I don't like fat gymnasts

[Mack_the_Ripper]

That's just ridiculous. My team attended a big college meet recently and, being teenage girls, of course commented on all the gymnasts' bodies. It was amazing the array of body types and such...even just looking at the best gymnasts, some were teeny, some were slender but muscular, and some of the best were had insane amounts of muscle (for example, Sam Peszek). Almost all of them had crazy leg muscles. Basically they almost all looked like grown-up women - very, very strong women whom I would be afraid to meet in a dark alley. And they could all do incredible things with those diverse bodies! Basically, there is so much that goes into being a great gymnast (effort, goals, strength, flexibility, fear, etc) that body type can only play a very small role. One of the best gymnasts I know is pretty tall and not exactly skinny, but she is great because she is totally fearless and she works out 6 days a week! That coach needs to get smacked upside the head.

 

[bookworm]

Seeing that you are in Mexico, they can probably get away with saying things like this. I don't think it would go down well in the states. Either they would be sueing you or beating that coach behind the dumpster depending where you were and the kind of parents. I don't think that would go down well in a lot of the bigger Euro countries but it might happen in some of the asian countries.

Seeing that you are in Mexico, they can probably get away with saying things like this. I don't think it would go down well in the states. Either they would be sueing you or beating that coach behind the dumpster depending where you were and the kind of parents.

Well the gym we were at , the was a US National Team Training Center with members of the US National Team, was here in the US and the coach says "you are fat" constantly, and thinks nothing of it. He owns the gym too so that about sums up the philosophy in a nutshell.

 

[bribri514]

Isn't this what dads and big brothers are for?.

I think my mom would be first in line, even before my older brother, if I had a coach like this!

On topic of assumptions, I don't think it should matter if you're in california or mexico or anywhere else, this behavior is inappropriate. Some people are stuck on the outdated idea that smaller = better in gymnastics. We all saw the fall out of gymnasts being burnt out, with eating disorders and very sick and unhealthy with major injuries after decades of coaching based on losing as much weight as possible however possible. What was said about needing strength and health to perforly yhm is exactly right though! Since you're leaving the country you're (the OP) in the ideal position to speak up and help the rest othe team! I don't know the exact quote but its something like the only thing evil needs is for good people to say nothing.

 

[Kiwi]

I would tell him I don't like rude and stupid coaches.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

I would tell him I don't like rude and stupid coaches.

would you include the moutza? Moutza image by kaminariko on Photobucket

 

[Natalia]

ROFL!I think I'll just tell my Italian husband that the coach called his daughter fat!

A mom of another little girl who was in the previous group with my daughter and has also been placed with with the" Viva anorexia "coach,didn't know about this comment from the coach.She just mentioned that her kid was starring at herself in the mirror sucking in her stomach,complaining she had a big tummy.Her mom thought it was odd that a 7 year old had that type of opinion about her body.

I just casually dropped the comment that this might be a result that the coach told all his new girls that he doesn't like them fat.

This girl is a tinny itty bitty gymnast with tons of talent,when I told her mom what her coach said ,her reaction was "that's it,they taking up tennis!"

 

[gralch1]

I have a friend who is a Ukrain born coach and a few others from Russia and China. They all hate larger gymnasts. I think it may be a cultural thing. In the US, parents are more involved in their childs sports and know right from wrong. (Okay that didn't sound right but you get the general idea) US parents want warm and fuzzy while producing results. Many, not all, foreign coaches are used to never being questioned by parents and pick thier gymnasts on body type.

 

[CoachGoofy]

I have a friend who is a Ukrain born coach and a few others from Russia and China. They all hate larger gymnasts. I think it may be a cultural thing. In the US, parents are more involved in their childs sports and know right from wrong. (Okay that didn't sound right but you get the general idea) US parents want warm and fuzzy while producing results. Many, not all, foreign coaches are used to never being questioned by parents and pick thier gymnasts on body type.

That goes beyond sounding "wrong" & into sounding bigoted & xenophobic.

 

[BlairBob]

Female collegiate gymnasts prove this point.

My bad, sounds like I should have put that elsewhere in my post.

Getting back to it, female collegiate gymnasts prove that you can be bigger or tall and still have an extremely high level skillset.

Not that I check them out at all or anything.

 

[SheCanFly]

I am not defending or agreeing with this bonehead, but I do understand the idea that heavy girls are going to be at an athletic disadvantage in comparison to more fit athletes. This is true in most sports. The heavier girls on my older daughter's soccer team don't run as fast and get winded easier than my thinner, fitter daughter.

