Question about Chinese gymnasts

[missypie]

The Chinese women Olympic gymnasts look SO young...girls 16 and 18 look 9 and 11...it looks like they haven't gone through puberty. I immediately feel suspicous, like they are doing something to the girls to keep them that way...or does lack of body fat do that? Is anyone out there Chinese? Do Chinese girls typically develop later and look that young? Is it just that they are so cute that they look so young to my eyes?

 

[oogieboogie]

I can't say for the entire chinese population, but I'm 33 right now and I still get carded if I buy alcohol at the grocery store. Heck, I've gotten carded at a movie theater once when trying to watch an r-rated movie. BTW, I am of chinese descent.

 

[nkjzmom]

Many gymnasts are so small to begin with. DD was watching a little with me last night and mentioned that one girl looked about 9 or 10....just a few seconds later the announcer mentioned the same thing and added that she was actually 16.

I think some of the American gymnasts eyes seem to bulge out from their faces....not to sound mean but it looks unnatural.

 

[missypie]

Well, oogieboogie, that would be a nice problem to have!

 

[Cindy B]

I wondered that as well.

Think those athletes start so young training, and perhaps the body structure is ultimately changed for a lifetime because of the extremely early training.

Thats an interesting thought, though why? I've never been petite , so I have no idea what that would be like.

Those girls do look very very young.

 

[Tiggeroo]

You wouldn't stick with competitive gymnastics if you weren't small. Also, the hard training delays first menses, and therefore puberty at times. My son is a distance runner in hs and this is an issue with alot of the girl distance runners as well.

 

[missypie]

Yes, it may be self selection to an extent. We'll see. DD, 8, is a competitive gymnast and is tall for her age. She loves Svetlana Horkina (spelled phonetically) from Russia because she is "tall." But she's really only 5' 5". All the girls look tiny, but the American 16-18 year olds look their age in their faces...the Chinese girls look like children. But maybe it is just to Western eyes.

 

[vernon]

The very hard training regime and diet of many of the gymnasts can delay and lessen the onset of puberty. Gymnastics is well known to have this effect for the elite athletes, but as tigeroo says athletics (distance races) can have a similar effect. I think the effect is exagerated in some of the Asian athletes as they tend to have a slighter frame to start with.

 

[CEDmom]

The vast majority of Chinese people are genetically programmed to be small in comparison to Americans. Particularly if they are from Southern China. I know my DD is just one example but she will be 5 in 2 weeks and is the size of an American 3 yo (38"/30 lb). Based on her current size we don't anticipate she'll be much over 5'/100 lb as an adult. She also still has a very babyish face and soft features typical of many Chinese children.

 

[shelbyjosh]

After reading the book "Little Girls in Pretty Boxes" you will understand that the American gymnastic (elite level) coaches pretty much starve those girls. They eat a yogurt, salad, and a granola bar for dinner. To me, that is going to extremes. Yes, their training AND diet cause late menses and delay puberty. In fact, DH and I were watching gymnastics on tv last night. He could not believe these girls that were 18-25 that did not have breasts. I explained to him why. NBC did a profile on Kristie Phillips (gymnast from the 90s) and what she went thru. Look at her today and she is a thriving, healthy looking young woman. I suggest y'all read that book. I did since DD is a figure skater. She can eat us out of the house and is very healthy. No way would I subject my kid to that "torture".

 

[snoopy]

What about the girl gymnast who recently died as a result of anorexia/bullimia? She was something like 4'9" and weighed 90 lbs., and was told in order to compete she'd need to lose weight.

Its scary. Female figure skating is the same way.

I like the competition of sports, but not to the point where young girls are dying for it. It makes me sad, and as a result, I don't really care to watch female gymnasts anymore. I still love figure skatig, but like to watch the older ladies who are less on jumps/tricks and more emphasis on skating and the beauty of ballet on ice.

 

[MinnieM21]

Some people are just naturally small though. I did figure skate for about 7 years when I was younger. Right now I'm almost 20, 4' 11" and 85 lbs and I look about 13. That's just the way I am. Some gymnasts, figure skaters, etc. are just naturally small.

