Interview: Jenny Kirk on Figure Skating's Eating Disorder Epidemic

This kind of article always makes me feel depressed. I think "disordered eating" is even worse in gymnastics, because the girls do much more "flying through the air" and don't have to look glamorous and romantic the way skaters do. I got very anxious about gymnastics at one point and became much less enthusiastic about the sport. I think it was about the time that the Chinese girls started to excel in it, and so many of them look like actual children that I felt I was participating in something that used child labor. But skating is bad enough. I wish there were a way around this glorification of the pre-pubescent body in skating, but it certainly seems to be an inevitable result of the need to be light for jumps--or to be lifted by a partner.

One reason I kind of like Rachael Flatt is that she looks a bit less waif-like than the cliche of the figure skater. And, amazing irony, she's the best American jumper right now. I also like Alyssa because she looks like an adult and can therefore skate like one. (Her jumps are shaky not from her size, apparently, but from her nerves. I gather she jumps just fine in practice, poor girl.) Michelle Kwan is another one who conveys the idea of womanhood, not preteen childhood. Sasha is a sprite, of course, but she transcends sprite-ness to give mature interpretation of music.

While I think Jenny's estimate of 85% is a bit high, I'm sure eating disorders of one degree or another are widespread in elite skating.

ankka said:

I'm just curious about one thing: are figure skaters been encouraged to stay very skinny by their coaches?

I used to do ballet and our teacher was constantly telling all of us (we were about 12 years old at that time) if we'd gained weight or if we looked "disproportioned". She did mention a great number of times that my bum was too big (although it was nothing but muscle) and how my knees were too large (like I could've done anything with it). All of us were underweight, at thirteen I was 132 lbs while being over 6 ft... So when I switched to ballroom and latin, the first thing my coaches did was that they made me eat more in order to be able to gain power and muscle more effectively. At first I found it really strange

But I was just wondering if the similar behaviour that my ballet teacher had exists in figure skating... After all, skating and not eating enough is a pretty dangerous combination as it increases the risk for injuries.

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I used to skate. I remember a coach who did the weight check regularly. Jen's blog also mentions that. As the eating disorders become more and more recognized, however, this practice may be less and less encouraged.

That said, ballet dancers look significantly skinnier than skaters.

ankka said:

I'm just curious about one thing: are figure skaters been encouraged to stay very skinny by their coaches?

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I'm sure some (though not necessarily all) coaches are very vigilant about their skaters' weights. As I mentioned upthread, the Scotvolds were weighing Nancy Kerrigan regularly during her competitive years. And then there's the quote rumored to be attributed to Frank Carroll, "Fat doesn't fly. You can eat or you can compete." There's obvious pressure on coaches to win, and I think there's a very strong belief that you need to be thin in order to win which I don't think is entirely wrong.

theresa said:

Well with Mirai, she might have had a slight problem with readjusting her skating with her new height and weight. Dont also forget that in 2009 and even part of this season, Mirai had some trouble with her weight and height and also some confidence issues as well.

Height and weight change are significant variables, for example look at the junior girls right now. Take Kanako, Polina, and Elizaveta for example. Currently they are the top women in the Juniors field. While they are in the top now, the same may not be said in about a couple of years. Especially with Polina who does not have the best technique with her jumps and her very skinny and lanky body. If Polina grows and fills out more, I really believe she will lose her jumps due to the change in her body. That is why so many Russian ladies, in particular, are above the field when they are competing in juniors. Yet they falter as they grow and fill out and are almost irrelevant in the senior field.

Another example can be seen with Kimmie Meissner and how her weight change affected her skating and constinency.

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What kind of problems was Mirai having with her weight and height? Do you mean her injury? All this business about weight confuses me because skaters like Rachael, Joannie, Alena, even Ashley who are sturdier all seem to have very strong jumps, and some of the very thin skaters like Laura, Sasha, Alissa struggle with jumps. I also think that often times weight gain is inevitable and will happen regardless of what you eat. Like Kimmie for example, she probably gained about 20 pounds from when she went to the Olympics in 06 to when she was last competing in 2008, but I kind of doubt it was because she started eating more or differently because even after she had filled out, she still had no fat on her body, and so long as she was still training, she would have had to been eating healthfully. And for Kimmie, her new build seemed to hurt her jumping, but for Joannie who is built similarly, it hasn't been a problem. Mirai has a similar build to Yuna, Mao, and Miki, all of whom are good jumpers, so her URs confuse me and are probably not due to the way she is built.

