Own Your Cycle Own Your Game

Описание: Michaela Gillooly
Glenamaddy Community School, Church Street, Glenamaddy, Co. Galway

My project is an investigation into the negative stigmatism around females speaking out about their periods and the effects their menstrual cycle has on their athletic performance.

As a female athlete, I persevere with the struggles of menstruation. I experience low energy, excruciating abdominal cramps and mood swings which mentally and physically diminish my performance. My aim is to investigate if other female athletes endure similar experiences. I'm trained by male coaches and I also coach alongside males and it's difficult to speak out about this issue.

After conducting research, I discovered that over 60% of girls quit sport by the age of 16 or 17, and one of the main reasons for this is discomfort during menstruation. This is extremely concerning as adolescents are required to get a minimum of 1 hour of exercise daily. My findings are collated from a sample group in my school population and a ladies’ football team. I conducted fitness testing and surveys. I analysed my data using Leaving Certificate and College level statistics on Microsoft Forms and Posit Cloud. I interviewed elite-level female athletes about their experiences while exercising on their period. I sought advice for younger girls who may be struggling with managing their menstruation and exercising. I found out menstruation is in fact affecting females' athletic performance. I created brochures providing recommendations on how to play at your best while on your period. I created a lesson plan for junior cycle SPHE students on menstruation and a useful resource with HerMoves.