Weighing your gymnasts?

[NGL780309]

I know that my friend's DD, who is a college gymnast, gets weighed regularly. They also measure their body fat. This is done by a nutritionist, who then reports back to the coaches and results are discussed with the gymnasts. It's not done in front of anyone else and is done in a positive/respectful way, not at all like some of the experiences I've heard. When this girl was a club gymnast she was not weighed, but her coaches would say mean things to her about her weight all the time. Now she is being weighed and educated about nutrition and finds it to be a postive experience. So perhaps weighing is not the problem, but how it's done and how the information is used.

I still wouldn't want my 6 year old weighed because there would be no point to it. If she were overweight and the coaches came to me privately and discussed it with me, I don't think I would have a problem with that. I would want to handle it myself rather than have them harping on her about it.

At my school where I teach we have a lot of overweight kids. The school set up meetings with the parent and a nutritionist and they offer free nutrition classes. Some people feel like this in none of the school's business, but in our state the 3rd and 4th graders have their height/weight and various times on different physical tests entered every year and submitted to the state and they track their progress.

 

[GymGirl's Mom]

I am against it too, there is a gym around here- a gym with very few to no gymnasts in the upper levels- that requires ALL girls to be weighed and have it recorded by a Doctor on the release form (you know the one you sign at the gym that says you are aware gymnastics is risky and you can't sue for injury) along with having the Doctor report that the child is in good physical health to participate in gymnastics when signing up for a class-- and have them completed yearly. I am not sure what they do with these forms and information.

Public schools in my sates do a yearly weight/height/BMI on all kids and send the info home.

 

[coachmolly]

I am against it too, there is a gym around here- a gym with very few to no gymnasts in the upper levels- that requires ALL girls to be weighed and have it recorded by a Doctor on the release form (you know the one you sign at the gym that says you are aware gymnastics is risky and you can't sue for injury) along with having the Doctor report that the child is in good physical health to participate in gymnastics when signing up for a class-- and have them completed yearly. I am not sure what they do with these forms and information.

Public schools in my sates do a yearly weight/height/BMI on all kids and send the info home.

Do they require these from the class kids too? I know of one gym that requires this yearly from all team girls, I think it's a little excessive. I'm totally fine with asking for a doctor's approval to participate, just because injuries are so common in the gym and it's good for gym owners to cover their bases as much as possible, but I really don't think weight has a ton to do with it. If the doctor finds a gymnast's weight to be a problem at the time of exam they can discuss it with the gymnast and parents directly, no coaches involved, and work to come up with a healthy solution.

 

[MaryA]

I am against it too, there is a gym around here- a gym with very few to no gymnasts in the upper levels- that requires ALL girls to be weighed and have it recorded by a Doctor on the release form (you know the one you sign at the gym that says you are aware gymnastics is risky and you can't sue for injury) along with having the Doctor report that the child is in good physical health to participate in gymnastics when signing up for a class-- and have them completed yearly. I am not sure what they do with these forms and information.

Public schools in my sates do a yearly weight/height/BMI on all kids and send the info home.

I think a yearly height, weight, and clean bill-of-health from a doctor is a little different than weighing regularly in the gym. Even camp health forms usually have a place for the doctor to record a child's height and weight. The school now sends home yearly BMI reports with a note of warning if your child is in the top 5% or bottom 10% (or something like that). Though I'm not sure how I feel about that either.

 

[gymdog]

I know that my friend's DD, who is a college gymnast, gets weighed regularly. They also measure their body fat. This is done by a nutritionist, who then reports back to the coaches and results are discussed with the gymnasts. It's not done in front of anyone else and is done in a positive/respectful way, not at all like some of the experiences I've heard. When this girl was a club gymnast she was not weighed, but her coaches would say mean things to her about her weight all the time. Now she is being weighed and educated about nutrition and finds it to be a postive experience. So perhaps weighing is not the problem, but how it's done and how the information is used.

Most athletic departments do this with all sports but I think the culture around it is just very different because it's more likely to be a problem when a girl is losing weight. I know a couple of girls who have ultimately been dismissed from teams when they failed to GAIN enough weight after being placed on restriction (generally complicated circumstances) and were being treated for eating disorders. But on the other hand I don't know anyone who has had problems with being placed on any kind of restriction because they were "too fat." I mean I'm sure at some point it would become a problem, but it seems like it's more often the other side of it in that case, not that they have to make a certain weight range or lose weight. And I'm also sure there is some NCAA coach out there who might be a pain about it, but the actual people in the athletic departments who do this kind of thing generally have some kind of medical or similarly related training, so they're less likely to have unhealthy ideas.

