7 grade female results

There is a strong correlation between those times and stress fractures/injury.

How old is she?

How long has she been running?

How much has she been training?

Many girls who run those times never get any better, others break 10:00 for 3200.

She has been running since she was 7 years old. She has competed in AAU and USATF events since she was 8. Not sure of her age but is either 13 or 14.

I should have stated in my first thread that these results ARE NOT from one track meet, Just her fastest times this out door season.

Mattsman53 wrote:

What can you correlate a 7th grade girl with the following times to what she can reach by the time she's a senior in High School??

400-1:00

800- 2:20

1600- 5:14

3200- 11:22

She's obviously talented but she is a 7th grade girl who likely hasn't gone through puberty. It's possible she will be an sub 10:30 3200m runner and an all-american or its possible she won't even like running five years from now.

If you're her father encourage her to work hard and do her best. But don't set her up to fail but turning her running into your own fantasy. Let her set her own goals and determine her own path. If you talk too much about scholarships, national class times, Olympics and whatever other pressures parents put on 12-13 year olds then running will become overwhelming, not fun and she may quit. The mind of a teenager is fragile. What you think is support and encouragement is perceived as pressure and overwhelming expectations. A parents job isn't to lay out a kids path and goals. It is to teach them how to do things the right way. So encourage hard work in whatever she commits to. Let her drive this and things may turn out the way you want.

Parent Advice wrote:

If you're her father encourage her to work hard and do her best.

Probably he (why not she?) is her father (mother?) - most parents don't know the age of her daughter.

Julia Stamps can tell you that this is unknowable

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/20/sports/track-and-field-among-runners-elite-girls-face-burnout-and-injury.html

me thinks wrote:

There is a strong correlation between those times and stress fractures/injury.

No there isn't.

This is an unanswerable questions. It's honestly not even worth discussing.

She could be a total phenom, future national champion and pro runner.

She could do well freshman year, go through the sophomore slump and never run as well again (pretty damn likely).

She could decide she hates running and quit.

She could suffer through puberty and body changes and come out on the other side as as ten pounds overweight and never run well again.

She could suffer through puberty and body changes and come out on the other side as with multiple eating disorders and burn out.

She could suffer through puberty and body changes and come out on the other side as as still, pretty decent (most likely)

She could suffer through puberty and body changes and come out on the other side as a stronger, more mature runner (we hope).

I think I've made my point here - success at 13 for a young female runner come with a lot of what-ifs.

I think this (quoted below) is the answer. I'm the parent of a 14-year old 8th grader whose favorite sport is swimming but is also a decent runner (5:57 mile as 7th grader in school fitness test). In the time since she has turned 13 I have already seen her stagnate, regress, and make small improvements. There's no way for me to predict how her athletic career will go.I agree with those who say to forget results and to encourage the process--love of the sport and hard work. Also, be willing just to back off (this is hard, for me at least). I also think this statement from a previous poster is correct, although hard to put into action for those of us who love sports and who love watching our kids accomplish something: "What you think is support and encouragement is perceived as pressure and overwhelming expectations."Good luck (to runner and parent alike)!

Right, like 13 yo boys don't stagnate and regress? Some boys have delayed development, others may develop but not put on as much muscle mass leaving them at a disadvantage relative to their peers. Still others ditch running decide to pursue other sports and personal interests. I mean, why focus on menstruation as being the key determinant in a young girl's athletic trajectory? That kind of biased, antiquated thinking serves to cause angst and discourage young girls from accepting natural transitory periods of change- life's normal ups and downs- and pushing through it.

Wow, you have your panties, er, boxers, in a twist.

Nobody's saying that boys don't go through ups and downs, too. If you notice, though, I think 13-14 is when boys take off in terms of growth and performance, and girls often slow down (especially compared to boys, whom they now struggle to keep up with, instead of crushing). Not for everyone, of course, but it seems pretty apparent to me, watching kids from both sexes at this age.

Of course all athletes go through cycles and of course that's one of the things that eventually successful athletes have to learn how to deal with. No one's saying that's not the case.