body shaming at Oregon?

[JMysterio]

So then it isn't an illusion.

It's an illusion if you think she's lost weight but hasn't.

[jazzcyclist]

They recruit thin high school girls who blossom naturally into adult women in college...I've seen it countless times. It happened to my niece at Wake Forest... and coaches really don't get it.

Most elite coaches get it which is why they don't put any stock into what a girl does at 13, 14 or 15 years old, and sometimes they're even skeptical of what they do at 16 or 17 years old. Sometimes you can judge how they'll mature physically based on they mother or older sisters but even that's not foolproof.

[Conor Dary]

The article doesn't mention what events the athletes do ....this is usually associated with distance runners. But Oregon’s women's distance program is almost nonexistent.

[NotDutra5]

It's an illusion if you think she's lost weight but hasn't.

The word I used was "thinner". Keep tilting at the windmills.

[JMysterio]

It is too late for that....you want stunted growth in childhood to copy Ethiopians....at least the ones that survive.

And excuse me but where did anyone say to copy Ethiopians? I posted the diets that African runners eat, you're trying to be a wise guy again by presenting something else. Stop being a trouble maker.

[jazzcyclist]

Just a question here. Isn’t excess weight always an impediment to optimum performance? In other ways, my coaches were always somewhat abusive in the late 60s and early 70s. This was all part of the deal. They pushed you hard to get better at your sport.

Finally, aren’t the best women in world championships always thin?

Yes, unless they're throwers.

im not a fan of “body shaming” but is anyone able to really perform well with excess weights.

Nope

[JMysterio]

The word I used was "thinner". Keep tilting at the windmills.

And stop trying to use semantics, your post was obviously meant to refute what I posted. I explained it for you and now you backtrack.

[TN1965]

When you start changing diets from what you're used to eating that's where problems start.

So if you grow up eating fast food and other junks, you shouldn't change that?

[Atticus]

Not aggressively asking but really asking. How do you know? She's World Class already, but what if she was 1.3% fitter? Really being serious and curious here, not confrontational.

That 1.3% 'fitter' is probably 1.3% weaker. There is a sweet spot for fit athletes. More weight is worse, but less weight is also worse. Loss of (necessary) muscle mass is a real problem. My best girl was 5'6, 140 pounds and constantly worried about her weight. To look at her, you'd never know she was that 'heavy' (as she put it). That's all that matters - how do you carry it? If there's no visible excess, it doesn't matter what the scale says; it only matters what the performance is. If you CAN see excess weight, then you've got the real problem (with females). It is not prudent for a man to bear those tidings, and whoever the female is, she'd better have her facts in order.
This is a cultural issue almost more than an athletic one. Body dysmorphia is a growing disorder and must be taken seriously. Good luck with Coach Johnson!

[Conor Dary]

And excuse me but where did anyone say to copy Ethiopians? I posted the diets that African runners eat, you're trying to be a wise guy again by presenting something else. Stop being a trouble maker.

Coming from you that is a compliment...

[jazzcyclist]

Not necessarily. Elle Purrier is five foot three and weighs 120 and she's world class. As a farm girl she probably grew up on bacon and eggs. Koko five foot nine and weighs 106, Coburn 5 foot 8 and 119 but Purrier smoked both of them over the mile and 2 mile when she set the AR's.

African runners eat the same food they ate as a child. They grow up on simple foods but no fried crap and keep everything natural to get all the nutrients.

When you start changing diets from what you're used to eating that's where problems start.

Purrier is skinny by most people's standards, she just looks heavy standing next to other championship caliber athletes.

[NotDutra5]

And stop trying to use semantics, your post was obviously meant to refute what I posted. I explained it for you and now you backtrack.

Ok. Whatever you say.

[jazzcyclist]

The article doesn't mention what events the athletes do ....this is usually associated with distance runners. But Oregon’s women's distance program is almost nonexistent.

I known quite a few female sprinters and jumpers who've struggled their weight. Weight affects the power-to-weight ratio regardless of whether the event requires aerobic power or anaerobic power.

[bambam1729]

As long as the DEXA results are kept confidential I don't see what the big deal is.

This reminds me of an interview with Shalane Flanagan that I read a while back in which she said the thing she hates most about being a professional runner is being hungry all the time.

I may be missing something here or there may be some use of DEXA scans that I'm not aware of, but DEXA scans are used to screen for bone density problems - mainly osteoporosis and osteopenia. Our group has had a DEXA scanner for years and use it a lot. It would be used to see if the athletes bone density is too low, and they should be putting on more weight or adding more protein to increase bone density. I'm not aware of it being used to screen for body fat percentage as Ken Goe implied in the Oregon article. There are other ways to screen for body fat percentage.

[DrJay]

Some of them can be used to measure body fat %. I don't know the accuracy or variation vs., for instance, underwater weighing. We had a DEXA scanner for 10 years but did not want that option as we 1. didn't have a use/need for it and 2. didn't trust the accuracy/reproducibility when we were shopping in 2005.