 

[snoopy]

Originally posted by MinnieM21
Some people are just naturally small though. I did figure skate for about 7 years when I was younger. Right now I'm almost 20, 4' 11" and 85 lbs and I look about 13. That's just the way I am. Some gymnasts, figure skaters, etc. are just naturally small.

Absolutely. I think you can tell the difference between those who are naturally small and those who are starving themselves. The latter look a little deformed.

 

[missypie]

Interesting point, snoopy, because I didn't think the Chinese girls looked hollow eyed or underfed at all...just YOUNG.

 

[MinnieM21]

Originally posted by snoopy
Absolutely. I think you can tell the difference between those who are naturally small and those who are starving themselves. The latter look a little deformed.

It is really sad for those who have to starve themselves for their sport.

 

[missypie]

Of course, wrestlers and jockeys have been starving themselves forever, too. (Anybody read "Sea Bisquit"?) A friend of mine wrestled in high school and said he was always hungry and always in a bad mood, all the way through high school. He could have gone to college on a wrestling scholarship but he said he just couldn't stand it any more.

 

[DemonLlama]

I'm not sure if we were all watching the same women last night, but the Americans do have breasts, and they are fantastically muscular. They eat right, and do not starve themselves. Little Girls in Pretty Boxes as written in an era in which gymnastics belonged to children, and a girl who developed curves generally was not able to continue an elite career, which led to a rise in eating disorders in the sport. The book is not the most balanced look, either. This has changed pretty significantly over the last decade, which is why you see Mo and Annia in their twenties on the US team. This is not to say that some girls in gymnastics become overly body conscious, but don't paint with such a wide brush.

This is a fantastic sport that gives girls like mine, who put up with being called shorty at school and mistaken for a 5 year old by adults. (She's turning 9 in two weeks.) She's finally found something that fits her stature. She's blossomed into a confident, sparkling, coordinated young lady thanks to this sport.

 

[monarchsfan16]

The physical stress from the actual activity does cause a delay in puberty. My cousin has been in gymnastics since she was 5. She is now 14 and looks like she's 8. She has not even begun to reach puberty because of the physical pounding she takes in gymnastics, as a level 7 I believe (a few levels below elite). My cousin can outeat my 6'3 300 pound uncle, and is a very muscular young lady. However she certainly does not look her age. I have friends who were in high level gymnastics and absolutely tiny, but when they quit they began growing and reaching all the physical development milestones. It completely has to do with the stress on the body.
Think of it in this respect. Women who are completely through puberty have problems if they are under a lot of stress, physically or emotionally. Stress alters hormones. Gymnasts are under a significant amount of physical stress for a long time, which has a huge impact on them hormonally, which delays the onset of puberty.

 

[maci]

I have to agree with Demonllama....I didnt think any of the girls last night looked unhealthy. With exception of Svetlana Horkina (sp?), she looked like a walking skeleton!!!
I did say to my husband last night that I had a hard time believing those chinese girls were 16 though. But I must say they seemed really happy!! Out of all of the teams they were the ones smiling the most, and seemed to really be having fun!!

 

[Az Pirates]

I WISH I could more fully agree with DemonLlama that the days of 'little girls in pretty boxes' type training is not happening anymore.
Hopefully things are getting better. Unfortunately, I think there is still a real problem.

When my DD was a level 8 one of the girls on the team was overweight. She could do every skill as well as or better than the majority of the girls and she was very consistent. She was pulled aside and told she HAD to lose weight to remain on the team. She eventually quit because she was treated so badly by the coaches.
That same year the gymnastics powers that be at the state level 'suggested' that our team get different competition leo's for regionals because the girls "looked fat" in the ones we had. There were maybe 3 girls on the entire team that weighed over 100 lbs. and only the one girl that was overweight. Sheesh!

I've also seen taller or bigger girls leave the sport because coaches were not supportive with them like they are with the tiny girls. There are some gyms out there who will work with any girl willing to put forth an effort - but I'd be willing to bet there are even more who only want a specific body type - especially for the team programs.

I think it's great that girls like Demon Llamas who are small statured find acceptance in gymnastics - I just wish that girls who are taller or larger could find the same acceptance. If they are willing to work hard and can master the skills - why shouldn't they?

OK - rant over.