Discussion

There were several prevalent weaknesses in our study. First, both the boys and girls were run in adverse weather in the first few weeks of the track season. The adverse weather, which included low temperatures in the low sixties as well as overcast, wind, and rain, could have impeded the runners' true times. Also, since the runners did not have adequate practice in their events (since track had just begun), the runners times' also were not representative of their true abilities. Another weakness in our study is our disregard of the level of athleticism for the participants in the study. Since some students may have participated in another sport beforehand, they may run faster times, regardless of their height. Other weaknesses include diet, equipment, personal motivation, and rest, all of which are not accounted for or controlled by our study.

If our results had to be extrapolated, the results could probably be applied to all track team runners in Northeast Ohio. This is because the region shares similar weather, district rules, socioeconomic backgrounds (a mix of urban and suburban communities), and geography. Field athletes are not included since their events do not require running of any type and inclusion of their data would have skewed results. In addition, further extrapolation would be dangerous and unwarranted since the geography, ethnic makeup, socioeconomic backgrounds, and weather are not the same in different regions of the state and the country.

Since our study was small and centered around only North Olmsted High School, expansion of the study could yield more useful data. A large random sample of student track athletes of both genders across the country would yield a more representative picture of weather correlations exist. If the study was conducted under ideal conditions (possibly an indoor track) with more precise measuring instruments, the validity of our results could be confirmed or contested, furthering the research in this particular area of study.