JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?6[>v P tg^}Eyk\\R}uVԌW7md`>rOtߺzjQ$Bo*r´q1TrGCS@?JK='0Fc+GڻZZě8kъ+9{MOwfj}XMv6}ɦ$RgC|²2ɍqikQ>t*iB+FJ:ڶ䐗 Zs[Ix-ixkT|RP3RgVHRyrJSCk1kZ%g;X#֥I#:Vēی)vXd*T*1Ea,/-E_V*rl.:Tukè 伛N[~nb3uFs$vɮVKqZy..#5+Zq]L:m^dQǥE¿0+beGǥY$r=+Z4m̞tڲz\3@‚:¼QSH'ںxjY[ C-ՑbyWB{nr)i3*N3[~@#tV(5x8TJ]<*Zu"mEfy[ʧnr+!HG4>qJ5SIS{I/֚bq(=+f8y6W*50xgT0%*qEL4\ ճ:n²WM SVeL)"YXz GqlѸ#rY))ҭ̭"*|2뫋MG}6:ź\Y ŭ"=ȮtMMy-PtüE,=EaiZj$'+oY$&(_j,n,\ؚnOMߓJ4KMkj2hMJPR̊MhyguL|SqoҟS#w$O0^;PE2p(X'5i\cEtTN .,tb3VtNԚOZ&v9{~qv8G8W+8XaW-֧P@KQW~U%kpZN9>U5ч#q<'l*6=rkoI!9U UzJmIK?5$VZ}{ qԱ;.fF$zik*vmȹ45RyďJ4hhty<07kw2;c*0vt9#7M@U@јNOZ~-{z.1R+\f=@Ip|{ZsEsJz|ӱu*GzϱՅZl.qvk2e' qTi%_>gNYї5bǬw)ko-O8uK@II̲)g브V1,JXԟcxm{&M!*.∷lO*Udp;M[8(z"̧_95zwڛxDq\yY4N=)+){Q`%֊I֝IZ2B ӑ0`zShV xXت `Zx-k.̃q*tWFn}5̒Iylz̠ZJ̛kt`)+dKW@8TjLP"WlhJ?JȘZW3eX ͕79JC^|&ZLRIފt3V!ZC֖.hϽ&i)gVc&xն e_cyPejۙɴm[:z ȧZ8lr+Pp-=IלUk:ke1E$<9yO\ϋG%{4欶y=j* j|Ә+Fv;qZ*IIs<)zu5Vy w5r;q&jʎ94霆q\+d_FkRQKE;uQE-@nh4ʃ au:BOK/jLv-׬PjkEBodKԻEgl\kRk;t.tTHfG)-+z62%?Dc[Ӈ"q{*X%7\hE%Yͼ* &IZ I@vpHͬ(+%OOcR(:\fld U[g5}y|EɷJ-\EXfڅjnjEH#̎GKKeWFZն%N]yuyzoTk^)w'b+a?.h]vqVQkČ[sgjƵ8FM}J&P$s!X2+")'@QSV*j/QVS+ nfe]Γ*?'G=X|@$E)w9=őY' Kp2Ƶ4ojxO1 /iQWdgq)k/4KSyFs t= 3xFB0*ЉKvD#>M.#]}<8P}Sĸ^*FOU⠋+v Ӷs<{Vs#Қ!MJ|=4``UBЂSV"* d}ibܵkGhzY΢dD(F5vր%' t9bH$OaXRwEWbj_ U>vGp_KQӲnamnZD4ʶ#m5S<)!|Uͧ~ ҵ2,B ?QX~ tqpkJ:h7wyqw0\a8 խ OCQ"qO2`o u:ebz4*Jљ[QP<~U$\HҢf=+nZw+lu?0mhm sE;0_6 8< вӣuf;8PJLʥxAjb?>A+iSPJ95b>~lUc˜W3ڞ= *4\jHӾ9c*ɥ1 s #N+֚nÏZht=j@֊[* dN9 *3sgɢ=A_\ROJ #9Gff6ϗ!, J^ C֣ts1M~@6[œڦhI?3)R==+K0 ':TpzpTar=*^8=jAOz.RcfsJjZ8)x cø Iy V"Akg0QzU5?{f9S҅9=(j_|4? rץ;g y=(*M?/8(LJI^Ԇ3n?Jx>T 4 JqY˲y_Rj-ڣ<2`45TjI]#D@1zң)ܤ♐!瓚$1X~8g=@q8jn)sBs2LaO!dQJV?nds) between their first and second attempts. That may not seem like much, but it can be a major ordeal for the average female.<br>To keep the math simple, we'll use a 99-pound female who is trying to snatch her bodyweight (something that even our super-heavyweight Mark Henry didn't accomplish in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics). Our female lifter would most likely start with 83 pounds (37.5 kilos) for her first attempt, for the simple reason that anything less would be ludicrous. For her second attempt she would have to jump to at least 94 pounds (42.5 kilos), then finish with 99 pounds (45 kilos). Coaches who are used to athletes who weigh closer to 200 pounds than 100 pounds may see nothing wrong with such a progression. However, if the same increases were imposed proportionately on a male trying to snatch 300 pounds, he would have to start with 255 pounds followed by 285, a jump that would be regarded as excessive when you consider the technical differences between lifting the two weights. Then for his final attempt, he would jump 15 pounds to reach 300, a jump that in a tight competition many coaches would consider excessive.<br>To their credit, the international weightlifting powers eventually recognized this problem and allowed 2.5-kilo (5.5-pound) jumps between the first and second attempts. These small increments made it easier for beginning-level women to compete, and also made for more interesting competitive strategies for both men and women lifters.<br>Also to the sport's credit, after a brief period in which a record had to be broken by 2.5 kilos (5.5 pounds), it went back to allowing world records to be broken by .5 kilos (1.1 pounds) to enhance the sport's progression. As an analogy, can you imagine how the 100-meter sprint (or for that matter any running event in track and field) would be affected if all world records had to be broken only in increments of five seconds?<br>Another rule was eventually changed concerned weightlifting apparel. In the early days, women had to wear the same lifting suits as men I suppose this is a great look if you want to become a pro wrestler or join the circus. This may not sound like such a big deal, but I doubt if Pete Sampras would appreciate it if he were forced to wear a tennis dress! In protest, several of the European women at one of the first World Championships gave themselves "wedgies" and tied knots in the suits to make them more flattering.<br> <br>Injury-Proofing the Female Athlete<br><br>In recent years many individuals have tried to instill a fear in athletes and coaches that Olympic lifting was dangerous and heaven forbid that a woman compete in the sport! The appropriate way to train, according to some, was very slowly. As for exercise selection, they insisted the emphasis should be on nonspecific bodybuilding movements, and the less emphasis on freeweight lifts the better.<br><br>Responding to such propaganda is exercise scientist Dr. Mel Siff, who did his Ph.D. thesis on the biomechanics of soft tissues. According to Siff, the basic activities that occur in most sports, such as running and jumping, "can impose far higher forces on the body than are encountered in weightlifting." Thus, if you tell athletes they can't do lifts such as the power clean because of ballistic loading, then you should likewise tell them not to play sports, period. And if you tell athletes