body shaming at Oregon?

[Conor Dary]

a Twitter thread:

https://twitter.com/kengoe/status/1452654590596313101

I remember Heather Tolford....she is talking about when Tom Heinonen was women's coach...I've heard what she was implying about before.

[Conor Dary]

Tianna Bartolett's blog:

https://tiannabee.com/blog/2021/10/25/bodygoals

Good...also her format is much better.

[Conor Dary]

What can go wrong with a twitter thread?

It's a good thread.

[DrJay]

Tianna Bartolett's blog:

https://tiannabee.com/blog/2021/10/25/bodygoals

Not sure anyone could say it any better.

[booond]

It's a good thread.

For Twitter, maybe, as 1/3rd have knowledge or experience and 2/3rds are fools.

It's a good article and an important subject.

Tianna's blog post was very good.

[TN1965]

So were the old-time decision makers on to something when they wanted to keep women's distances shorter?

Should Teddy Roosevelt have banned football?

[scottmitchell74]

Should Teddy Roosevelt have banned football?

Were women playing then??

I know what your point is, and mine is this: with so much at stake - jobs, scholarships, medals, sponsorships, money, fame - this will never end. Women will push the extremes of their bodies with or without coaches.

[booond]

Were women playing then??

I know what your point is, and mine is this: with so much at stake - jobs, scholarships, medals, sponsorships, money, fame - this will never end. Women will push the extremes of their bodies with or without coaches.

So what? It is their body and their opportunity. They shouldn't have to be shamed into it by a coach who wants them to do something unhealthy so he can get another point-placer in the 10K.

[TN1965]

So what? It is their body and their opportunity. They shouldn't have to be shamed into it by a coach who wants them to do something unhealthy so he can get another point-placer in the 10K.

If a mediocre (by elite standard) distance runner wants to squeeze every ounce of her talent to make the top 8 at NCAA, that's her choice. No one should force her to do that.

[Conor Dary]

Should Teddy Roosevelt have banned football?

In 1905 or so there were about 20 deaths in high school and college football....

[booond]

If a mediocre (by elite standard) distance runner wants to squeeze every ounce of her talent to make the top 8 at NCAA, that's her choice. No one should force her to do that.

I believe that was what I said.

[KevinR]

That is certainly true, Scott, but that is not what the original intent of the thread was about. The act of shaming comes from someone other than the athlete casting negative attention and influence on another person. It is not the act of tracking an athlete's progress, but pressing for them to attain body conditions that are inherently unhealthy. Body shaming is simply a form of bullying, and when it takes place in the workplace (which, arguably, a college or professional team should be considered) it is almost always comes from someone with a degree of power/influence over another. I have sat through enough DoD annual training classes to recognize that as a hostile work environment.

[jazzcyclist]

If a mediocre (by elite standard) distance runner wants to squeeze every ounce of her talent to make the top 8 at NCAA, that's her choice. No one should force her to do that.

If an athlete gets a big scholarship at a school like Oregon, there's an understanding going in that they're there to score points at the PAC 12 and NCAA Championships, not just to participate.

[18.99s]

I do think there is a grown up conversation to be had. It may just be the fact that, if a woman wants to be the absolute best she can, then that means a certain fat % that is not necessarily 'healthy' in one sense, but optimal for her performance.

The key to it is that what is optimal for one woman can be performance-degrading and/or dangerous for another. 12% bodyfat may be optimal for one woman but it causes menstrual problems and stress fractures in another. Different hormone profiles, different genes, different bone structures etc. make it unwise to pressure one group of women to meet fixed body composition standards based on what is measured or perceived in other women (pretty sure the U of Oregon coaches don't know the DEXA stats of elite women who never attended Oregon).

[Big Tusk]

If an athlete gets a big scholarship at a school like Oregon, there's an understanding going in that they're there to score points at the PAC 12 and NCAA Championships, not just to participate.

That's one thing I'm struggling with here. A lot of aspects of being an elite athlete are unhealthy. Does anyone think Nick Saban and Kirby Smart don't encourage their linemen to gain weight from time to time? When you sign on to run for Oregon, you know there are high expectations. If you can't meet those expectations without abusing your body, maybe you should consider another school. There are plenty of college programs that don't do things like this, go there.