sports day: Girls not allowed to run 400m

Pretty shocked reading this thread. Instead of a sports day at my Dd primary school there is a battle of the sexes competition. Girls and boys compete in anything from football, volleyball, running etc. Whats great is that for the past ten years the girls have not only won but have battered the boys.

Zombie Thread!

Though I'm surprised it's still happening, as although there was some confusion (when the Association changed the official racing distances for juniors of both sexes, but some schools stuck with the 400), I'd have expected it to have settled down by now.

We find this outrageous and have experienced this at our local high school (we are 13 and not mums!) We have decided to send a letter to our local mp and the government as well. WE hope this does not bore you because i am almost falling asleep writing this toodle-pip y'all

The 400m is not a sprint race
Yes it is. It's entirely possible not to run it as such but it is a classified as a sprint.

I'm pretty sure I did 400m runs (not sprints) as a teen. Hated it, but maybe that's why I remember.

OP, this sports day may have passed but are you in a position suggest something different for next year?

Huh, we see to start every sports lesson with a 400 m jog, then finish the lesson with a 400m sprint.

So x3 times a week for about 6 years

How many of you have actually run 400m as a young teen?

Yes, I have, several times. During the 1995 heatwave too. You're not supposed to go all out, you have to pace yourself. Of course you will wind up on the floor if you treat it the same way as a 100m sprint.

How utterly ridiculous.

The 400m is not a sprint race, it combines both anaerobic and aerobic fuel reserves.

I fail utterly to see why girls aren't allowed to participate in it, or indeed why it has been changed to 300m for boys. It's - as you say - quite jaw-dropping. Utterly offensive and retarded.

It would be possible to name and shame anonymously

Not obvious so much as naive, teetering, but don't worry, I can understand why you thought it might be possible.

Lets hope at least one parent whose child is at that school will question it then ...

If the person who started this thread is a teacher at the school as seems to be the case then naming the school wouldn't be a very good career move. It would t take much effort for the headmaster to work out the likely whistleblower.

I meant the person who named the school could remain anonymous ... was that not obvious?

I'm not really bothered if the schools named or not .. I've just googled to find any school that doesn't allow girls to run the 400/300m race but can't find one

I will accept it goes on though .. as of course wtf would anyone start a thread saying it does if it doesn't ... I just find it very hard to believe :/

The ages are staggered in line with advice on the adolescent growth spurt, particularly the effects of hormone levels on joint stability and development.
It is not just athletics that take this into account. The Imperial college of Teachers of Dance doesn't allow girls on point during this time either for the same reasons. Like wise the BGA has to put special steps in place for their gymnasts too.

Fair enough to change the race for everyone from 400m to 300m, but to ban girls from participating at all is dire.

Extraordinary

I am staggered, and baffled

My poor DD had to run 400m this year! Why did no one tell me there was such a risk!!

DD did the 400m, she was the only girl in her year who entered so she had to run with the boys, she beat them all too

(and no, I won't be naming either my or their school to 'prove' it!)

It is totally plausible - girls never did the 400 at my school, and, on enquiry, neither do they at my girls' school now. It baffles and annoys them just as much as it does OP!

WTF would anyone invent this? It sounds 100% plausible to me.

Erm ... 'anonymous' means 'without a name', ie., unidentifiable.

Funnily enough, I suspect naming the school would give a teeny tiny clue.

Don't be so irresponsible.

anonymously post the name of the school then

I used to do 400m. I'm really unfit and was back then, too.

You start at the start, you run for a bit, and you get to the end.

You probably do not try to sprint the whole thing, what with it being sports day and not the olympics.

Posting to say it's a hard race is utterly pointless if they're still letting the boys do it!

(Sorry, I know this thread has gone in the same circle at least twice already, but ...).

I'm shocked, TBH.

teetering, this is an anonymous forum.

This was the rule when I was at school as well. It isn't new!