the olympians bodies.

alleycat88

Thanks flax.

So while delayed, gymnasts do in fact go through puberty around age 14.5 (median).
The average age for the american team is around 16 or 17 and I assume they have hit puberty.

tigersword

Thanks flax.

So while delayed, gymnasts do in fact go through puberty around age 14.5 (median).
The average age for the american team is around 16 or 17 and I assume they have hit puberty.

Not really accurate. That number is only based on 80 of the 255 gymnasts involved in the study. The majority of the gymnasts hadn't gone through puberty, and most of them were over 15, so they predicted the actual full age to be much higher than that.

beckajw

You think pre pubescent children are on the level of Olympic athletes in swimming??

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

And yes at 17 I was training with people that would later qualify for the Olympics, but I decided it wasn't a life I wanted.

Just say you are wrong - there is no shame in admitting defeat

Lol, why would I admit something that's not true? You are totally ill informed. And I was speaking in terms of Gymnasts, so don't put words in my mouth. Just because people you were training with went to the Olympics doesn't mean you did. And obviously the life you didn't want, which is training almost 24-7 wasn't for you, so you went through puberty. With a Gymnast, they start training and preparing for the Olympics at an extremely young age. Point and case.

Actually Olympians do NOT train 24-7. They genarally take at least one day off each week and get plenty of rest, typically training 6-8 hours per day.

fabfindz05

Haha, I got Zara Philips, the British Equestrian. Of course I would get the one sport that doesn't require a ton of athleticism. Lol.

It takes more athleticism than you think, especially for the cross country phase! Certainly not as much as the rest, but it takes some to get you AND your horse through that cross country course.

I'd take the body of a female beach volleyball player. I need a booty like the Brazil team!

Huskeryogi

Thanks flax.

So while delayed, gymnasts do in fact go through puberty around age 14.5 (median).
The average age for the american team is around 16 or 17 and I assume they have hit puberty.

Actually the study flax referenced was for rythmic gymnast not artistic. I found this one in the references.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1501559?dopt=Abstract

It says average age for this group of artistic gymnasts was 15.6 plus or minus 2.1. The average is 13.2 plus or minus 1.2.

That's a two and a half year difference.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8117341?dopt=Abstract

This one talks about height.

It won't let me read thru the entire studies, so I can't speak to how well attributing factors were included.

OhKelsey1

Haha, I got Zara Philips, the British Equestrian. Of course I would get the one sport that doesn't require a ton of athleticism. Lol.

It takes more athleticism than you think, especially for the cross country phase! Certainly not as much as the rest, but it takes some to get you AND your horse through that cross country course.

I'd take the body of a female beach volleyball player. I need a booty like the Brazil team!

Oh, he!! no. You did not just say it takes little athleticism to horseback ride! Or even SOME! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get your horse to perform that well and get all the necessary strides, or go the right pace, or be collected in just the right way? Not to mention how DANGEROUS? I know a girl that just broke her back and was almost PARALYZED because of an accident in horseback riding. It takes finesse, skill, and an infinite amount of bravery. Or when was the last time YOU got on a 1,000 pound animal who sides most fully with the "flight" option of the fight or flight reaction?

Excuse me while I take deep breaths and drink some herbal tea to calm down.

Spanaval

Haha, I got Zara Philips, the British Equestrian. Of course I would get the one sport that doesn't require a ton of athleticism. Lol.

It takes more athleticism than you think, especially for the cross country phase! Certainly not as much as the rest, but it takes some to get you AND your horse through that cross country course.

I'd take the body of a female beach volleyball player. I need a booty like the Brazil team!

Oh, he!! no. You did not just say it takes little athleticism to horseback ride! Or even SOME! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get your horse to perform that well and get all the necessary strides, or go the right pace, or be collected in just the right way? Not to mention how DANGEROUS? I know a girl that just broke her back and was almost PARALYZED because of an accident in horseback riding. It takes finesse, skill, and an infinite amount of bravery. Or when was the last time YOU got on a 1,000 pound animal who sides most fully with the "flight" option of the fight or flight reaction?

Excuse me while I take deep breaths and drink some herbal tea to calm down.

