[General] specializing in the hurdles

[Silverobama]

Hi.

Henry is my friend. He goes to a sports university in Beijing (the university is about swimming, football, jumping, etc). Today Sam asked me if I was still in touch with Henry and I said yes. I told Sam something about Henry. Here's one sentence "He is specializing in the hurdles and broad jumping and sidelining in the high jump". Is my sentence natural?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hi.

Henry is my friend. He goes to a sports university in Beijing (the university is about swimming, football, jumping, etc). Today Sam asked me if I was still in touch with Henry and I said yes. I told Sam something about Henry. Here's one sentence "He is specializing in the hurdles and broad jumping and sidelining in the high jump". Is my sentence natural?

For some reason, we don't usually put the before hurdles. In this context, we'd usually say broad jump rather than broad jumping, and sometimes we'll put the before it, as you did with the high jump. But you don't have to. They're both fine with or without the.

Broad jump can also be broadjump, but high jump is never highjump.

Isn't English interesting? As one Mexican student once asked me (throwing his pencil down on the desk), "Why is it the flu but a cold but pneumonia?"

I'll never know.

PS: I've never heard sidelining used that way, but I like it, and maybe it's fine. Let's see what others think.

 

[Tdol]

Is broad jump the same as the long jump?

 

[Rover_KE]

It's a standing long jump, I believe—not a standard field or Olympic event.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Is broad jump the same as the long jump?

And I was wondering whether the high jump and pole vaulting are the same. I looked it up. They're not.