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Playing
Like a Girl
Part
2: Careful Coaching
Courtesy
of Stacey Kramer |
On
the issue of female
oversensitivity
to criticism, which may be little more than a stereotype,
Sachs says it is still important for coaches to be mindful
of the power and influence they have over their players.
But Mary Ann Borysowicz, executive director of the National
Association for Girls and Women in Sport, says it's not
necessary for coaches to treat their women players differently
than they would men. But at the same time, with the overwhelming
concerns with weight and the prevalence of eating disorders
in the sports world, especially among young women, she believes
coaches, "need to be considerate of what they say,"
regardless of the player's gender.
Burke explains that a coach's comment about a player's
weight can start the ball rolling towards a serious, and
often unhealthy obsession with weight. Comments like, "You're
not going to start unless you drop three pounds," or
"You have to meet your weight," and even snide
remarks said in a joking manner can be taken the wrong way.
| "I
remember weighing 80 lbs. and being upset because I
thought this was too much." |
Psychology professor at Vanderbilt University, Dr. David
Schlundt adds, "Some coaches contribute to the development
of eating disorders by doing things like setting arbitrary
weight limits, having the athlete weigh in, overemphasizing
weight."
That was Shannon Mahony's experience. At the age of nine
or 10, she remembers being subjected to weigh-ins on a weekly
basis when she attended summer figure skating training.
"I remember weighing 80 lbs. and being upset because I thought
this was too much."
According to Dr. Gloria Balague, a professor of clinical
psychology at the University of Illinois in Chicago, coaches
"can play a role in fostering [eating disorders] without
realizing… if they attribute some causal relationship between
being thin and performing well. The truth is, just because
the athlete is thin, doesn't mean the athlete is going to
perform better. If somebody is thin because they didn't
eat for two days, they are not in any shape to perform,
obviously."
Sachs acknowledges that in some situations a player's performance
would benefit from a decrease in weight. He insists that,
as long as the issue of weight loss is discussed within
the context of performance, and the player is given clear
guidelines for losing weight in a healthy manner, the player
is not being put at risk.
Brice Biggin, the head coach of the women's gymnastics
team at Kent State University, admits that he coaches a
sport in which "weight can have a huge difference on how
successful you are." Biggin believes in being completely
honest with his gymnasts, especially when it comes to weight
issues. "We kind of expect [the girls] to be mature enough
to be able to handle an adult conversation about if we feel
their weight's affecting their performance." Biggin tries
to emphasize losing weight in healthy ways and even brings
a nutritionist to speak to his gymnasts.
Cara S., a former dancer and gymnast, uses her past experiences
with an eating disorder in her coaching today. "I try very
hard to make sure I give the kids positive feedback and
make different bodies a fact of life as opposed to good
or bad."
However, as Schlundt points out, plenty of coaches do not
consider the health of their players a top priority. "I
don't think coaches know all that much about what is healthy,"
he says. "I think they think more about winning. I think
it's sometimes a misconception about what it takes to win."
NEXT:
The Invisible Problem.>>
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