My daughter swims with Special Olympics. The range of ability throughout the sport is staggering. You’ll see some athletes with various assistive measures in place, you’ll see others who will completely realign your definition of determination.

While our divisions still separate male swimmers from female, they do categorize by times. They take the average of a swimmers best times and race those with similar qualifying times against each other. Additionally, those who end up swimming alone compete against their own personal best.

Ive always wondered why mainstream competition doesn’t do likewise. There are some women who can compete against some men.

I get that there are men who wouldn’t appreciate being stacked against a female lineup, but if they’re not competitive enough to play in the arena, they don’t deserve to win anyway.

Regardless, love the article. Thoughtful, insightful, and refreshingly compassionate without the emotional overkill. Plenty of food for thought here.