Changing the direction of this thread (and thanks to @apgold and @Ic3Rabbit for the links) as more men skaters have been speaking out more recently:
Joe Johnson: (IG link below)
I dealt with an eating disorder for almost a decade.
.... What I want to say is this: it did not help me. It did not make me better. It did not make me love myself, or my body. It does not have to be obvious to be real. And I would have been a better athlete, and far more importantly, a happier person, without it. .... And I have learned, above all, that discipline and deprivation are not synonymous. There is beauty in abundance, there is success in health. I hope we all find it.
Sean Rabbitt in response:
I dealt with these things and after it was all said and done I was weaker, less healthy, and not happy with the result....
Shawn Sawyer
Eating Disorders, poorly treated injuries, abuse among elite figure skaters
(in French, translations mine)
A good spring cleaning is always necessary, says Shawn Sawyer Olympic athlete now trainer ....
Sawyer, like many other athletes, suffered eating disorders, notably anorexia and bulimia. His weight had been an obsession for a long time, so much that he didn't eat anything before competitions and weighed himself three times a day.
....
Many skaters reported the weigh-ins that were routinely required ....
Skate Canada confirmed that coaches are no longer permitted to weigh skaters as part of their daily training. Only health professionals are permitted to monitor weight. But who assures that the rule is followed? The organization did not respond.
Joe Johnson: (IG link below)
I dealt with an eating disorder for almost a decade.
.... What I want to say is this: it did not help me. It did not make me better. It did not make me love myself, or my body. It does not have to be obvious to be real. And I would have been a better athlete, and far more importantly, a happier person, without it. .... And I have learned, above all, that discipline and deprivation are not synonymous. There is beauty in abundance, there is success in health. I hope we all find it.
Sean Rabbitt in response:
I dealt with these things and after it was all said and done I was weaker, less healthy, and not happy with the result....
Shawn Sawyer
Eating Disorders, poorly treated injuries, abuse among elite figure skaters
(in French, translations mine)
A good spring cleaning is always necessary, says Shawn Sawyer Olympic athlete now trainer ....
Sawyer, like many other athletes, suffered eating disorders, notably anorexia and bulimia. His weight had been an obsession for a long time, so much that he didn't eat anything before competitions and weighed himself three times a day.
....
Many skaters reported the weigh-ins that were routinely required ....
Skate Canada confirmed that coaches are no longer permitted to weigh skaters as part of their daily training. Only health professionals are permitted to monitor weight. But who assures that the rule is followed? The organization did not respond.
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