3 Responses to My Hypothesis- reesespieces8

1. davidbdale says:

   January 31, 2022 at 5:23 AM

   You appear to be working on two hypotheses simultaneously, reesespieces.
   One you have phrased: Why Are Women Gymnasts so Short?
   The other could be phrased: Why Do Short Women Choose Gymnastics?
   Maybe even a third: Why Do Short Women Excel at Gymnastics?

   The answers will be as diverse as the questions, I imagine. Small athletic women seeking a sport naturally gravitate to the sport their bodies are best suited for (not basketball). As you suggest, they are more able to spin and flip than bully other players low in the post. The more sinister explanation in the not-distant past has been that young female gymnasts have been artificially stunted, their periods delayed, their development slowed, to gain a competitive edge. I don’t know which direction you’re considering, which is fine at this early stage. It’s best to begin your research with an open mind and be receptive to surprise.

   Like all feedback, this is meant to begin a conversation, RP.
   I am eager to hear your reply.

   Reply
2. reesespieces8 says:

   January 31, 2022 at 9:02 AM

   I now see all the potential questions and hypotheses I was asking myself. I am still a little confused as to what direction I want to go but I do have ideas for different ones. I and trying to do one that I can write 3,000 words on. My idea was that mostly all gymnast will start at a young age, and at this young age all of them are generally the same size. But as they grow some will become bigger and taller, while others will stay smaller and shorter. I believe that taller and bigger gymnast will not improve and be as strong as a gymnast, as the shorter more petite gymnasts. So the smaller gymnasts will continue and succeed, and the taller ones may quit. And it is because of physics, and their center of mass. But I still consider the possibility that their growth had to be stunted in some way to be that small. Simone Biles for example is 4’8’’, my other favorite gymnast Shawn Johnson is 4’11’’. I have person experience in this so I think it also my be making me a little biased. My parents are both over 6 foot and I did gymnastics my whole life and I am 5’3’’ , so maybe my own growth was stunted.

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   • davidbdale says:

     February 1, 2022 at 10:38 PM

     That’s helpful clarification, RP. Notice how a little feedback helps you understand your obligation to be clear with your readers. I agree with your premise that athletes probably weed themselves out as they find their larger bodies not as competitive. So, clearly the focus of your investigation will not be there but in the suspicion you have that either the training itself stunts growth and development in a portion of participants, or that some sort of deliberate intervention is at work. Intriguing.

     I got 8000 hits at Google Scholar for a search of several keywords together.

     

     Here’s the url for that combination of terms:
     https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C31&q=female+gymnasts+puberty+hormones&btnG=

     I searched for [female gymnasts puberty hormones].
     But notice how many other search parameters Google suggested!

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