The NCAA News - News and Features

March 16, 1998

Raising the bar

Higher hurdles for women supported in Divisions I and II, but Division III has concerns

BY STEPHEN R. HAGWELL
STAFF WRITER

At what height is a hurdle a hurdle?

Based on actions taken at the United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) Convention December 5-6 in Dallas, the answer appears to be 36 inches -- at least in the women's 100-meter hurdles.

Citing a need to put the hurdling technique back in the women's 100-meter hurdles, the USTCA asked USA Track and Field (USATF) to recommend to the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) that it raise the women's 100-meter hurdles to a height of 36 inches.

If the IAAF approves the change, the USTCA then would have to propose the change to the NCAA Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee.

The women's 100-meter hurdles currently are set at 33 inches for all levels of competition, with the exception of some state high-school associations that conduct the event at a height of 30 inches. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSHSA) gives state associations the option of adopting either the 30- or 33-inch hurdles, but for national records purposes the NFSHSA recognizes only events conducted at the 33-inch height.

The recommendation, which delegates to the USTCA Convention approved, 108-6, also would raise the height of the 55-meter hurdles indoors. The height of the women's 400-meter hurdles would remain 30 inches.

Men's hurdles are set at 42 inches for the 55- and 110-meter hurdles and at 36 inches for the 400-meter event.

Hurdles are 'sprint race'

Advocates contend that an increase is necessary because the event has become a sprint race rather than a hurdles race. They contend that as women have become faster and stronger, the hurdles have become less of an obstacle.

"Discussion has gone on for some time about the fact that in the women's hurdles you can essentially sprint the hurdles," said Jim Barber, women's track and field coach at Southern Connecticut State University and a member of the USTCA board of directors. "The women's hurdles have become a speed event rather than a technique event, which is really what's demanded in the men's 42-inch hurdles.

"And so, the discussion has been, 'Shouldn't we move the hurdles up another three inches so that it becomes a hurdle event?' A lot of us feel that we should."

So too, do the majority of coaches, including Pat Henry, women's track and field coach at Louisiana State University. Henry -- who has coached three Division I 55-meter hurdles champions and four 100-meter hurdles champions, including the last two -- believes increasing the height of the hurdles would be a positive in that it would require coaches and competitors to spend more time developing hurdles technique, which in turn would enable competitors to become more proficient in the event.

"I think the 36-inch hurdles would probably run faster," he said. "Once you have a little bit of an adjustment time, things would happen a little bit better because if you look at all the great hurdlers, they're running over 36 inches anyway.

"Right now, the hurdle is not a barrier as much as it is for men. The men's hurdle height is a barrier. The women's hurdle height is so low it's not really a barrier. A good sprinter who can jump over a height can hurdle to some degree."

Concern in Division III

Support for an increase is not unanimous. Coaches, especially in Division III, fear increasing the height of the hurdles would prevent some student-athletes from competing.

Betsy Emerson, women's track and field coach at Luther College and a member of the USTCA Board of Directors, believes an increase will hurt Division III competitors more so than their Divisions I and II counterparts because hurdlers at the Division III level typically are shorter in stature, and therefore would experience greater difficulty with a higher hurdle.

Vince Brown, women's track and field coach at Christopher Newport University, not only believes Division III hurdlers will experience greater difficulty, but contends an increase will shut out some student-athletes.

"If you look at a Division I hurdler, they're probably about 5-9 or 5-10 usually, and they can handle that quite easily," said Brown, who has coached the Lady Captains' Bridgett Cochran to two 100-meter and one 55-meter hurdles titles. "Many times on our level, a young woman may be 5-2 or 5-4 and can still be a good hurdler on our level. But if you raise the hurdle, that's going to eliminate the situation for them.

"You see it so often for the men who come out of high school and go from 39 to 42 inches. Many times you'll find state class high-school hurdlers who cannot adjust to the college height because of the three-inch differential. I think you'd find the same thing in the women's event.

"If you go with a world-class athlete, then there's probably not a great adjustment because they're world-class. But if you're talking about the good college athlete, the Division III athlete, then I think we're going to have some problems."

Adjustment impacts everyone

Barber acknowledges that hurdlers would experience a period of adjustment; however, he doesn't believe that an increase of three inches will prevent athletes from competing. Further, he contends that raising the hurdle would force coaches to concentrate on teaching hurdling rather than entering a sprinter in the event simply because they feel that they can earn a point due to the sprinter's leg speed.

"This is not an attempt to discriminate. It's an attempt to make the hurdles a technique event," he said. "Is adding three inches going to have the same effect on a 5-9 or 5-10 female as it does on a shorter hurdler? Certainly not. But isn't that the case in the men's hurdles?

"If you're training hurdlers, and you're working with the athletes to develop the strength, power and speed base from which to begin working on technique, it's going to affect everyone. With three inches, everyone has to make an adjustment, whether they're 5-4 or 5-10.

"The one thing it is going to do is make the women's high hurdles a hurdle event."

Cabinet approves March 6-7, 1999, date forI men's, women's indoor track championships

The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet has approved a request from the Division I subcommittee of the NCAA Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee to conduct the 1999 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Indoor Track Championships March 6-7 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.

The subcommittee requested the March 6-7 dates to keep the championships at the RCA Dome. The RCA Dome is not available for use March 13-14.

The Division II subcommittee has submitted a similar request to the Division II Championships Committee.

The 1999 Division III championships will be March 12-13 at Ohio Northern University.