I just read an excellent article on the New York Times. Its subject is the discrepancy between the performance of male and female athletes. This article is about running but i think its conclusions are applicable to climbing too. So for your time saving convinence let me summarise it.
Gina Kolata (the author) noted that while the results of men's races correlate with the age, i.e. younger men perform better and kick all the old bastards asses - just ask nf, women's results do not . The correlation breaks down. In one race the fastest woman was 37, and the top female in the 50 -54 group, beat those of the 20-24, 25-29 and 40-44 groups. I think we can all agree that fitness does not peak the middle age in women but not men, so there must be something else to explain this.
The opinion of the author, as well as several others is that women are inhibited psychologically due to social pressure, upbringing, etc. They have been inadvertently conditioned to have less belief in their athletic abilities, should not be as competitive and are inherently weaker compared to males. This could explain why older women can run as fast as or often faster than the younger. They have discovered what they are capable of.
I'm sure you have heard this in the gym. A request to make the route easier for girls. The justification for the request here is quite revealing in my opinion. It assumes that girls are naturally weaker. And i don't mean weaker only in the physical sense. I am trying to argue that this is not true! Beth Rodden FA The Optimists 8c+, our best dude Christer, Jai Dum 8b.
So in conclusion, please consider my humble request dear friends, unleash your inner beast*.
*For more info on unleashing your inner beast please consult John and yours truly.
Ps. I mean no disrespect to the efforts of our girls team.
