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Thread: Podcast: Emily Socolinsky SSC discusses body image issues, the fallout from Ballet

  1. #1
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    Default Podcast: Emily Socolinsky SSC discusses body image issues, the fallout from Ballet

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  2. #2
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    Outstanding podcast; very important stuff from Emily. Thanks.

  3. #3
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    I've seen similar in the cross-country running community from my high-school and college years. It's scary how mindlessly a coach will tell a 5'5" 155# male that, to be a champion runner, they'll need to lose 20 pounds... and then provide no guidance on how to do it safely. "Just figure it out."

    Great piece, Emily- thanks for sharing!

  4. #4
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    I work on a specialized eating disorder psychiatric unit. Some of the stories kids have about gymnastics coaches, track and field coaches, dance instructors, and even wrestling coaches (can't let the kids get out of a low weight class) are just awful. While not everyone that has some twonk of an adult comment on body size and weight ends up with an eating disorder, it damn sure leaves a mark on a kid's psyche.

    Great piece!

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by CJ Gotcher View Post
    It's scary how mindlessly a coach will tell a 5'5" 155# male that, to be a champion runner, they'll need to lose 20 pounds... and then provide no guidance on how to do it safely.
    Depnding on how you define "safely," this presumes that it can be done so.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by A.D.D. View Post
    I work on a specialized eating disorder psychiatric unit. Some of the stories kids have about gymnastics coaches, track and field coaches, dance instructors, and even wrestling coaches (can't let the kids get out of a low weight class) are just awful. While not everyone that has some twonk of an adult comment on body size and weight ends up with an eating disorder, it damn sure leaves a mark on a kid's psyche.

    Great piece!
    While in college I dated a D1 gymnast. She traveled all over the world competing prior to college and also was an excellent track athelete. The stories she had of what essentially amounted to full on psychological and borderline physical abuse (prior to college) were disgusting . She ended up getting hurt sophomore year and it ended her career. Her body (more importantly her mind) never recovered from the years of "coaching". She died a year later from the long term effects of years of starvation/anorexia. I'm amazed at what coaches and parents will put kids (14 and under) through for a trophy or championship.

  7. #7
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    One of the reasons barbell training is so important for women - and everyone else - is that results are obvious and quantifiable. If you don't recover, you will not be able to lift that weight. Other sports have so many variables that can define "success" - even while starving yourself, overtraining, or otherwise doing self-harm. You can't hide those kind of things from the barbell.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by MissusTufnel View Post
    You can't hide those kind of things from the barbell.
    Simple. Profound.

  9. #9
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    I can relate to this as I participated in wrestling in high school and college after a year of playing football at U of Nebraska.

    You lose a lot of other things too. There's a point to all this below..

    I got into lifting in 9th grade and started in our HS wt room and loved it, not a clue what I was doing and no help from our football coaches as they just didn't know (in 1980-84) what to do. we ran the mile for time, maxed on the bench and "hip sled" and never used the one squat rack that was in the corner. If we ever messed around with squats we would set the old AMF stool at the highest setting and do maybe a quarter squat with 300 pounds and wonder why our knees hurt all the time after. All the time my dad was buying me Boyd Epley's protein powder and along with that and lots of ice cream and malt mix in it I gained weight cause I was at least in the wt room doing something.

    I had a 23' VJ and a 5.2 40 my sr year as a 210lb lineman from this awesome program (but I did gain some weight and had a 320 bench, ha).

    My HS wrestling coach was a great person/mentor in my life and never pressured us to lose weight but that "idea" of losing weight and wrestling lighter guys was a big deal to others on my team and I saw alot of guys completley wreck their bodies losing 30-50lbs (yes 50) to make lighter weight classes and they rarely finished the season without multiple injuries and were sick all the time..

    During HS I wrestled in the 145 class in 9th grade, 165 in 10th, and 185 in 11th grade and was a state qualifier. Got into Sr year and had offers from colleges for football and wrestling so wasn't sure what I was going to do. I went from 185 to 210 as I said above for my sr year of football and had offers from several smaller colleges and a few D-2 and Nebraska was still calling so I decided to focus on football and had a good sr year. After football I thought nothing of it and handed in my pads and helmet and checked out my wrestling gear and started practice. That year my good friend was a 230lb hvwt on our wrestling team and at 210 I could beat him for the varsity spot but we had no one at 185 and I decided I was closer than him so I cut my sr year to help us with team points and so we could both go to state.

    It sucked, I spent EVERY FREAKIN DAY in practice in plastic sweats (I think they are illegal now?) layered under two pairs of sweats. After wrestling practice I went into the swimming pool area and jumped rope for 1,000 reps at the top of the stands where all the heat was.

    I dropped from 210 to 185 and as soon as recruiters heard this ALL CALLS for football stopped, not a single one of them that shook my hand and told me they wanted me in their program ever talked to me again. I assured the oline coach at Nebraska that after the season I'd have the weight put back on and more and he trusted me so he kept a walk-on spot for me but I lost several scholarship offers over this (and I was a state runner up at 185 that year).

    I gained my weight back, signed with Nebraska, and played on the freshman football team in 1984-85. Went from 185 in my Sr yr of HS to 238 by xmas of my first year there in a structured weight program, running correctly (short explosive sprints instead of miles), AND a great thing they call the TRAINING TABLE where I got to eat all I wanted three times a day..

    I got stronger (I was taught to squat and clean) gained weight, and increased my VJ to 27" and my 40 dropped to 4.8 electronic while putting on 30lbs.

    So you think I'd learned my lesson eh? Not so fast my friend...

    Too many concussions at Nebraska ended my football career after one season. My HS wrestling coach set up a meeting with a wrestling coach from a NAIA school in Nebraska (Kearney State) and I got offered a scholarship to wrestle. Did that the next 3 1/2 years and finished my degree. During that time I wrestled as a lighter heavyweight at about 225 against guys weighing up to the limit of 275 and qualified 2x for Nationals. Senior year rolls around (here we go again) and coach recruits three hvwts to take my place the next year all weighing right at 275. I could beat them all BUT we didn't have a 190lb guy so.......yup.. I cut to 190 to help the team and fill a spot. Hurt my knee, shoulder and didn't qualify for nationals my last year...

    It took just two times but I learned my lesson... I got lucky and got my school paid for with wrestling but I was very close to losing all of it and wondering if I could afford college...

  10. #10
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    Very good podcast guys. I know absolutely nothing about the dance world, so this was another eye opener for me, Emily. Interesting, but very disturbing. What’s bothersome to me is how many grown adults can witness this, know it’s going on with their own kids or kids that they know, and go on with life because it’s “just part of the deal”.

    Wrestling is not very common in my area, but there are a few schools starting to pick it up. I’ve gotten more than a few odd looks from wrestling parents when I mention that if it weren’t for all the weird dieting and weight loss tactics, I’d be glad for our school to pick up wrestling. And I think it would be neat for my son to get into wrestling, but I’ve heard enough stories first hand that mirror what John said above that I’d never let him do it.

    I didn’t see it mentioned but I would assume competitive swimming is just as bad.

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