body shaming at Oregon?

[gh]

this deserves its own thread

[Conor Dary]

Meanwhile....in related news...


Women athletes allege body shaming within Oregon Ducks track and field program

https://www.oregonlive.com/trackandfield/2021/10/women-athletes-allege-body-shaming-within-oregon-ducks-track-and-field-program.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true

[aaronk]

Meanwhile....in related news...


Women athletes allege body shaming within Oregon Ducks track and field program

https://www.oregonlive.com/trackandf...mpression=true

Another $20M lawsuit in the making, only this one would be Class Action??

[jazzcyclist]

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.

[Atticus]

Had to go incognito to get behind the oregonlive paywall but . . . [excerpts]

Six women athletes who left the University of Oregon track and field program in recent seasons say they felt devalued as individuals and at risk for eating disorders because of the program’s data-driven approach to their weight and body fat percentages. . . . the Ducks increasingly have embraced expensive and advanced technological tools such as blood tests, hydration tests and DEXA scans. A DEXA scan is a medical imaging test that uses X-rays to precisely measure bone density and body fat percentage.
DEXA scans, in particular, have become a flashpoint for some athletes, who say the precise body fat percentage measurements can trigger unhealthy behaviors.
“When we get the numbers from our DEXA scans, we have an Excel spreadsheet that we can plug the numbers into, hit a button and it gives us a starting value for a training program.” he says. “It allows us to be cutting edge and innovative in our approach to performance.”

I see the dangers of DEXA, but handled discreetly, shouldn't they be a plus for the program?

[18.99s]

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

Apparently they weren't really confidential.

Four of the women interviewed say athletes whose DEXA scans show what coaches/staff consider an unacceptably high body fat content frequently are required to do additional cross training on a stationary bike.

Other athletes know who is doing mandatory cross training and why, even though it’s not explicitly said.

[Conor Dary]

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.

[Dave]

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?

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

[booond]

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.

Often you get what you want to get.

[TN1965]

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

You mean, like Michelle Carter?

Joking aside, the best women in world championships are full time athletes. This is from an email one student athlete sent to the deputy athletic director.

“We are not professional athletes. We do not have access to a bounty of organic food. We do not have unlimited time to cook. We cannot plan our days around our nutrition, and we are not the 30-year-old Olympians that coach Johnson seeks to compare our body fat percentage to.

[Conor Dary]

Of course there is an optimum weight....my running improved immensely when I ate more sensibly and lost about 15 pounds. For guys it generally isn't a big problem though as with everything some go overboard.


For women it is much more of a problem. Their bodies can change drastically and naturally from age 14 to 19. I've seen it so often it makes my head spin.. My niece was Minnesota state mile champion as a sophomore and heavily recruited as a senior but in college she just naturally developed. And the coach got all upset. Which was sort of understandable since she was running barely as well as she did in high school.

[scottmitchell74]

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?

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

Those were my same thoughts, and I'll be curious as to what the answer is to this. Fastest people are more or less the people with the best power/weight ratio. ??

[Atticus]

Holly Bradshaw has been body-shamed, and she weighs what she's supposed to weigh for her body.

Men don't seem to care, but in a culture that constantly showcases svelte female bodies, women have it much harder.

[Conor Dary]

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

In distances sure....but even for international athletes it is a battle. I know from experience and female runners I know it is a fine line.

[scottmitchell74]

Holly Bradshaw has been body-shamed, and she weighs what she's supposed to weigh for her body.

Men don't seem to care, but in a culture that constantly showcases svelte female bodies, women have it much harder.

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.