Michael--I think we're seeing similar things. I too see that taller women are quite open to dating shorter men. I'm just saying that, in my friend's case, tall women initiated contact with him often, such as at bars. I mean, he'd walk in, and I'd see tall women make a bee line for him almost immediately. And the taller women were more likely to hang out longer and give him their phone numbers even after recognizing he was a bit socially awkward, which is why I described it as more willing to tolerate it and give him a chance.

Perhaps a way to say this is that, taller women might prefer to date a tall guy 'in theory'. That may be why they're more willing to initiate contact with a taller guy, but absolutely they know not to pass on shorter guys.

One reason I've read about why shorter, more petite women 'get hung up on' height (more so than taller women, as you've pointed out) is because they feel that tallness represents strength and ability to protect. Being more petite, they may (unconsciously) think they need a man to serve that role all the more.

Also, taller women usually had to deal with the realities of being tall in middle school and high school. That may be why they've already learned, as you said, there's no point in waiting around to find a taller guy willing to date them. (Maybe in high school the taller guys were still pursuing the cheerleaders who were typically petite, not giving the tall girls a chance at that point.) So the taller women may have already figured out they can't be as picky on the height aspect as shorter women. Now if only shorter women would figure out the same thing. Many shorter women have, but there's still some that need to learn. Thank goodness they have a coach like you to help them learn how unimportant height--and handsomeness!--is in the grand scheme of relationships!