 

[MdGymMom01]

Time to add my dancer's perspective again Dance studios are notorious for having problems with eating disorders. I've been with my dance studio since right after it opened in '96, and the artistic director has had the same policy from then until now; she talks about eating healthy but she will never talk about weight. She also makes it very clear that you will be asked to leave if she finds out you are starving yourself or anything like that, and she has kept her word on that. For her it is much more important to build good character than to make sure everyone has a "dancer's body". The same thing should apply to gymnastics. I'm very lucky to be at a studio like this, and I should also add that we're the best in our area :]

I am glad that you brought up the dance studios as my dd also does ballet in addition to the gymnastics. I, like you, am so glad that we found our studio because it has the same way of thinking as yours--healthy and strong bodies is what is more important than being the "typical" ballet body. My dd's studio is strictly ballet that does performances as opposed to competitions and promotes proper technique and healthy bodies and minds. There are some other larger more "popular" ballet studios in the area but they unfortunately do not keep all the aspects that are important to the dancers well-being in balance as a priority.

 

[LMV]

My eclectic thoughts:
-I think what weight is appropriate for a certain individual is really a medical decision and unless coaches also happen to have a MD and a physician patient relationship with the athlete in question they shouldn't be making this determination. If coaches have concerns about the health of their athletes they should direct the athlete or parents to seek medical attention.
-Unless coaches are trying to use pre/post workout weights as a gauge for ensuring adequate hydration I don't see a reason they should be weighing athletes at practice.
-I think having height and weight on an annual physical form is a different situation. I know at our daughter's gym a copy of these forms [which also include medical history, allergies, and emergency contact data] goes with whatever coach is taking the kids to meets and is designed to be handed to EMS personnel if a situation arises where this is necessary. In ane emergency situation having a weight to work with may be helpful.

 

[sportyspice]

We have had pre/post workout weights recorded. Each girl had to write her weight down next to the other girls, DD didnt like doing it so would 'forget' and coach would remind her, again she would 'forget' so I told her don't do it if you don't want to and have the coach talk to me if its a problem. Doesnt happen anymore. Weighing in is way more prevalent at higher levels than is admitted to by coaches. Unfortunately some coaches have the attitude that "she can't do the skill cos she's too fat so I won't bother trying to teach her it." I always watch my daughter's BMI, its been static at 19 for the last 4 years.

 

[canadiangymnast_eh]

I have never heard of weighing a gymnast regularly! That's just an eating disorder waiting to happen! At my gym we never really focus around weight.Closest thing to it is one girl is just coming back from surgery on her foot. She gained a lot of weight and now has to eat a bit healthier and do a bit more cardio to get back in shape but the coaches are doing that for safety reasons. It's natural to gain weight as people grow. I remember a specific incident at my old gym last year. The coach sat me and another girl down and almost straight up said that we were fat. In my mind, this was uncalled for and rude. The other girl was quite small and didn't have an inch of fat on her. I am almost 16, 5'1" and weigh 96 lbs. I would hardly call that overweight. I was glad to get out of that negative environment as i had really low self esteem by the end of the year. It was due to all of the negativity and the constant insults from my coach. It is not an ideal situation for anyone, especially teens and little girls.

 

[flippinlolly]

At my old club we had a weigh in once a week and it was the sort of stressful "oh my gosh have i gained a quarter of a pound??!!" sort of thing. It would end up that all the girls were careful not to eat too much on the night before weigh ins, we wouldnt eat breakfast or drink until after the weigh in just to make the tiniest bit of difference. I had this from the age of about 7/8. It was a bad environment and the coach had no problem about broadcasting changes to the whole team e.g. "soandsos clearly not been working hard this week have they?" I vividly remember one club championships where me and a couple of other girls bought mars bars and hid roung the back of the gym eating them, terrified that we would be found. It was a horrible environment but at the time I didn't realise there was anything wrong with it. Obviously being this concerned about your weight at age 8 is incredibly wrong.

At 11 I moved house and therefore moved to my current gym. At my gym at the moment the elites do have a weigh in about once every two weeks (though it changes a lot) but nothing is ever really said about it and it is used to ensure that you are maintaining a healthy weight. They don't really look at the actual numbers, they just watch out for large changes that could show something is up. If you lose a large amount they may talk to you (though I've never heard of this while I've been at my gym). As its only the elites who get weighed, they dont really worry about weight going up because if youre exercising that amount and your weights still going up then its clearly not a problem of fitness/lack of exercise so its natural. Its quite hard to explain the atmosphere of weight/nutrition issues that we have at my gym in words but I know that they've never made me feel uncomfortable in any way and its never really come up. I suppose they use it more as a way to catch problems like eating disorders than controlling your weight. Like I say, its hard to describe.

 

[GymSurvivor]

If my gym weighed in I would be quick to find a new gym. Most of the girls on the team are skinny already, we do have a few heavier girls but nothing to be concerned with.
The one thing they do ask is for you to bring healthy food as a snack at the gym for break time. Which I think is completely understandable. But weighing in? I feel like that is the doctors and parents responsibility.
Once you hit Elite, I think things sort of change and I'm not sure what elite girls do but at my gym the highest level we currently have is level 8.

