Annoying Group of 20
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Pleasant surprise in today's WSJ - article about shooting and not shooting up. There is a huge picture of Sarah Scherer on page D5 with a big bold quote from TCU Coach Karen Monez. Here are the TCU related snippets.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203960804577239540945498130.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLE_Video_second#printMode
Taking Aim at an Old Debate
Can Female Athletes Compete Against Men? In Shooting, YesBut Not in the Olympics.
By MARK YOST
As a member of the Texas Christian University rifle team, junior Sarah Scherer competes against some of the best femaleand maleshooters in the country. But when she competes in the second round of the Olympic trials at Camp Perry, Ohio, this weekend, she'll only be competing against other women.
Why is that? Is it still unfair for men and women to compete against one anothereven in sports where size and strength matter little? Or is it just latent sexism?
Shooting is a sport that certainly requires more brain than brawn. Keen sight, breathing control and trigger squeeze are among the qualities that make an Olympic-caliber shooter. Yet, most shooting competitions remain segregated.
Shooting is one of the few collegiate sports where men and women regularly compete against one anotherand women are often winning.
In 2010, Scherer's TCU squad became the first all-women's team to win the NCAA rifle championship. And the Horned Frogs did it by beating perennial powerhouse Alaska-Fairbanks, winner of nine of the 13 previous championships. In 2011, TCU went 22-0 in the regular season and were heavy favorites at the NCAA national rifle championship in March before finishing third. This season, the team is undefeated thus far.
"What's impressive about that team," said Alaska-Fairbanks coach Dan Jordan, "is that they won the championship with only half the talent pool, because they only recruit women."
Besides TCU, other elite female collegiate shooters include West Virginia's Petra Zublasing, a junior from Italy who will also be competing in the London Olympics this summer. Over the past year, she has finished second in air rifle at the NCAA championships and won a bronze medal at a World Cup event at Fort Benning.
While the TCU women have just one NCAA title, the Horned Frogs have become one of the sport's top teams, competing head-to-head with men. It is enough to convince some that women might even have an advantage over men when it comes to shooting.
"Women have a lower center of gravity and I think that gives them a distinct advantage in shooting from the standing position," said Launi Mieli, head coach of the Air Force Academy rifle team and the only American woman to win an Olympic gold in small-bore rifle. "I think they have better balance."
And yet, while the TCU women compete against men in NCAA competition, the genders are still separated when it comes to Olympic and international competitions. Among the few exceptions outside the NCAA are the National Rifle Association's National Outdoor championships each summer.
"I think my girls have settled the argument about women competing against men," said TCU coach Karen Monez.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203960804577239540945498130.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLE_Video_second#printMode
Taking Aim at an Old Debate
Can Female Athletes Compete Against Men? In Shooting, YesBut Not in the Olympics.
By MARK YOST
As a member of the Texas Christian University rifle team, junior Sarah Scherer competes against some of the best femaleand maleshooters in the country. But when she competes in the second round of the Olympic trials at Camp Perry, Ohio, this weekend, she'll only be competing against other women.
Why is that? Is it still unfair for men and women to compete against one anothereven in sports where size and strength matter little? Or is it just latent sexism?
Shooting is a sport that certainly requires more brain than brawn. Keen sight, breathing control and trigger squeeze are among the qualities that make an Olympic-caliber shooter. Yet, most shooting competitions remain segregated.
Shooting is one of the few collegiate sports where men and women regularly compete against one anotherand women are often winning.
In 2010, Scherer's TCU squad became the first all-women's team to win the NCAA rifle championship. And the Horned Frogs did it by beating perennial powerhouse Alaska-Fairbanks, winner of nine of the 13 previous championships. In 2011, TCU went 22-0 in the regular season and were heavy favorites at the NCAA national rifle championship in March before finishing third. This season, the team is undefeated thus far.
"What's impressive about that team," said Alaska-Fairbanks coach Dan Jordan, "is that they won the championship with only half the talent pool, because they only recruit women."
Besides TCU, other elite female collegiate shooters include West Virginia's Petra Zublasing, a junior from Italy who will also be competing in the London Olympics this summer. Over the past year, she has finished second in air rifle at the NCAA championships and won a bronze medal at a World Cup event at Fort Benning.
While the TCU women have just one NCAA title, the Horned Frogs have become one of the sport's top teams, competing head-to-head with men. It is enough to convince some that women might even have an advantage over men when it comes to shooting.
"Women have a lower center of gravity and I think that gives them a distinct advantage in shooting from the standing position," said Launi Mieli, head coach of the Air Force Academy rifle team and the only American woman to win an Olympic gold in small-bore rifle. "I think they have better balance."
And yet, while the TCU women compete against men in NCAA competition, the genders are still separated when it comes to Olympic and international competitions. Among the few exceptions outside the NCAA are the National Rifle Association's National Outdoor championships each summer.
"I think my girls have settled the argument about women competing against men," said TCU coach Karen Monez.