Simple physics says smaller gymnasts are going to fly higher, be more aerodynamic, and have more stamina than a gymnast carrying an extra 20 pounds. That isn't to say that chubby gymnasts should quit or that they are lazy, bad, etc.

So i guess if this is a coach who takes gymnasts to the top level of the sport, then his words make sense for his goals.

Luckily this sport is more than for those elite athletes and there is a place for all gymnasts! To make my point, at our meet this weekend, there was a girl with a mental disability. She competed all four events! Granted, she was scoring in the 6s, but what a brave and amazing athlete.

 

[GTO]

SheCanFly - I think that you are assuming girls with a lot of adipose tissue (fat) and excluding those with a lot of muscle. It is hard to successfully complete most gymnastics skills without muscle, hence conditioning.
The suggestion that all Elite gymnasts are all itty bitty and skinny is simply incorrect.

 

[SheCanFly]

SheCanFly - I think that you are assuming girls with a lot of adipose tissue (fat) and excluding those with a lot of muscle. It is hard to successfully complete most gymnastics skills without muscle, hence conditioning.
The suggestion that all Elite gymnasts are all itty bitty and skinny is simply incorrect.

I am speaking of gymnasts who have a layer of fat over their muscles. And i most certainly do not suggest that all elite gymnasts are toothpicks. I am experienced enough to understand the level of strength a gymnast must have to compete successfully.

My statements were comparing a fit gymnast to a gymnast carrying a higher percentage of body fat. I stand by my statement that the fit gymnast is going to have a physical edge over a gymnast carrying too much body fat. But fit does not equate to itty bitty and skinny.

Personally, i prefer the short, strong gymnast build to the tall, skinny build. But when you start adding fat, you are handicapping yourself against athletes who are in better physical shape.

I am also expanding my comments to other sports. Give me a fit running back over a chubby one, a fit point guard over a chubby one, and a fit striker over a fat one.

 

[Natalia]

Simple physics says smaller gymnasts are going to fly higher, be more aerodynamic, and have more stamina than a gymnast carrying an extra 20 pounds. That isn't to say that chubby gymnasts should quit or that they are lazy, bad, etc.

So i guess if this is a coach who takes gymnasts to the top level of the sport, then his words make sense for his goals.

.

I admire you for having the courage to take the other side on this,at the risk of being politically incorrect.

This coach does indeed get the best results.He has also always been allowed to choose the girls with the best body types,the greatest strength,flexibility....

This is the first time in decades that circumstances have forced him to adopt girls chosen by another coach.Although the entire group trained with him for a week ,he had to choose 3 out of 8 girls.

If he had a choice he might very well had chosen none.One girl is small,graceful,huge talent ..but has fear issues.She can do two perfect(to my ignorant eyes) BWO on the low beam,but can't do one without a spot on the high beam.The preceding coach(mister nice guy)stacked up the mats under the high beam,would gradually remove one.He would spot her ,then simply stand close to her then gradually move away....you get the idea.

Mr tough guy sees this girl execute her BWO on the low beam ,puts her on the high beam,no mats ,no spotting, no standing close by, no encouraging words ,he just tells her loud enough for the whole gym to hear:"We can take months and months of me doing it for you,or you can do it for yourself within the end of the week,or you can leave"Well it worked,after some tears,drying sweaty hands on her leo a few hundred times,her mom looking on in agony,she now does BWO BWO on the high beam.

However ,the coach didn't do this with the best interest of the girl in mind,he did it in HIS best interest in mind.He REALLY has no time for fearful gymnasts,tall gymnasts,fat gymnasts.

I actually caved and checked out the height- and -weight -for- age charts on the internet this week end,to see how tall and fat my daughter is,she's currently 50th percentile in height and 40 th percentile for weight.The girls chosen by this coach "look" to be about 30th for height and 10 th for weight.

So my kid is a GIANT, however if we starve her we may stunt her growth and drop her weight to an acceptable level.haha!I'm not amused.

 

[wallinbl]

Mr tough guy sees this girl execute her BWO on the low beam ,puts her on the high beam,no mats ,no spotting, no standing close by, no encouraging words ,he just tells her loud enough for the whole gym to hear:"We can take months and months of me doing it for you,or you can do it for yourself within the end of the week,or you can leave"Well it worked,after some tears,drying sweaty hands on her leo a few hundred times,her mom looking on in agony,she now does BWO BWO on the high beam.

