>>>> so its like I COULD be a basketball player but I probably won't ever make it into the NBA....
That would be rare indeed for someone our height to make it to the NBA, especially one of us old women...:) But, we do occasionally see a short basketball star - Mugsy Bogues is 5'3" and played for the Charlotte Hornets for about 10 years, even starting several years, and the startup Hornets made the NBA play-offs during at least one of his years. Now...go back a level, and you'll see more short basketball players at the college level, and at the high school level, even more. Our high school basketball team had a couple of 6'8" stars, but probably the most outstanding athlete on our boy's basketball team was 5'6"- he was awesome. Personally, I don't think it's anything to sneeze at to be a high school athlete. Now, REALLY roll it back a level...and little Karen Thomas, 5'0", was actually on the junior high basketball team in the seventh grade. I had a blast the little bit I got to play, even though I was never a starter. And, even at age 51, I still shoot a few hoops occasionally in the driveway with the nephews. I'm certainly not so great, but I can still hit a reasonable percentage for an old arthritic short woman...and it's fun! How many people in any sport get to what would be comparable to the NBA all-stars, make it to the French Open in tennis...or even make their high school basketball team...? But how many people who aren't seriously competitive or even talented enough to make a high school tennis team still can enjoy an occasional game of tennis with a friend...and have fun doing it? >>>>But at gats level. I don't know exactly what that show level is but its obviously not Gran Prix or MacClay. Do they do lower jumps? If I remember correctly, children's hunters have a maximum jump height of about 3' and adult hunters are about 3'6". Hunters are different from show jumpers, who can be asked to jump well over 5' at Grand Prix level. (I honestly can't remember the maximum heights, since we never did anything remotely close to that! Am I crazy to think that some go to 7' at times...?) At the beginner hunter levels, the kids jump cross-rails that are about 12"-18". The next level jumps are about 2', then 2'6". Honestly, very few horses/ponies will have trouble jumping 12-18"...or even 2'. In the scenarios I've described, Gat may well be more a "Karen Thomas-ish basketball star", and I really doubt she's an up and coming Mugsy Bogues...but there's a lot of room for basketball fun even at the Karen Thomas level and a lot of room between Karen and Mugsy... :) Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