I just read a Japanese sport magazine, Number, featuring Yukina Ota, an ex Junior World Champ known for her superb artistry.

It was interesting to learn that her original coach, Ms. Mie Hamada, pushed Yukina as a little girl to do figure skating seriously because Yukina had beautiful legs. Hamada thinks it a "requisite" for figure skaters to have beautiful legs, not just long legs, but beautifully-shaped legs. Yukina also has long arms.

I kind of understand these selection biases in figure skaters, even though not as explicitly as in the cases of ballet dancers. And then puberty hit them, it is understandable how some of them can be affected psychologically.

silverlake22 said:

What kind of problems was Mirai having with her weight and height? Do you mean her injury? All this business about weight confuses me because skaters like Rachael, Joannie, Alena, even Ashley who are sturdier all seem to have very strong jumps, and some of the very thin skaters like Laura, Sasha, Alissa struggle with jumps. I also think that often times weight gain is inevitable and will happen regardless of what you eat. Like Kimmie for example, she probably gained about 20 pounds from when she went to the Olympics in 06 to when she was last competing in 2008, but I kind of doubt it was because she started eating more or differently because even after she had filled out, she still had no fat on her body, and so long as she was still training, she would have had to been eating healthfully. And for Kimmie, her new build seemed to hurt her jumping, but for Joannie who is built similarly, it hasn't been a problem. Mirai has a similar build to Yuna, Mao, and Miki, all of whom are good jumpers, so her URs confuse me and are probably not due to the way she is built.

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The comments regarding Mirai have to do with her having grown several inches and the subsequent increase in weight that accompanies that growth. The other factor here is what DragonLady in the ISU forum likes to refer to as the Puberty Monster. As these young girls mature they fill out and their bodies center of gravity changes this can play havoc with a skaters elements until they adjust to their new body shape. Some never manage the adjustment but for most it just takes time. In Mirai's case the ankle injury didn't help and was likely related to the growth spurt.

Your comment regarding Rachael, Joannie, Alena and Ashley vs Laura, Sasha and Alissa is quite interesting. I think there are a couple of reasons why the former group are strong jumpers, first they have more muscle mass than the latter group and although this means more weight to lift into the air it also mean more power to accomplish the lifting. The price for the extra power is typically less flexibility which brings up point two.

The latter group of skaters are thinner and very flexible. A personal trainer I know refers to athlete with this extreme flexibility as having been "broken". Basically the ligaments and tendons have been over stretch to allow more flexibility, the price for this is less muscular control when it comes to tightening up for takeoffs and landings. I don't think its any coincidence that the skaters who exhibit extreme flexibility also tend to be the same skaters that struggle with jumps.

Somewhere in there is an ideal balance of the two. Those skaters who find their ideal muscle mass/size ratio and flexibility tend to be the most successful.

Bennett said:

I just read a Japanese sport magazine, Number, featuring Yukina Ota, an ex Junior World Champ known for her superb artistry.

It was interesting to learn that her original coach, Ms. Mie Hamada, pushed Yukina as a little girl to do figure skating seriously because Yukina had beautiful legs. Hamada thinks it a "requisite" for figure skaters to have beautiful legs, not just long legs, but beautifully-shaped legs. Yukina also has long arms.

I kind of understand these selection biases in figure skaters, even though not as explicitly as in the cases of ballet dancers. And then puberty hit them, it is understandable how some of them can be affected psychologically.

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Doing exercise all people get beautiful legs, I dont think all the figure skater were choosen with beautiful legs and even I could to kill for to have the legs like any of the female figure skaters. Yes, there are better than others, but in general all them have pretty legs

The glorious exception to any known rule for legs and jumpers is one of the greatest jumpers of them all, Midori Ito. Her legs are rather short in proportion to her body, and she tends toward the sturdy. But she could into the air like a helicopter, straight up. I just mention her because she reminds me that all those generalizations (many made by coaches) about how a girl has to have the body of a thirteen-year-old sprite don't always hold true. And thank goodness for that!

sk8rdad said:

The latter group of skaters are thinner and very flexible. A personal trainer I know refers to athlete with this extreme flexibility as having been "broken". Basically the ligaments and tendons have been over stretch to allow more flexibility, the price for this is less muscular control when it comes to tightening up for takeoffs and landings. I don't think its any coincidence that the skaters who exhibit extreme flexibility also tend to be the same skaters that struggle with jumps.