However ,the coach didn't do this with the best interest of the girl in mind,he did it in HIS best interest in mind.He REALLY has no time for fearful gymnasts,tall gymnasts,fat gymnasts.

It may very well be in the girl's interest. The "or you can leave" phrase is a bit much, but the girl apparently wasn't all that afraid, as she got up there and did it. I'll also give the coach the benefit of the doubt and assume that he's aware enough to know when a gymnast is ready for the high beam and when the skill isn't quite there yet.

 

[profmom]

I'm curious to know what gyms have "fat" and not "fit" optional gymnasts. That would be a very interesting sight to see.

Way, way back in the times when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I went to college. Once a week, I went to an aerobics class led my one of my best friends, who probably had a BMI of around 25 or 26 to my 18 or so. I still have the occasional nightmare of her shouting, "Pick it UP! Get those legs MOVING! Let's GO!" as I dragged my exhausted skinny butt through the end of the workout that she was completing with ease (while having enough breath to harangue the rest of us).

I apologize for the slight hijack, but it's very important to dispel the notion that fatness and fitness are antonyms.

 

[SheCanFly]

We have an optional that is larger than our others. If my memory serves me correctly, about three years ago, she began to be carrying a higher amount of body fat than our other optionals. I see her struggle every week. The girls she used to compete with are taking themselves to regionals as level 9s and getting lovely scores. They are competing flic saltos on beam while she has been competing her cartwheel roundoff season after season. They fly on the bars doing release moves to go from high to low while she is still trying to hit her handstand. She competed a handspring half on vault while her old teammates are hitting yurchenkos and working on perfecting their yurchenko layout. She is tumbling a front handspring front saltos. They are twisting laid out.

You can see the frustration on her face......almost a look of defeat. There are circumstances in her life that don't allow her to quit but she doesn't seem to enjoy training like the other girls.

I am afraid that others might see me as defending or agreeing with the coach this thread is about but i just wanted to say again that i think there is a place for all gymnasts. Not all gymnasts will achieve the same level but i don't think it is a bad to thing for each family to define success in a sport. I love all of our girls. We are a small gym with a very strong family feel. We are fortunate to have an amazing staff and very committed gymnasts who place well in meets. The bonehead coach just has different goals and means it appears. I don't think i could live with his coaching style for my child though. We prefer positive coaching styles.

 

[wallinbl]

I apologize for the slight hijack, but it's very important to dispel the notion that fatness and fitness are antonyms.

Some of the most powerful tumblers at DD's gym are the ones that don't "look" like a gymnast at first glance.

 

[SheCanFly]

I apologize for the slight hijack, but it's very important to dispel the notion that fatness and fitness are antonyms.

And likewise the notion that skinny equals fit. To me a fit athlete has an acceptable percent body fat in addition to muscle tone, flexibility, and cardiovascular health.

 

[Chocoholic]

As I said above, I think this particular coach's comments were awful and should not be tolerated. I do wonder, however, how a coach should handle a gymnast who does need to lose weight. There's a girl on my daughter's team who is heavier than ideal -- not just for a gymnast, but for any girl of her height. She really struggles with bars and I'm guessing that the weight doesn't help. I don't think any coach has said anything to her or her parents. Do you think they should or is this best left unsaid? Just curious what people think.

 

[profmom]

Shecanfly, I am sorry to keep on this track, but it seems that you are assuming that, for the one gymnast you describe, the cause of her lesser skill level is her weight. Any number of factors go into making someone a better or worse gymnast, and I am not sure why body fat would be anywhere near the top of the list. And I find the talk of "acceptable" body fat percentages troubling.

The hypothesis I propose is that body fat percentage has a lower correlation with success in gymnastics than any of the following characteristics: strength, flexibility, vestibular awareness, and aerobic fitness. Probably a lot of psychological aspects of the sport are more important as well.

While it is true that a particular range of body fat percentage often correlates with athletic excellence, the body fat percentage in and of itself does not cause success. To convince yourself of this, try the following thought experiment. A gymnast is trying to move from level 7 to level 8. On the list of things you'd counsel that gymnast to do, where would "check your body fat percentage, and if it is over a certain level, lose some weight" go?

Alternatively, google some images of female college gymnasts. I think by almost anyone's criteria, these young women would be classed as successes. And undoubtedly, a few of them have BMIs that would classify them as overweight. And I challenge you to find a single Division I linebacker who doesn't fall within the overweight or obese category, yet I sure wouldn't want to meet one of those guys in a dark alley with a grudge in hand -- 'cause I know I'd never outrun him!