Athlete Mental Health & Eating Disorders - a news & discussion thread

[dramagrrl]

The Navkas and Taniths seem to have set an impossible standard for an ice dancer’s body; IIRC even Tessa was criticized for not being thin enough. It’s hard but necessary to be conscious of biases about looks with skaters in general.

And Tanith herself openly admitted that she suffered from disordered eating when she was training with Igor, and there were absolutely a few years when she was developing as a teenager when tons of fans (here and elsewhere) and people in the skating community commented regularly and openly about her weight and her being "too big" for Ben, etc. No one seems to be safe from it, and that's one of the things I've always hated about my two favourite sports (figure skating and gymnastics).

 

[On My Own]

Topically, here's what the "people" known as Chinese fans of Yuzuru Hanyu have to say about some athletes: https://twitter.com/Yuzuruosss/status/1585628597095698432

I know some morons were telling themselves that we "need" Hanyu, and we "need" money from China which we'll only get if Hanyu is promoted, but as far as I'm concerned, good riddance, and may they never blacken the doorstep of this sport again.

 

[airgelaal]

And in the meantime Zhulin and Averbukh believe that crazy fan was absolutely right and Kaitlin needs to lose weight. And they are very glad that in russia they can talk about it

 

[Debbie S]

And in the meantime Zhulin and Averbukh believe that crazy fan was absolutely right and Kaitlin needs to lose weight. And they are very glad that in russia they can talk about it

Shocking.

 

[Vagabond]

Kaitlyn Hawayek and her partner finished eighth at Worlds last season. How high did any of Zhulin or Averbukh's ice dancers finish?

 

[greenapple]

And in the meantime Zhulin and Averbukh believe that crazy fan was absolutely right and Kaitlin needs to lose weight. And they are very glad that in russia they can talk about it

If all these hate mongers think they can say whatever they like now and will just waltz back into the world of skating one day without repercussion, they have a big surprise coming.

The hate spewing from the Ruskies has hit a new low level with these comments about Hawayek.

 

[Wyliefan]

And in the meantime Zhulin and Averbukh believe that crazy fan was absolutely right and Kaitlin needs to lose weight. And they are very glad that in russia they can talk about it

Then let them just stay in Russia if they're so glad. We don't need them on the world scene.

 

[tony]

If all these hate mongers think they can say whatever they like now and will just waltz back into the world of skating one day without repercussion, they have a big surprise coming.

The hate spewing from the Ruskies has hit a new low level with these comments about Hawayek.

Zhulin's comments are nothing new (remember the 'freaks' Olympics comment and subsequent refusing to apologize?)

But, these retired Russian skaters really just need to shut up, regardless of the stance Russia has or how far behind in terms of politics or social awareness they are. It's one thing to say these things so candidly in their own country, but when it ties into an international sport/Federation that has really stepped up the little to no tolerance lately-- what is the benefit? Same goes for non-Russians like Doug Haw who said Tuktamysheva needed to lose X amount of pounds while she was in the middle of one of her best seasons and was throwing off 4T's in practice.

FWIW, I think Yagudin wishing/suggesting Rippon should just die was the absolute low, though.

 

[dramagrrl]

And in the meantime Zhulin and Averbukh believe that crazy fan was absolutely right and Kaitlin needs to lose weight. And they are very glad that in russia they can talk about it

Not at all surprising. Krylova has also repeatedly commented about the weight of female ice dancers - she once said in an interview that Tessa had gotten "too heavy" and also said in an interview pre-Olympics that Hubbell and Donohue would be "priceless" if Madison lost weight, but that coaches in the U.S. were too scared to tell her. Gross.

 

[MacMadame]

These people are so ignorant. They don't seem to understand body composition and that's good to have muscles instead of everyone being a twig. And that people have different frame sizes for their height. They also seem think they can just look at someone and know how much fat they have.

I knew a triathlete from an ethnic group that tended to be thicker. She was excellent and was often on the podium, qualifying for Nationals, etc. But people were constantly telling her that if only she lost 10 pounds, she'd be even better. So she did. And her times got slower! Because she didn't really have any fat to lose so she lost muscle.

Performance is more complicated than weight even if you could tell how much fat someone has by looking at them which you can't.

 

[skatingguy]

Kaitlin Hawayek posted this vid on IG. (WTF? That fan should be banned.)

Kaitlin Hawayek, OLY on Instagram: "Thank you for taking the time to watch. Please share if you feel like continuing to help spread awareness 🤍"

10K likes, 863 comments - kait_hawayek on October 25, 2022: "Thank you for taking the time to watch. Please share if you feel like continuing to help spread awareness 🤍".

www.instagram.com

I've been thinking about this for past couple of days now, and I still can't imagine what kind of privilege you have to have to say this to another person, particularly someone you didn't know other than that they have a public persona.

