GIRLS vs BOYS

[vaultmd]

My decision-making algorithms are roughly the same whether I'm coaching a guy or a girl.

The main difference I've found in my limited experience with both groups is that the girls tend to listen and remember better.

[stormvault]

High school Athletics is such a tough thing on female athletes. Especially the ones that go from little girls to women over night. Where a guy can get better through maturation, girls seem to have to work through the changes the body goes through.

I know I sometimes forget that an average girl is still considerably weaker and slower than an average boy.

[mooski33]

This is the age-old discussion exercise psychologists and exercise physiologists have been having for years. Personally, I strongly believe the difference seen in males and females is primarily due to one simple thing--testosterone. Although males and females have varying levels of testosterone, males generally have significantly more than females. Testosterone is responsible for muscle growth and increased aggression, among other things--and think of aggression not as anger, but as being aggressive, being willing to go all-out, and as being competitive. Although females have these same traits, their lower levels of testosterone tend to correlate with lower levels of muscle mass and aggression. Additionally, with the onset of puberty, females have an increase in estrogen, which naturally decreases muscle mass and often increase body fat. Unfortunately it just has a lot to do with the way we are made!

Looking at it from the "nurture" or environmental side, females are often given fewer oppourtunities to build strength and power as children and are often discouraged from being aggressive and competitive at an early age. Granted, not everyone treats female and male children differently, but generally, as a society, we do. Socialization begins from the moment we are born--times are a'changing, but we still have a long way to go.

Please be aware that I am not saying this is how it is for everyone, because everyones hormone levels are different and everyone has different experiences, and although these things can affect athleticism, personality can too-so this is really just a broad, sweeping generalization of the biology and socialization of the sexes that can impact all athletics.

Worth thinking about when coaching--most importantly in track, when coaches often work with both sexes.

[altius]

The biggest difference between adolescent boys and girls is usually in upper body strength. Girls with a gymnastics background, who have grown too tall but who still want to succeed in a sport - and are reasonable runners - will progress as fast if not faster from a technical point of view than boys of the same age who have not done gymnastics. Lauren Eley was a classic example of this - her technique after she left the ground could be a model for any young athlete, male or female.

[OH-IOvaulter]

Thank you for saying technical point of view, because I'd like to throw out a fact. In Ohio for the most part we don't have middle school vaulting, so any new people I get are freshman that have never tried it. The lowest I'll ever start a meet for girls is 5' and normally 6' but to get to a competitive level of 9' or 10' is much less of a vertical increase than the boys starting at 7' and getting to 13' or 14' to be competitive.

Just my two cents

[rainbowgirl28]

I don't mind starting the boys low, but if there are a lot of vaulters I'll go a foot at a time until we get to quasi-legit heights. Last big home league meet I went 6'-7'-8'-8'6 and 6" after that. A lot of boys went out at 8' and it saved SO much time (because most HS vaulters love to come in way too low and get lots of practice jumps).

If time is not an issue I don't mind starting as low as we need to to give them all a chance.

Our league isn't big enough for JV meets.