The Ugly Side Of Professional Sports Diets
By Sophia Hazzard
Staff Reporter March 9, 2018 Just imagine you're a figure skater, and while you're doing a spin you land on your ankle wrong and it breaks. Now you can't continue your routine. This is what can happen or has already happened to figure skaters because of an eating disorder.
All the graceful moves that figure skaters perform male or female, takes a lot of strength, which could dangerously be affected by the way, the athletes are eating or whether they're eating at all. And this is a big problem for this sport, which can cause some to not be able to compete in certain competitions or even the Olympics because of the way they're eating. They need good energy for their bones to be strong and if they're not, a leg or ankle could easily be snapped right in half from lack of protein. Everyone looking at the way your body looks on the ice as you perform is a big deal to these skaters. Considering it's called "figure" skating, they have been showed they need the best figure to really show off the strength it takes to perform these hard-twisting moves. And all the tight clothing they wear really shows off your body and causes the skaters to be insecure. Being pressured by coaches and trainers can be a huge cause of an eating disorder. They go through hours of training and practicing to be perfect. Skaters have been told they are too over weight or fat to be an athlete in this sport. Most that have to be said with this disorder also have depression, anxiety and anorexia. Adam Rippon, a male figure skater, was the first to really open the eyes of others about his and others eating disorders and how it's such a big deal in people's lives with the disorder. Two of the most popular female skaters, Gracie Gold and Yulia Lipnitskaya, excused themselves from a women's skating event because of their disorder. Which shows this really affects both men and women figure skaters. It's very sad to think that they must stop what they love because of something they can't help unless they get therapy or go to talking groups with people with similar problems. It may be hard to quit the sport they adore and have been pursuing since their first time being on the ice. But it's what is best for their health. Otherwise they could really get hurt. |
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