Somewhere in there is an ideal balance of the two. Those skaters who find their ideal muscle mass/size ratio and flexibility tend to be the most successful.

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Very interesting view. I think of skaters who are both flexible and good jumpers as: Mao, Yuna, Mirai, and even Miki to some extent. These skaters are also all Asian, and Asians on average are lighter than European women. All four of those ladies are between 5'3" and 5'5" and weigh between 100 and 110 pounds but still very strong. I think the ability to be light and strong at the same time is what is needed to be at the top of the sport and I think that is why recently, as the demand for flexibility and hard jumps has increased, Asian women are dominating the sport. Yuna, Mao, Miki, Mirai are probably just as strong as Joannie, Alena, Rachael, and Ashley, but weigh less which makes everything easier. Just a thought.

Olympia said:

The glorious exception to any known rule for legs and jumpers is one of the greatest jumpers of them all, Midori Ito. Her legs are rather short in proportion to her body, and she tends toward the sturdy. But she could into the air like a helicopter, straight up. I just mention her because she reminds me that all those generalizations (many made by coaches) about how a girl has to have the body of a thirteen-year-old sprite don't always hold true. And thank goodness for that!

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I think that their preference for beautiful legs is for the aesthetic reason. I do not think that they believe that long, straight, and slim legs yield better jumps (well, you may be able to rotate a little faster with slim legs, but the length and beautiful shape would not be a "requisite" for that). I think it is more to do with the basics in many dances. They have to have their limbs stretched out and present longer lines. It is easier to look that way if your legs are naturally straight and long. I once saw a fashion magazine featuring a model learning ballet as a beginner and the teacher really liked her lines. She is obviously a lot less stretched out than her other students when you see the paucity of tension in her limbs. But she naturally has the long lines that they try to accomplish so hard by eating less and stretching a lot. Those who have legs that are not straight or long, it is harder to look that way however stretched out they actually are. It is true that stretch and tension do mean better techniques. You could do elements more crisply and can achieve faster rotations on the ice (spins) and in the air (jumps). In other dances as well, stretch and tension are very important in turning and jumping. But it is not that longer, more beautiful legs help stretch and tension. The aesthetic reason is also an essential part.

silverlake22 said:

Very interesting view. I think of skaters who are both flexible and good jumpers as: Mao, Yuna, Mirai, and even Miki to some extent. These skaters are also all Asian, and Asians on average are lighter than European women. All four of those ladies are between 5'3" and 5'5" and weigh between 100 and 110 pounds but still very strong. I think the ability to be light and strong at the same time is what is needed to be at the top of the sport and I think that is why recently, as the demand for flexibility and hard jumps has increased, Asian women are dominating the sport. Yuna, Mao, Miki, Mirai are probably just as strong as Joannie, Alena, Rachael, and Ashley, but weigh less which makes everything easier. Just a thought.

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As a point of note Joannie is about 5'3" albeit likely slightly heavier than the Asain girls. But none of these girls has the "gumby" like flexibility of someone like Sasha, good flexibility yes but not extreme. It is that ultra extreme flexibility that can cause difficulty with the jump elements. A personal trainer I know who works with a number of competitive skaters was the one who pointed this out to me originally and IMO he is quite right. Every skater needs to find their ideal balance between height/weight/strength. In Mirai case I believe she is still adjusting to the body changes from last year. Give her another year or so and she will likely be fully back to form. If not then she will seriously have to look at her jump technique to correct the UR issues.

Akiko Suzuki talks about her eating disorder. Sorry Japanese only. I may try to translate a bit when I have time. Or I'd also appreciate it if someone else who understands the language could do that. She says that she had a skewed body image that was difficult to correct. She is really honest and expressive. March 28, 2004. She was 19.
http://akiko-suzuki.com/interview01.html

A TV program introducing Miki's book. Miki talks about her struggling with disordered eating and body image around 2008 Worlds because she thinks that other Japanese skaters are skinny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_KfROIuhPo&feature=related

Bennett said:

A TV program introducing Miki's book. Miki talks about her struggling with disordered eating and body image around 2008 Worlds because she thinks that other Japanese skaters are skinny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_KfROIuhPo&feature=related

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So Miki did have eating problems, I wasn't sure if I was just imagining it. It looks like she gets smaller every season

I know, I've seen you worrying about her.