Rohen Brown was 18 years old, running the last race of her high school career, when she stepped onto the Western Conference Championship podium in second place. The athlete in first was a male who had been competing in her races for years.
Rohen is 19 now, studying political science at the University of Southern Maine, and serving as Lead Maine's first intern. This November, Maine voters will have a say on a ballot initiative to protect girls' and women's sports.

But right now, through May 7, Mainers can comment on how that ballot question is worded.
What you'll hear in this episode:

• Why Rohen grieved more for the girl who came in 31st than for her own lost placements, and what a lack of fairness in girls' sports actually costs
• What it felt like to stand on the Western Conference Championship podium in second place during the final race of her senior year, with St. Dominic's closing behind her and college ahead
• What female distance running culture in Maine has been, and how that changed when the atmosphere around her races turned charged
• What she'd tell a young Mainer who feels politically alone, doesn't know where to start, and is spending too much time on social media looking for answers

Submit your comment to Maine’s Secretary of State regarding a clearly-worded ballot question to Protect Girls’ Sports before May 7: www.leadmaine.com/protectgirlssports