No doubt it takes a lot of skill to perform (or rather, to get your horse to perform) at that high a level, but I wouldn't call that athleticism. One can be utterly and completely out of shape, and still ride horses just fine (I know several).

sjohnny

There is a big difference between "riding horses" and performing in an equestrian event. I've never competed but I've ridden horses a lot. I used to do some dressage moves and jumping with my horse just to keep him in shape and to have jobs to do. We also worked livestock. The first time I worked a herd and did a little bit of cutting my core and my legs were sore for days. At the higher levels of competition it is very athletic. Going for a trail ride is a different thing.

OhKelsey1

Haha, I got Zara Philips, the British Equestrian. Of course I would get the one sport that doesn't require a ton of athleticism. Lol.

It takes more athleticism than you think, especially for the cross country phase! Certainly not as much as the rest, but it takes some to get you AND your horse through that cross country course.

I'd take the body of a female beach volleyball player. I need a booty like the Brazil team!

Oh, he!! no. You did not just say it takes little athleticism to horseback ride! Or even SOME! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get your horse to perform that well and get all the necessary strides, or go the right pace, or be collected in just the right way? Not to mention how DANGEROUS? I know a girl that just broke her back and was almost PARALYZED because of an accident in horseback riding. It takes finesse, skill, and an infinite amount of bravery. Or when was the last time YOU got on a 1,000 pound animal who sides most fully with the "flight" option of the fight or flight reaction?

Excuse me while I take deep breaths and drink some herbal tea to calm down.

No doubt it takes a lot of skill to perform (or rather, to get your horse to perform) at that high a level, but I wouldn't call that athleticism. One can be utterly and completely out of shape, and still ride horses just fine (I know several).

I'm not engaging any further in this argument, because I think it's ludicrous to say there's no athleticism involved. However. I will say that I was rail-thin in high school, had muscled thighs, strong arms and great posture to boot because of horseback riding. It's not as hard on your body as say, gymnastics, but that's like comparing apples and oranges. They don't correlate at all! I'd say you need to ride competitively for a few years at a high level to really understand the skill it takes. And you may know people who ride for fun, but true competitive horseback riding? No. You're not able to perform well out of shape.

OhKelsey1

There is a big difference between "riding horses" and performing in an equestrian event. I've never competed but I've ridden horses a lot. I used to do some dressage moves and jumping with my horse just to keep him in shape and to have jobs to do. We also worked livestock. The first time I worked a herd and did a little bit of cutting my core and my legs were sore for days. At the higher levels of competition it is very athletic. Going for a trail ride is a different thing.

Yes, exactly. Well said.

fabfindz05

There is a big difference between "riding horses" and performing in an equestrian event. I've never competed but I've ridden horses a lot. I used to do some dressage moves and jumping with my horse just to keep him in shape and to have jobs to do. We also worked livestock. The first time I worked a herd and did a little bit of cutting my core and my legs were sore for days. At the higher levels of competition it is very athletic. Going for a trail ride is a different thing.

This is true!

Anyone can get on a horse and ride around. Not everyone has the athleticism to ride at the upper levels. PLUS, it is a disservice to your horse to sit up there like a sack of potatoes.

Both dressage and jumping take some, but those cross country riders must be in tip-top shape. If you've ever watched them, you'd notice that they never sit on their horse's back. Staying out of your tack over a cross country course (around 10 minitutes or more), plus the balance required to balance your horse over obstacles requires a high degree of athleticism.

lwagnitz

You think pre pubescent children are on the level of Olympic athletes in swimming??

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

And yes at 17 I was training with people that would later qualify for the Olympics, but I decided it wasn't a life I wanted.

Just say you are wrong - there is no shame in admitting defeat

Lol, why would I admit something that's not true? You are totally ill informed. And I was speaking in terms of Gymnasts, so don't put words in my mouth. Just because people you were training with went to the Olympics doesn't mean you did. And obviously the life you didn't want, which is training almost 24-7 wasn't for you, so you went through puberty. With a Gymnast, they start training and preparing for the Olympics at an extremely young age. Point and case.

Actually Olympians do NOT train 24-7. They genarally take at least one day off each week and get plenty of rest, typically training 6-8 hours per day.

It was clearly an over exaggeration. Training with people who went to the Olympics is a far cry from being an Olympian is my point.

lwagnitz

You're the one that brought up other atheletes other than gymnasts in your previous post, and I went through puberty at 11 so has nothing to do with my choice later on. Those girls went through puberty as well. And as I stated earlier while your statement may be true for SOME, it definitely does not hold true for the MAJORITY of those athletes. If that were the case all gymnasts would be 6' tall.

