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The Research
Track and field is the second-most-popular sport in the world, following soccer, comprised of running, jumping, and throwing events. In the United States, Track and Field is the number one high school participatory sport for girls (approximately 500,000 participants) as well as junior high and college, and there are more than 30 million adult runners, more than half of those being women. The sport is one of the most diverse and inclusive sports for women, appealing to various ethnicities, body types, and athletes with physical disabilities.
The most common issues for teen girls are appearance, education, dating, bullying, friendship, self-esteem, peer pressure, substance use, menstruation and depression. According to research conducted by the Women’s Sports Foundation, by the age of 14, girls drop out of sports twice as often as boys for factors such as social stigma, lack of access, safety and transportation issues, costs, and lack of positive role models.
Track and Field was found to most likely to lead to higher education at four-year colleges and positively impacts behaviors, self-esteem, and overall health for teen girls. Among all 20 sports studied among teen youth, track and field stood out as having the highest percentages of youth who excelled academically. Track and field youth more often reported high academic achievement and positive academic self-concepts than other student-athletes. Further, track and field youth also held high aspirations and expectations of graduating from a four-year college and attaining additional education post-graduation than all other youth. Track and field was also found to have a strong positive influence on physical activity, psychological well-being, and substance use.
Jeff Cohen is internationally recognized as one of the top photographers in his field, for his unique view in capturing the essence of the sport. On view in this gallery, is a selection of his images, taken over the past few years of women competing in track and field around the world. For more of Jeff’s work , check out Track andFieldImage.com, and on instagram @jeffcohenphoto[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3326″ img_size=”312×218″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3328″ img_size=”312×218″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]