tingilinde

summiting

Just what is a summit?  And does it matter?

 

what if gymnastics could change?

In a way that would be better for the competitors and sport...

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Yet peaking early in gymnastics, Sands noted, has also become “kind of old thinking.” Children are thought to be such good gymnasts in part because they are smaller and lighter, yet tininess is only partly a biomechanical necessity for success. While gymnasts do have to be “on the lean side of lean,” as Sands put it, and few experts or athletes disagree that there are benefits to starting the sport young, the notion that gymnasts have to be prepubescent to succeed in international competition is based on a calculus that no longer really applies. Between 1936 and the 1980s, top gymnasts shrank, but more recently, as the sport has evolved to favor explosive strength, they have steadily increased in strength, age and size. “When you were trying to put space-age powerful skills into a body built for dance, there was a breaking point there,” Sands said of the 1960s and 1970s balletic aesthetic of the sport. “There usually came a point where they couldn’t get stronger fast enough to keep up with their growth.” But reaching the peak of your career before finishing puberty is less important now that the sport favors power.

“Everyone tells gymnasts they’re done when they’re 16 or 17 or when they finish college,” Andy Memmel told me. “I think a lot of it is coaches and society.”

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vaccines and the olympics

If they're being provided, they should be required for entry into Japan

a tip of the hat to Roland.

female soccer players and head injury risk

Something needs to be addressed ..

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“There were indeed differences between male and female athletes,” says Stewart. How the high-school players sustained their injuries also differed significantly between male and female adolescents: the boys’ most common way of becoming concussed was through bashing into another player, with almost half of all concussions reported happening in this way. Girls were most likely to be concussed after colliding with another object, such as the ball or one of the goalposts. Boys were also more likely to be removed from play immediately after a suspected head injury than were girls.

The different mechanism for head injuries in girls is an important finding, Stewart says. “It might be one reason girls with concussion were not being picked up on the field so regularly,” he adds. Concussion-management systems currently in use — from how potential head injuries are spotted during a match, to how athletes are treated and how quickly they return to play — are almost exclusively dictated by research on male athletes, says Stewart. “Rather than the current, male-informed, one-size-fits-all approach to concussion management, there might need to be consideration of sex-specific approaches,” he says. This could include restrictions on heading footballs, or having more medically trained personnel present during female matches.

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a tip of the hat to Sukie

 

how f1 racing makes money

teething problems

The Men's Marathon at the 1904 Summer Olympics - a bit sketchy 

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The first to arrive at the finish line was Fred Lorz, who had actually dropped out of the race after nine miles and hitched a ride back to the stadium in a car, waving at spectators and runners alike during the ride. When the car broke down at the 19th mile, Lorz re-entered the race and jogged across the finish line.[5] After being hailed as the winner, he had his photograph taken with Alice Roosevelt, daughter of then-U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, and was about to be awarded the gold medal when his subterfuge was revealed. Upon being confronted by officials, Lorz immediately admitted his deception, and despite his claims he was joking, the AAU responded by banning him for a year. He later won the 1905 Boston Marathon.

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a tip of the hat to Roland

 

sports science

Nature published a series of open access non-specialist pieces on sports science. It's a sponsored section, but Nature claims they retain editorial control..  A few of these areas are controversial, but it's clear sports science is booming important at the elite level.

 

 

the growth opportunity in the business of sport

Women's sports (via The Washington Post)

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Fortner wanted Emmert to change his thinking, and her appeal comes at a moment when plenty agree with her. There is a growing belief across sports that women are one of the best investments in the industry.

Ratings are up. Female athletes are steadily commanding more attention from fans and marketers. And brands and venture capitalists are pouring money into women’s sports.

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dave kindred and retirement

The legendary sports writer found himself applying his skills in an area most wouldn't expect and for an unusual fee.  video and transcript

 

the ncaa sexism scandal

On women's basketball.

 Sports are an entertainment industry and entertainment tends to harbor corruption.  A larger question:  Is there a place for it in the education system?  I believe there is, but not as currently operated.