Anthropometric and maturational assessment of female gymnasts from varying performance levels
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Sixty-nine Canadian female gymnasts ages 11.5 to 18.0 years, from varying ability levels (National Elite = Group 1, Pre-National Elite = Group 2, Competitive = Group 3, Recreational = Group 4), were studied to determine relationships between performance and maturity, and between performance and anthropometric characteristics. It was hypothesized that there would be significant maturational and anthropometric differences among the ability groups. Skeletal age in reference to chronological age differences, among the ability groups, were assessed using analysis of variance, while differences in the incidence of menarche were assessed using chi-square analysis. Anthropometric differences were assessed using multivariate and univariate analysis of covariance, with chronological age as the covariate. At a level of significance of p < .01, and using preplanned orthogonal contrasts of Group 1+2+3 vs Group 4, Group 1+2 vs Group 3, and Group 1 vs Group 2, both of the maturational and all five of the anthropometric hypotheses were partially supported, with the following significant differences noted: Highly skilled gymnasts, in comparison to lesser skilled gymnasts (Group 1+2+3 vs Group 4, and Group 1+2 vs Group 3), were maturationally delayed both skeletally and menarcheally. Anthropometrically, they were shorter in trunk length; smaller in triceps, suprailiac, abdominal, front thigh, and medial calf skinfolds; smaller in proportional fat mass; and larger in proportional muscle mass. In addition, highly skilled gymnasts (Group 1 + 2 + 3), in comparison to recreational gymnasts (Group 4), were smaller in bi-epicondylar femur width, thigh girth, and subscapular skinfold. As well, elite gymnasts (Group 1 + 2), in comparison to lesser skilled competitive gymnasts (Group 3), were smaller in sitting height and larger in proportional skeletal mass. National elite gymnasts (Group 1), in comparison to pre-national elite gymnasts (Group 2), were not maturationally different, skeletally or menarcheally. Anthropometrically, they were shorter in trunk length, longer in thigh length, and smaller in anterior-posterior chest depth. The significant maturational differences noted among the ability groups were considered to be related to gymnastic performance, with higher skilled gymnasts being developmentally less mature than lesser skilled gymnasts. The significant anthropometric differences noted among the ability groups were considered to be related to gymnastic performance. More specifically, these differences were considered to be of biomechanical importance, and reflections of differences in activity level. As well, it was suggested that these anthropometric differences were associated with maturational differences. The results of the maturational and anthropometric assessments indicated that there may be a relationship between gymnastic performance and maturity, and between gymnastic performance and anthropometric characteristics. It was proposed that further analysis of the anthropometric parameters, with respect to proportional assessment, would be necessary before anthropometric characteristics would closely reflect maturational differences.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Open science | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Research integrity | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.002 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".