You read something in a book and it has to be true, the people that actually have lived it don't know anything. god, people are stupid.

here's the post where you said soccer players as another example

A lot of other female athlete's don't get their periods as well, like soccer players. Just because they aren't going through puberty at that time in their life doesn't mean that they won't ever will. It's called delayed puberty.

And as I previously stated my sister is a soccer player that works out 6 days a wekk about 3-4 hours a day and plays at a national level. She has gone through puberty at age 13 and is 15 now.

I never once said that those soccer players didn't go through puberty. You may want to learn how to not twist what people say to fire your own agenda. I was a competitive soccer player too, and I still got my period. I was training about 5 hours a day 6 days a week just for my high school team. I went through puberty at 12. But you don't get into that high of a level in soccer until usually around high school so that allows your body to go through puberty and hold on to fat easier. And it is normal for someone to believe something that is backed with facts, not by someone who trained along side of people who went to the Olympics. That is a pretty far cry from an Olympian, sorry.

lwagnitz

You're the one that brought up other atheletes other than gymnasts in your previous post, and I went through puberty at 11 so has nothing to do with my choice later on. Those girls went through puberty as well. And as I stated earlier while your statement may be true for SOME, it definitely does not hold true for the MAJORITY of those athletes. If that were the case all gymnasts would be 6' tall.

You read something in a book and it has to be true, the people that actually have lived it don't know anything. god, people are stupid.

here's the post where you said soccer players as another example

A lot of other female athlete's don't get their periods as well, like soccer players. Just because they aren't going through puberty at that time in their life doesn't mean that they won't ever will. It's called delayed puberty.

And as I previously stated my sister is a soccer player that works out 6 days a wekk about 3-4 hours a day and plays at a national level. She has gone through puberty at age 13 and is 15 now.

I never once said that those soccer players didn't go through puberty. You may want to learn how to not twist what people say to fire your own agenda. I was a competitive soccer player too, and I still got my period. I was training about 5 hours a day 6 days a week just for my high school team. I went through puberty at 12. But you don't get into that high of a level in soccer until usually around high school so that allows your body to go through puberty and hold on to fat easier. And it is normal for someone to believe something that is backed with facts, not by someone who trained along side of people who went to the Olympics. That is a pretty far cry from an Olympian, sorry. That's like saying I hold a PhD because my professor holds one.

tigersword

You think pre pubescent children are on the level of Olympic athletes in swimming??

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

And yes at 17 I was training with people that would later qualify for the Olympics, but I decided it wasn't a life I wanted.

Just say you are wrong - there is no shame in admitting defeat

So you trained in your chosen sport for 8 hours a day, 6 days a week, starting from the time you were 6 or 7 years old? No? You didn't? Then you aren't the type of athlete being talked about. Just because you trained (as a late teenager) with people who were Olympic caliber, doesn't make you an Olympic caliber athlete.

alleycat88

You obviously missed the point. While I didn't do it others I trained with and knew on a personal level did an they did in fact go through puberty.

I am not twisting your words. I quoted directly what you said. You said other athletes such as soccer players. It's right there, black and white.

alleycat88

You think pre pubescent children are on the level of Olympic athletes in swimming??

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

And yes at 17 I was training with people that would later qualify for the Olympics, but I decided it wasn't a life I wanted.

Just say you are wrong - there is no shame in admitting defeat

So you trained in your chosen sport for 8 hours a day, 6 days a week, starting from the time you were 6 or 7 years old? No? You didn't? Then you aren't the type of athlete being talked about. Just because you trained (as a late teenager) with people who were Olympic caliber, doesn't make you an Olympic caliber athlete.

I started training at age 5. I made the choice at 17 to no longer compete. I didn't just jump in a pool at 17 and train with future Olympians. And I said that to back up my own statements. I knew people firsthand and knew they went through puberty. That's it

greedygirl118

I was lucky enough to go to the Olympics on Tuesday, and I was very taken with the Paraguayan javelin thrower, Leryn Franco.

http://lerynfrancopictures.blogspot.co.uk/

(How do I post pictures here?)

bluechip777

female sprinters all the way!

bacamacho

My Olympic twin is a male British hockey player, Ashley Jackson, LOL!!

Alright, I'll take it. I'm thick. I'm built for sprinting. I come from a family of female track and field sprinters, but went the way of the football: