"...so what's wrong with SOME divisions?"

And just who's going to determine what those divisions should be, David? And who is going to administer them?

I certainly wouldn't want the job. I am sure as hell not going to try to tell women what they can and cannot do! The sweet, delicate little darlings are perfectly capable of deciding that for themselves!

The two best, most conscientious doctors I've ever had were women. My first fencing teacher was a woman. The pastor of the church I often attend is a woman.

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True. Maria Sharapova's right shoulder was bothering her a bit, but she continued to play for some three months before her trainer then pulled her from competition. This made it necessary for her to miss several tennis tournaments, including the Beijing Olympics. An MRI showed that she had two small tears in her rotator-cuff, but they did not require surgery. She is taking the time for the injury to heal and feels she should be ready to play again in a few months.

An injury of this sort is certainly not an indictment of women's tennis. Rotator-cuff injuries are far more common among male baseball pitchers than they are among women tennis players. And there are far more elbow injuries among pitchers than among women tennis players.

Anyone—anyone—who takes part in a sport has to expect the possibility of the occasional injury. Take, for example, the incidence of repeated concussions among football players (male), including high school kids, that sometimes result in decrease cognitive ability.

In fact, one cannot engage in any activity, including the arts, without the possibility of some kind of injury. Take ballet for example. A not uncommon injury among ballerinas are stress-fractures in their lower legs caused by the unnatural act of dancing en pointe (on their toes). Would you suggest that women not be allowed to become ballet dancers?

And by the way, Maria Sharapova's rotator cuff injury may not have been a result of her playing tennis. I suffered a small rotator cuff tear some years ago merely by inadvertently sleeping on my shoulder in an awkward position. It healed up within a fairly short time.

Naturally you should not be recklessly foolhardy, but if you allow fear of possible injury to rule your life, you would never get out of bed.

Don Firth