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To think that girls weren't allowed to do triple jump at school in the 90s?

181 replies

ImRonBurgandy · 03/08/2024 19:48

Just that. I definitely remember (secondary 1990-98) being told that we couldn't do triple jump as it could damage our insides?

OP posts:
DancelikeFredAstaire · 04/08/2024 08:09

BMW6 · 04/08/2024 07:02

I was born late 1950's and remember doing Hop Skip and Jump in the late 60's / early 70's
How strange

I was born mid 60's and remember doing the "Hop, Skip and Jump" as well.

TheDogsMother · 04/08/2024 07:29

I was at school in the 70s and triple jump was a boys sport. I don't remember ever being given a reason.

PointsSouth · 04/08/2024 07:06

PerkyMintDeer · 03/08/2024 20:19

I was definitely doing it (and good at it) from (all girls) junior school in 1993 and again in senior school from 96 onwards.

But...

When I was about 7 all the kids were leapfrogging over posts on the way home from school. I joined in. My mother went hysterical told me to stop, I ignored her, carried on and she came and grabbed me, burst into tears and said,

"you must never do that or you won't be a virgin on your wedding night and your husband won't want you!!!" and shook me.

I had NO idea what she was going on about. When I finally realised years later, I was even more disturbed than I had been that day. What a thing to tell a seven year old in the nineties.

Edited

Was she right?

Dreamingofgoldfinchlane · 04/08/2024 07:06

We did it in the late 1980s as well as high jump, long jump, hurdles, discuss, javelin and long-distance running

Willmafrockfit · 04/08/2024 07:03

1980 ish i think we did it, i thought it was the long jump, that and hurdles and high jump and javelin, perhaps discus too not sure

BMW6 · 04/08/2024 07:02

I was born late 1950's and remember doing Hop Skip and Jump in the late 60's / early 70's
How strange

TaggySits · 04/08/2024 06:57

To be fair there is increased risk of injury due to the high impact nature of triple jump and the technical aspects (e.g. your knee 'locking' during the middle phase, which isn't a concern with long jump).

This is probably why it wasn't traditionally taught in many schools and has only been introduced for girls more recently. Many PE teachers will not have experience of doing it themselves.

Even today young participants (male and female) are only supposed to use a shortened run-up to reduce the risk of injury.

UpUpUpU · 04/08/2024 06:56

I definitely did it 95-2000. Wasn’t allowed to do football or rugby though as that was just for boys. We did hockey and netball instead

notagdfriend · 04/08/2024 06:51

We did hop, skip and a jump. Late eighties/early nineties.

Newnamehiwhodis · 04/08/2024 05:47

What?! I did triple jump in highschool in the 1980’s-1991.

ImRonBurgandy · 04/08/2024 05:31

In hindsight I have no idea why we were doing discus inside. Very weird.

OP posts:
ImRonBurgandy · 04/08/2024 05:30

Floatlikeafeather2 · 04/08/2024 00:29

All PE teachers, since the beginning of time, will tell about the child with a javelin stuck in their head because they weren't being careful. They probably shared the ambulance with the child who had their face smashed in by a discus, who were also not being careful. 🤣

I actually did get hit with a discus. Luckily not yet thrown, but another pupil hit me with it during their spin. For some reason we were in the sports hall and it was a bit crowded in there.

OP posts:
ELM8 · 04/08/2024 00:54

Once we hit 13 we couldn't do it any more at school - something about it stretching our ovaries or something?!

I had completely forgotten about that until I saw this thread, how ridiculous 😂

This was late 90s early 00s.

nocoolnamesleft · 04/08/2024 00:54

Hop, skip and jump. In the 80s at a mixed comprehensive. I was crap at it.

unospaghetto · 04/08/2024 00:48

BingoBangow · 04/08/2024 00:32

What the heck’s the triple jump?

Im pissed off we weren’t allowed to do the poll vault! Never seen it done by anyone in reality and it looks so fun - as long as the fucking poll doesn’t snap!!

Thank goodness there’s someone else! Never heard of triple jump, or hop skip and a jump. I have no idea what it is (but don’t feel
Ive missed out).

RawBloomers · 04/08/2024 00:43

BingoBangow · 04/08/2024 00:32

What the heck’s the triple jump?

Im pissed off we weren’t allowed to do the poll vault! Never seen it done by anyone in reality and it looks so fun - as long as the fucking poll doesn’t snap!!

We did pole vault. But it wasn’t anything like the stuff you see on TV. The poles were rigid metal tubes that your hands slipped down if they were sweaty.

No one managed much over their own height. I think the school record for high jump was higher than the record for poll vault!

RawBloomers · 04/08/2024 00:39

We did triple jump in the 80s at my school (and it was called hop, skip and jump!).

To be fair, most sport is designed around male bodies, so it may be that there is significantly more chance of injury for girls.

BingoBangow · 04/08/2024 00:32

What the heck’s the triple jump?

Im pissed off we weren’t allowed to do the poll vault! Never seen it done by anyone in reality and it looks so fun - as long as the fucking poll doesn’t snap!!

Floatlikeafeather2 · 04/08/2024 00:29

roughride24 · 03/08/2024 23:08

We did it all, including triple jump in the 90s. Nothing was off limits however we had the fear of god put in to us as the PE teacher had once had a child with a javelin stuck in her head because she wasn't looking where she was going. None of us dared move when anyone was throwing that thing.

I was great at long jump, I used to compete. Miraculously my displaced womb managed to bear 2 kids but I do have endo 🤔

All PE teachers, since the beginning of time, will tell about the child with a javelin stuck in their head because they weren't being careful. They probably shared the ambulance with the child who had their face smashed in by a discus, who were also not being careful. 🤣

medianewbie · 04/08/2024 00:05

Plmnki · 03/08/2024 21:30

Bloody hell this is bizarre. Was born 1968 and this was totally fine in school (I was quite good at it). Weird nonsense about lady parts sounds like a sketch show not reali life. What on earth happened (that is relevant to this) in Britain between say 1980 and 1998?

Me too: no triple jump at my school. No football, cricket or rugby. No javelin or shot put. Running up to 800m ok.
No Woodwork or metalwork.
The physics & chemistry teachers 'didn't like girls' so, although you could take those subjects it was made quite difficult. Computer Studies was one single Computer in classroom with loads of boys at the front. Girls were supposed to take Typing, Cookery & Sewing. Depressing.

PoliteOtter · 03/08/2024 23:35

miniaturepixieonacid · 03/08/2024 22:47

Wow, that's amazing. I was just wondering today how on earth someone would start off getting into pole vaulting. So cool but so niche. And I imagine you must have to have very specific, careful training to be able to coach young people in it. Not something your average PE teacher could teach, I'm sure.

Yes, I think my PE teachers were probably very good in retrospect although they scared the shit out of us!

WorriedRelative · 03/08/2024 23:19

Lady1576 · 03/08/2024 23:12

Born 1083 - definitely did triple jump at school.

Wow you are doing well

LBOCS2 · 03/08/2024 23:18

Started secondary in the mid 90s and we definitely did triple jump as part of the athletics programme - along with 800m, 1500m, high jump (not very high tbf). The only thing I don't remember doing was hurdles?

In the winter we did cross country, touch rugby, lacrosse, hockey and netball. I think the only things the boy's school did that we didn't were cricket and football.

LikeAFineMerlot · 03/08/2024 23:18

No issues in the mid 1980s

jmh740 · 03/08/2024 23:17

I did hop skip and jump in the 80s

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