Why do boys compete first?

[Anonymous]

My kids participate in CYO cross country and MCSL swimming. In both leagues participates are grouped by age and gender. And in both leagues, boy compete first across all age groups. When asked why this is, I did not have an answer.

Does any person here know why this is so? Alternatively, are you aware of a league where this is not the default?

[Anonymous]

Boys compete first in NVSL swimming too. I'm not sure - maybe because on average, post puberty, the boys times are faster? I don't think it's something to make a big deal out of - and I am a feminist and female athlete.

[Anonymous]

Usually in sports the best or most valued competition is last. So, the oldest kids swim or run after the younger, the later heats are the ones with the higher seed times.

I imagine that by giving the more prestigious times to the girls, they thought they were making up for all the years of sexism. It's why it doesn't bother me as the parent of boys.

[Anonymous]

My kid is in high school cross country, and it seems to vary by meet whether boys or girls run first. If anything, the girls have been first more often.

[Anonymous]

My swim league growing up had the girls events before the boys within each age group. If I recall correctly college was the same way. It really messed with me with first summer I helped work clerk of course. It was burned in my brain that girls’ heats are before boy heats for each event.

[Anonymous]

MCPS MS XC alternates every year and club swimming is girls first.

[Anonymous]

I've been to countless swim meets but had to look up which events were first. Here the girl events are first. I can't easily look up track and didn't pay attention to the order.

[Anonymous]

For XC, I have seen staggered starts where they have the boys start and 5 minutes later they start the girls. This is only done when it is not an out a back course as it allows them to utilize the space effectively.
For out and back courses they want to make sure the narrower parts of the course have enough space for all runners and they typically will not start the 2nd group until all runners from the 1st group have completed the race.
My assumption - since the order is boys / girls or when they do the staggered start, they just continue that order for races where they complete race before starting the next group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For XC, I have seen staggered starts where they have the boys start and 5 minutes later they start the girls. This is only done when it is not an out a back course as it allows them to utilize the space effectively.
For out and back courses they want to make sure the narrower parts of the course have enough space for all runners and they typically will not start the 2nd group until all runners from the 1st group have completed the race.
My assumption - since the order is boys / girls or when they do the staggered start, they just continue that order for races where they complete race before starting the next group.

For staggered starts in the same course you need to do the fastest groups first. For example, wheelchairs are faster than runners and start earlier.

But that doesn’t apply to most swimming races.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids participate in CYO cross country and MCSL swimming. In both leagues participates are grouped by age and gender. And in both leagues, boy compete first across all age groups. When asked why this is, I did not have an answer.

Does any person here know why this is so? Alternatively, are you aware of a league where this is not the default?

I was just at the CYO track meet this past weekend and the girls went first in each race. I don't think there's a default.

[Anonymous]

OP, maybe it's just alphabetical, B before G... Get over yourself.

[Anonymous]

For HS track (at least in NoVA), girls always go first and then the boys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get over yourself.

This was a weird response.

[Anonymous]

When my DC played HS soccer they alternated the times of the boys and girls games when they played the same day/same field between the early game and the late game. The two teams were equally popular.

[Anonymous]

Most forms I have to fill out have the check box M (male) before the check box for F (female). Even though alphabetically, F comes before M.