Book Notes — UP TO SPEED: THE GROUNDBREAKING SCIENCE OF WOMEN ATHLETES
Natalie Coughlin, 12-time Olympic medalist for USA Swimming, among many other achievements, used her Instagram account a few weeks ago to ask for audiobook recommendations, particularly nonfiction books. Journalist Christine Yu responded:
Can I shamelessly recommend my forthcoming book UP TO SPEED: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes? It looks at why women are excluded from exercise physiology & sports science research, the implications of this gender data gap, and how we can build a better, more inclusive system of science and sport. It comes out May 16!
Coughlin responded that she pre-ordered it on Audible; I also knew this was a must-read for Sport Stories Press.
In Up to Speed, Yu compiles the research on women in sports and, not surprisingly, finds how little research is available about women in general and women athletes in particular. The book is a literature review but written for a general population, full of anecdotes, and some personal experience to keep readers engaged. Yu touches on lack of research for adolescent athletes, pregnant and postpartum athletes, menopausal athletes, and everyday adult athletes — particularly elite and professional athletes, though the insights Yu provides can apply to women athletes of any level.
As an experienced athlete — and one who has done doctoral-level research on perceptions of women in sports and a recently pregnant & postpartum athlete searching for evidence-based research — a lot of this information wasn't new to me; other experienced athletes may discover they have also realized the dearth of evidence-based research to support and enhance their sport journeys. Even for readers who have familiarity with women's sport research (or lack thereof), this book is an excellent compilation of the research and anecdotal evidence of women in sports and is one that I anticipate referencing frequently throughout my own sports journey and while speaking to other women about theirs.
I hope Up to Speed inspires more much-needed sport, sex, and gender research. This is a must-read for women athletes at any level of sport participation as well as sports fans seeking to better understand the contexts in which women train and compete.
In what ways have you noticed a lack of research or information for you and/or your sport?