 

[ElleL]

I was at Skate America. I was appalled at the discussions amongst some of the other attendees that I overheard at the hotel breakfast. They were more like stalkers than fans. There were several groups of senior citizens who spoke loudly about the skaters like they were family. Many topics of discussion were none of their business. I was thankful to be seated at the event near fans like me who just wanted to see the skaters do their best.

 

[coppertop1]

The more I hear from Russia, the happier I am that they're banned. Just ban them permanently. It's so toxic and gross.

 

[Debbie S]

Ryan Dunk, who in addition to his job as a psych research assistant is an ambassador for the Eating Disorders Coalition, has posted the following message on his IG as part of Movember: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkywtLvrGY0/

 

[B.Cooper]

Recent article in the NYT on female track and field athletes

Female College Athletes Say Pressure to Cut Body Fat Is Toxic

Several women in track and field said their mental health spiraled as they skipped meals to be leaner at the urging of coaches and peers.

www.nytimes.com

"Audra Koopman wanted to be leaner and more powerful.

She also wanted to eat. But, she said, she could sense what her track and field coaches at Penn State wanted: for her to have less body fat.

Coaches never told her to achieve a specific body fat percentage, Koopman said, but a lowered score on periodic body composition tests generally earned a pat on the back.

The upperclassmen told her to stay away from the dessert table at team banquets. Coaches, they cautioned, would be watching. The cookies and other treats were not there to be eaten.

“It’s interesting how a lot of us have kind of been brainwashed into thinking that that is something that’s good for you and it is good for you to lose your period and it is good for you to have that feeling of hunger in your stomach,” said Koopman, who competed in long jump and short sprints from 2017 to 2021."

How many skaters have directly heard those same themes, either directly from coaches or officials?

"But The New York Times spoke with nearly 20 female current and former athletes across the Power 5 conferences, many of whom have found body composition tests to be invasive, inconsequential to their performance, and triggering for those who had eating disorders or were predisposed to them. The tests are just one aspect of a culture in women’s college sports in which weight, body image and body composition are often discussed in harmful ways — or not discussed at all, even though they are important factors in the athletes’ physical and mental health.

Body composition data often overemphasize the correlation between body fat percentage and athletic performance, while understating other key factors like sleep and hydration, said Dr. Paula Quatromoni, an associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Boston University and an expert on sports nutrition and eating disorders."

“A lot of the struggles come in when the culture and the environment isn’t great,” Strack said. “And when you add data prioritized over how athletes feel, that’s when you get to some of these broader systemic issues that women are facing regarding body image, confidence and comparison.”

The pressures are acute in track and field, in which athletes wear revealing uniforms for competitions.

“Our uniforms are the tiny buns and tight shorts, and we run in sports bras and spandex,” said Emma Tavella, a cross-country runner at U.C.L.A., adding that their uniforms are standard for the sport. “And so, we’re very hyper-aware of our bodies.”

Both male and female athletes in track and field have spoken out about having eating disorders and being pressured about their weight by coaches. For women in sports, the strain compounds the stress society already puts on women — athletes or not — to be thin."

USFS has routinely looked at body composition data of their elite athletes. And, to use a phrase that perhaps is symbolic of EDs being endemic in the sport "Food for Thought".

 

[Debbie S]

Excellent article by @Jayar on Kaitlin Hawayek's unpleasant fan encounter at SA, with insight from USFS's sports psychologist and nutritionist on how to promote positive body image: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/...ares-powerful-message-on-body-positivity.aspx

 

[Sylvia]

KAITLIN (excerpt from the end of the linked article above):

Though several weeks have passed since the incident, Hawayek is still committed to finding ways to leverage her experience with the fan to help future generations of skaters. As a veteran of the sport, the four-time U.S. Championship bronze medalist hopes that sharing her story will inspire a change within the figure skating community.
"Through my own experience, I have started to see a gap in the education being provided for young athletes, and I have become very passionate about it. To start, I think that there needs to be better education for officials and coaches in terms of addressing topics of this nature. That way the coaches don't feel like they have to address certain things in isolation and carry the burden of having to have all of the answers," Hawayek explained. "Instead, they can draw upon a network of professionals who specialize in a specific area such as nutrition or psychology. Having an understanding of what resources are available to the athlete could be a huge shift in the sport, and I think it could be a super simple and effective starting point to helping the sport become a safer place for athletes."

"For tips on actively helping athletes develop a healthy body image as well as what not to do when communicating with athletes about body image": https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/documents/2022/11/14/Body_Image_Resources.pdf

Re-posting Claire's comment that was posted in the Dance Hall thread:

Kudos to USFS for addressing this issue publicly. And great work by our friend @Jayar in writing this piece!!

ETA: And also, of course, thanks to Kaitlin Hawayek for bravely sharing this unfortunate incident and shining a light on this issue!!

