Grassrunner wrote:
If you're in the top 0.5% in height, of course you're going to gravitate to basketball rather than running, as there is a clear advantage there. This just draws even more from the potential talent pool of women that are a little off the bell curve from going into running.
There is also volleyball and soccer goalies. The HS coaches of these sports will be trying to recruit any tall and athletic girls at their school to be on their team.
The odds of the four top US XC women in the NCAA being 5-11, 5-10, 5-10, 5-9 are actually about 1000 to 1 and that is before considering that they are in demand by other sports. It makes you wonder what is going on.
The stereotype is that tall people tend to be gangly. Jane has had a form/core coach for the last four years. Her form is rock solid. It could be that there is more concentration on core and weight lifting which is why tall runners are rising to the top.
BYU has 3 of their top 5 at 5-9 or taller. Another in their top 5 at PreNats is 6-1.
Innes Fitzgerald is 1.83m = 6 feet tall.
