Date of Award

1-2017

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Kinesiology

First Advisor

Peter M. McGinnis, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

John T. Foley, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Erik Lind, Ph.D.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if the relationships between the height of a hurdler and the takeoff distance to the first hurdle for men and women as reported by Frye (2008) were valid for NCAA Division III 100 m and 110 m hurdlers. With no specific research reported to validate Frye’s data, it is unclear how the suggested takeoff distances were developed. It is also unclear whether hurdler height or another factor is the main determinant of takeoff distance for the high hurdlers. Participants in this study were three female 100 m hurdlers and four male 110 m hurdlers all of whom competed on an NCAA Division III institution’s varsity track and field team. Each participant ran three trials of the first 25 m of a hurdle race, from the starting blocks through clearance of the second hurdle. A stationary video camera recorded a sagittal view of the each participant. The camera field of view included the last approach step to the first hurdle, the clearance of the first hurdle, and the first step after hurdle clearance. The takeoff distances to the first hurdle were measured using the Tracker video analysis software and the average of each hurdler’s takeoff distances were calculated. The predicted takeoff distance for each athlete were determined using a linear regression equation derived from Frye’s (2008) data. The difference between the predicted and average takeoff distances for each participant were then compared to the participant’s best 100 m or 110 m hurdle race time expressed as a percentage of the world record for the event. For the male participants, there was a strong positive relationship between the difference between the predicted and average takeoff distances and the participant’s best time as a percentage of the world record time. The linear correlation coefficient between these two variables for the men was .921. For the female participants, the relationship between these two variables was weaker and negative. The linear correlation coefficient between these two variables was -.474 for the women. In conclusion the results suggest that the relationship between hurdler height and takeoff distance as presented in Frye’s chart is valid for male hurdlers at the NCAA Division III level but its validity for female hurdlers is not supported.

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