 

[Perky Shae Lynn]

The more I hear from Russia, the happier I am that they're banned. Just ban them permanently. It's so toxic and gross.

This is not unique to Russia. The message may be more subtle, but coaches in the US have no problem telling 10 year olds what an "ideal" body shape is for their discipline. And parents pay them for it.

 

[MacMadame]

The next time someone starts in with "but athletes have to be a certain weight -- that's just a fact!" I think we should link to this article where experts say that's not "a fact" and it's more complex than that.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Long-time New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Ashley Bouder is doing an Instagram live (Wednesday, November 16) about body-shaming in ballet, and she speaks about how institutionalized this is. For context, there were a lot of comments on the internet how overweight/fat/"out-of-shape" she was after coming back from injury at the beginning of the season.

https://www.instagram.com/ashleybouder/live/?hl=en

 

[WOULDACOULDARETURNS]

As someone who has struggled with an eating disorder for 50 years, this saddens me.
I am so proud of the athletes who are speaking out and sharing their experiences.

 

[Sylvia]

Re-posting @kirkbiggestfan's observations in Norwood here:

I am late on the Hawayek story, but I was sitting behind the person that made that comment to her. What the news stories or Kaitlin don't say is that this person is obviously suffering from a mental illness. I heard that person say "inapropriate things" all week-end. The entourage kept apologizing. I understand that Kaitlin responded on instagram and it got viral. News organisations need to do their homework a little bit and put some context into it. Athletes get comments from fans all the time. It can obviously be very hurtful, but there is so much more to the quick story reported on instagram.

Also:

What does the person's mental health have to do with Kaitlin addressing the larger issue of how and what we say to people regarding their weight or body type?

But, if we're going to bring that person's mental health into the discussion, then perhaps the entourage should reconsider where they take this person if they're going to spend the entire trip apologizing for inappropriate remarks from someone who, clearly, has no filter. Just because someone is an adult and has always enjoyed skating doesn't mean that they know how to behave in public anymore. We don't allow children to behave this way, why should we allow adults to get away with making rude comments?

 

[Wyliefan]

I am late on the Hawayek story, but I was sitting behind the person that made that comment to her. What the news stories or Kaitlin don't say is that this person is obviously suffering from a mental illness. I heard that person say "inapropriate things" all week-end. The entourage kept apologizing.

How was Kaitlin supposed to know any of that? She has other priorities at a skating event besides making herself aware of who in the audience is going around saying inappropriate things all weekend.

 

[Slushee]

I'm not sure that the intrepid reporters working for US Figure Skating Fan Zone have the time and resources to fully investigate the backstory of people who attend skating events and interact with skaters. I sympathize with the nuances in this situation, but I think the message that body shaming is unacceptable should be emphasized to everyone regardless of ability or nationality.

 

[Barbara Manatee]

Athletes get comments from fans all the time. It can obviously be very hurtful, but there is so much more to the quick story reported on instagram.

The first sentence makes the second irrelevant. Kaitlin and the other skaters who responded to her story said they hear many comments about their weight and appearance and have been damaged by all of them, not just the wildly blatant ones.

 

[Ena Grins]

Yeah, I think Kaitlin's point in speaking out wasn't to focus on one thing she heard from one stranger, but the way it reflected comments many, many skaters hear all the time from judges, coaches, peers, and "fans."

 

[jackson]

Yeah, I think Kaitlin's point in speaking out wasn't to focus on one thing she heard from one stranger, but the way it reflected comments many, many skaters hear all the time from judges, coaches, peers, and "fans."

Agreed - Very brave of Kaitlin to share her experience and protect the younger generation from her lived experience!

 

[puglover]

At least here in Canada, it seems at a certain point of success - I assume internatational success, skaters have access to nutrition experts, exercise specialists, etc. I wonder if their input should not begin much younger. It would be nice to hear how some coaches help their skaters to make healthy choices and how they support them through puberty and growth. The fans are hard to ignore but much easier than if it is happening in their own rink. Figure skating coaches may feel this is not what they signed up for but I think it is a crucial part of working with young people today.

 

[her grace]

"We were waved down by a lady who was a bit of a red flag because she didn't really have a personal space barrier. She came down to us, gave us big hugs and kind of jumped onto the boards, pulled us close, and asked somebody to take a photo," Hawayek remembered

I wonder what kind of training USFS offers its skaters about fan interactions? I once witnessed a man that was pinging all my red flags wave down a junior female ice dancer, and she looked very uncomfortable as she gave him a hug. Skaters should be encouraged to listen to their instincts and not feel pressured to keep the fans happy.

 

[bladesofgorey]

This is what an eating disorder looks like, and this is what an environment that creates them is:

Translation of a Russian TV interview with Shcherbakova:

https://www.reddit.com/r/FigureSkating/comments/z7ektc/anna_shcherbakovas_new_2hour_long_interview/