Physiological and Psychological Characteristics Associated with Performance in College Female Athletes

Some articles state the physiological characteristics of athletes in a single sport, and other articles examine some psychological characteristics. This research will use somatotype assessments, and assessments of flexibility, power, agility, and muscular strength to create a more holistic physical comparison between female varsity athletes at Grand Valley as well as examine the competitiveness of these athletes. The psychological measures include a Sport Orientation Questionnaire (SOQ) for competitiveness, a Sport Motivation Scale (SMS), and a 2-question self-evaluation of their athletic performance. The results of this study should paint a very general picture of the physiological aspects of a given female athlete within a given sport and display the differences between various sports. Also, the psychological measures will show if any relationship exists between the participants\u27 competitiveness/motivation and their athletic performance. Preliminary results will be presented