Women midshipmen in sports

Abstract

This is a study of the physical performance and injury rate for seven classes of women midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy. Women comprise only 6.2% of the brigade of midshipmen, but men and women live in the same dormitory, undergo the same physical training and fitness tests, study the same academic curriculum, and live in an environment where performance and activities can be constantly monitored. The required number of hours of physical education are the same for men and women. The conclusions from this study are: (1) women midshipmen continue to improve their fitness level more rapidly than men; (2) while some disparities in performance are correctly attributed to physiological differences, many of the present disparities should be attributed to societal conditions; (3) should physical performance requirements ever become the same, women will have to work harder than men to achieve the same standards because of the physiological differences; (4) women continue to seek medical attention for stress-related problems (i.e., shin splints, stress fractures) more often than men, but do so less often as they become acclimated to the active life of the Naval Academy; (5) women midshipmen have the same number of serious injuries as men, and in some sports are more susceptible to certain types of injuries.