m– but because I have been trained since I was six. I won’t throw it at my feet”, he argues confidently.
Basketball has helped him in everything transition process. “Basketball and the friends I’ve had have made it easier for me,” he says. At the same time, he knew he might run into difficulties. “I have already internalized that there would always be something that would try to stop me. Being trans, you know that not everyone will tell you that they think it’s good, there are people who will try to fuck you”, he says.
“I don’t think it will arrive… But it’s my dream», he is sincere. From next week he will combine the obligations of Barça B with training with the first team, which plays in the first division. This is what motivates her to take the train to arrive, two and a half hours later, at the pavilion. A student with a middle degree in administration, he had to leave his studies because of the odyssey that it means to get to the training sessions, but he hopes to resume them next year.
He is confident that his situation will be resolved, but it is a long shot. Despite the fact that national legislation gives him the right, international federations continue to recommend that there are no transgender athletes in national competitions while they work on a regulation. For now, at 19 years old, Kendall is still trying to get better for when her time comes. Gasps when a shot misses. She hits her partner’s hand when she makes a basket. She laughs with a couple of friends. Listen attentively to your trainer. He plays basketball.
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2023-11-17 08:00:24
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