Determination of factors related to the abandonment of the practice of swimming by former costa rican swimmers

The objective of this study was to determine the importance of different dimensions as the possible causes for the abandonment of the practice of swimming by former Costa Rican swimmers.  Subjects: 51 former swimmers participated, including 17 men (22 ±3.4 years of age) and 34 women (22.5 ±3.4 years of age) from different Costa Rican swimming teams.  The Questionnaire of Reasons for Attrition in the Practice of Sports (Gould et al, 1982; cited by Salguero, Tuero, and Márquez, 2003) was used.  Results:  A positive relationship was noted between perceptions of low skill and low performance (r: 0.372), while negative relationships were noted between years of practice and low skill (r:-0.337), years of practice and influence from others (r:-0.286), and years of practice and starting age for swimming (r:-0.622).  A significant interaction was found in the dimensions gender of participants (F: 2.952; p<0.05) and starting age for swimming (F: 3.147; p<0.01).  An interaction was also found between dimensions and the desire to swim again (F: 2.485; p>0.05).  There were also significant differences in the years of practice; that is, subjects who started before the age of 10 had a higher average of years of practice than those who started later (F: 21.465; p<0.05).  Additionally, a significant interaction was found in weekly hours of swimming practice (F: 2.072; p<0.05).  There were no significant differences (F: 2.535; p>0.05) according to weekly hours of training when subjects were actively swimming. Conclusions: Possible reasons for dropping out were lack of enjoyment and poor physical condition for men and perception of lack of team spirit for women.  The group that started after the age of ten gives similar importance to all the dimensions as possible reasons for dropping out, while the group that began swimming before the age of ten sees lack of team spirit, lack of enjoyment, and poor physical condition as the key reasons for dropping out.  The most important dimensions that represented the reasons for abandonment in subjects who wanted to swim again were lack of team spirit, poor physical condition and low skill, while lack of enjoyment was the most important reason for subjects who do not want to swim again.  In the group of subjects who would swim less than six hours, lack of team spirit is the most important cause, while the dimension lack of enjoyment was the most important reason for subjects who would swim 6 to 12 hours.  Additionally, the highest dropout percentages were observed in the transition from secondary school to college.

Yolanda Oreamuno: el derecho a pensar

En 1938, al participar en el concurso organizado por el Colegio de Señoritas, Yolanda Oreamuno, con 22 años de edad y en calidad de ex alumna, respondería a la consulta de esa importante institución de educación femenina costarricense: Medios que Ud. sugiere al Colegio para liberar a la mujer costarricense de la frivolidad ambiente. Si bien no obtuvo un primer lugar en el concurso, cuando su respuesta fue publicada por el Editor del Repertorio Americano, Joaquín García Monge, se rebelaría en el escrito y en la personalidad de la autora, una insoslayable posición de crítica al destino previsto para las mujeres en la sociedad patriarcal. Palabras claves: Yolanda Oreamuno, pensamiento femenino, pensamiento feminista. Abstract In 1938, Yolanda Oreamuno, 22 years old, as a graduated woman from the Colegio Superior de Señoritas, took part in an opinion pool contest, organized by that paramount Costa Rican women school. The inquire was: What are the means that you suggest to the School to free Costa Rican women from frivolous influences. Yolanda’s response did not reach any of the contest first places. However, when her writing was published by Joaquín García Monge, Editor of Repertorio Americano, Yolanda’s response would reveal, as well as her personality, her unavoidable critique to the female destiny in patriarchal societies. Key words: Yolanda Oreamuno, female thought, feminist thought.