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From the outside,
it's hard to see a problem. All rowers look tired after practice if they've
worked hard. That's the way it should be, right? However, lying behind
the tired faces of some lightweight women rowers is a problem of immeasurable
depth. And if you look close enough, you can see the difference in their
fatigue. The truth is in their eyes. The fact is, far too many women who
currently row in the lightweight division at the college level are participating
in weight-loss tactics that may very well have long lasting damaging effects.
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In the sport of rowing, both weight and height are advantageous. Height
inevitably gives the rower a longer, more powerful stroke. Moreover, taller
women weigh more. Weight plays an important part in rowing by allowing
the rower more "hang" on the oar handle to finish the stroke
and, in turn, pull with more power through the water or on the ergometer
(rowing machine).
While it is true
that there are exceptions to these basic "rules", they hold true
for the most part. In order to make competition more aggressive, separate
divisions--weight classes--have been created that separate heavier from
lighter rowers. This serves as an opportunity for rowers who weigh less
to compete at more advanced levels than they probably could if the groups
were mixed. The cutoff weight for lightweight women at the college level
is 135 in the fall season (with a boat average of 130), and 130 in the spring,
which is usually the more intense racing season. |
I'm sure that some people can't even fathom what it feels like. Some of
these women work out two or more times a day and yet exist on less than
500 calories. Some will not eat (or drink!) up to 48 hours before they
are supposed to weigh in-all the while continuing to practice and go about
their daily activities.
Even inexperienced
"borderliners" soon learn the various ways they can sweat off
more weight if need be (many times from their coach). Imagine yourself
in any of the following situations and imagine further that you are already
significantly dehydrated: Sitting in hot, sauna-like baths for up to 30
minutes at a time. Sweat running, sweat biking, or even sweat rowing in
five or more layers of clothing (this tactic works even better on hot
sunny days). Sucking on skittles to attempt to get the saliva flowing
in your already cotton-like mouth and spitting into cups. Layering up
and sitting in cars with the heat blasting even though it's in the 90's
outside.
Imagine
feeling hunger pangs so great that you can only reason that your stomach
is eating itself. Imagine pain so intense that you can't keep your mind
on anything else. Then, imagine being so thirsty and wanting a drink so
badly that you don't even care about that hunger pain anymore.
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These women who are trying to make weight have a deeper, more intense
look of exhaustion about them. You can see it in their eyes. It is more
than the physical pain; they are miserable.
Ironically,
the subculture of lightweights is created around food. It easily becomes
the main focus of every conversation, replaced only with discussions about
weight. "If I could, I'd eat that," or "I can't believe
I ate that."
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Like most other
things that are desired and out of reach, food becomes an obsession. It
is the enemy. The most difficult time is when the lightweight is alone.
No teammates are around to talk about food with and no outsiders to see
the lightweight "cheating". Not that they would even understand.
No one possibly could until they experience it.
The most upsetting
aspect of this whole lightweight "institution" is the fact that
most of the time (or at least it was the case with the team in my study)
the borderline women are being pressured to take these extreme weight
loss measures. Most of the women know it is unhealthy. And yet they continue
to starve themselves and sweat off weight. They even begin to carry around
record levels of guilt paired with an increasingly unhealthy body-image.
Keep in mind these women are working out two or three times a day. With
intense levels of physical activity at such a competitive level, these
women should be eating to perform, not worrying about how much they weigh
or all that they can't eat.
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There is already too much pressure for women to conform to the present
societal standard of being either waif-like or completely muscular (or
the increasingly popular fusion of both). Women should not feel the need
or the pressure to "suck weight" in any aspect of their lives.
It is especially depressing when it occurs while they are participating
in sport which, by nature, is supposed to make women feel stronger, not
weak or "fat" or out of control.
So where are
the coaches? Where are the officials? Where are the nutritionists and
doctors? Why hasn't anyone stepped in? The fact is, not only did many
of the coaches in my study see what was going on, but they were also condoning
these actions. For example, one of the rowers (who clearly should not
have been rowing lightweight since she was significantly over 130 late
in the season), wrote this in her journal: "I try to lose weight.
I run all the time, I'm always exhausted, but I can't control my eating.
I'll be really good for a while, but I can't hold out and I binge. But
no more-[the head coach] said I have to weigh in or we don't race. So,
of course they're condoning the fact that I have 9 pounds to lose. Hey,
it's my fault, right?"
Only partially.
The above rower is not to blame. Pressure to perform for the good of the
team, to impress the coaches, to avoid looking weak in front of teammates.
All of these pressures are far too real for women (as well as men) on
a daily basis in institutional sports programs throughout the world. There
is another example in this case study in which the rower felt that she
could no longer handle the unending battle to lose weight. She states,
"I told [the coach] what I've been going through in a plea for her
to tell me not to row lightweight. But of course she said it's my decision.
How can she expect me to say I won't do it? I have too many pressures.
I'm not that strong.....[She] came up, said even though she knows it's
the wrong decision, she needs me to row lightweight. Right."
Think about
how difficult it must be to convince oneself otherwise after a confrontation
such as the one above. It can be argued that a certain amount of pressure
applied to team members by a coach is the only way to push the team to
succeed. However, there has to be a line drawn between instilling a healthy,
competitive "itch" into team members, and creating an environment
so intensely unhealthy that the vision only includes one aspect: winning.
Far too many
times, this has been shown to be the case at many institutions. Where's
the proof? Well, it seems to me that for each and every woman who steps
on a scale after sweating to the point of dehydration, or depriving themselves
of excessive amounts of food and water, there has to be at least one coach
behind them. And not only are these coaches fully aware of what is going
on, but they also support the practice. The only people I encountered
that were taking any stands toward alleviating this problem were fellow
lightweight rowers. And I'm happy to say that I finally did witness them
make a difference.
Halfway through
my research there were surprise weigh-ins (the suggestion of one of the
"natural" lightweights on the team that was the focus of my
research) and the woman who was struggling was told she would no longer
row lightweight. She had mixed emotions, since she had been rowing lightweight
for seven years and it was what she lived and breathed during that time,
but in the end she was relieved.
And who wouldn't
be?
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