 

[cher062]

Can't say I know of any gyms in our state that do this. I've seen some chunky gymnasts out there so I don't think they do.

 

[mustlovejumping]

I am glad that you brought up the dance studios as my dd also does ballet in addition to the gymnastics. I, like you, am so glad that we found our studio because it has the same way of thinking as yours--healthy and strong bodies is what is more important than being the "typical" ballet body. My dd's studio is strictly ballet that does performances as opposed to competitions and promotes proper technique and healthy bodies and minds. There are some other larger more "popular" ballet studios in the area but they unfortunately do not keep all the aspects that are important to the dancers well-being in balance as a priority.

That does sound a lot like my studio! We also do only performances, and whenever any of our girls go to audition for a summer intensive (we have lots of very good ballet companies near by because we're in California) our technique stands out and is significantly better than girls from other studios. I'm in college now and my roommate last year was a dance major. She is lucky enough to already have a perfect body type for ballet, and she doesn't have any issues with eating disorders. One day we somehow got to talking about eating disorders in dancers, and she was surprised when I told her we didn't have problems like that at my studio...it had become a normal thing at her studio back home. That's so sad to me because most kids will never end up as professional ballet dancers anyway, so why should they hurt themselves trying to get to the "right" body type. My sister is about 5' and very stocky, but not overweight by any means. She does not have even close to a "ballet" body type, but she is one of the top dancers at our studio.

 

[Deanna]

Kadee's gym does NOT weigh the girls. I have NEVER seen nor HEARD of them doing it a single time. They do discuss good eating habits, getting plenty of fluids, rest..ect. But in an educational way. Not a in do or die kind way. There are girls of every shape and size on Kadee's team. The coaches, always give the girls "money" after each practice to keep in a folder in their lockers. They get money (think monopoly..lol) for something each time, maybe they got a element they have been having trouble with, they fell off of bars or beam, but got right back up, they did such and such Xtimes in a row...they help so and so, they had a great attitude...ect. They come up with something each time to give them money. Then the next practice, they can use their "money" to buy a snack and or drink. This is where the gym somewhat controls their choices. But they do it in a way that is positive. They have vitamin water, bottled water, gatorade, smart water..ect. They have granola bars, sunflower seeds, plain sun chips, trail mix..ect. Then they have a few sodas, sugary drinks, and things like cookies, candy bars, ect. And the girls have the choice of what they spend their money on. The good snacks far outweigh the bad in the options. The "bad" snacks they will only have one of each, say..a soda and cookies. But the good snacks they always have a multiple choice for it. It really is amazing that for the most part the girls make the right choice. Every once in a while one will get a soda, or the cookies ect, which is fine with the coaches too. I just think they would frown on it if they did it all the time. But it really does come down to the final choice being the girls. And they learn a valuable lesson, in a sense. Earning money, making wise choices on what to spend your money on, how to count money and change..ect. Its a neat way they do it..and personaly I think it works great.

I would not like it at all if they said they had to maintain a certain weight/body fat percentage. That would worry me.

 

[aerialriver]

That is funny about the snacks. Our gym was the worst all they sold is candy, and soda and chips. Now they starting offering apples for 25 cents each, they fly out the door and candy sales are down. Sometimes kids will make the right choice if give the chance.

As far as weighing, no we don't. It is not discussed, nor is nutrition or healthy habits but honestly most of the kids doing gym have fit bodies to do so, I don't notice a lot of really overweight kids. I can only think of one poor girl, she was a beginner and ended up breaking her arm doing a handstand because she could not support her weight.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

i'd like to add...."hell no" unless you want to get sued.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Gonna play devil's advocate for a second here: I can see one valid reason why coaches may want to weigh their gymnasts, and that is to track growth. If a gymnast is hitting a growth spurt, it may be necessary to back off the intensity of her training for awhile while she adjusts. I would not object in principal to a coach weighing gymnasts for this purpose.

HOWEVER

I certainly would never do this. It would cause more problems than it would solve. Young girls in general and athletic ones in particular are better off not worrying about weight; the focus should be on general fitness and nutrition. If you're looking for a way to gauge an athlete's health and fitness, weight is a completely useless metric.

 

[10.0]

Gonna play devil's advocate for a second here: I can see one valid reason why coaches may want to weigh their gymnasts, and that is to track growth. If a gymnast is hitting a growth spurt, it may be necessary to back off the intensity of her training for awhile while she adjusts. I would not object in principal to a coach weighing gymnasts for this purpose.

Wouldn't height be a better indicator of this?

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Wouldn't height be a better indicator of this?

Possibly.

As I said, this isn't something I would allow in my program, but I can understand why some programs would.

 

[Coach.Simon]

In this day and age, the last thing girls need is for their coaches to start weighing them