Forced starvation of skaters in Eteri's training camp

Dragonlady

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Ice Capades did the same thing in North America. Anyone know what the current practice is in the Disney shows?

It's my understanding that all of those weigh-ins were discontinued. Ice Capades went out of business inn 1995, so they probably did weigh-ins throughout their run. It lead to a LOT of disordered eating.

I think weigh ins have been discontinued, but I don't know with absolute certainty.
 

skateboy

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It's my understanding that all of those weigh-ins were discontinued. Ice Capades went out of business inn 1995, so they probably did weigh-ins throughout their run.
Here's an interesting clip from 1974. Trixi Schuba, the 1972 Olympic Champion who won all of her titles because of her perfect figures (and not her free skating), told a story of how she was forced to lose 25 or 30 pounds while she was touring with Holiday On Ice, in order to look more glamorous in the shows. She was put on a strict diet of just 500 calories a day (!) while she was on tour. Here she is performing, absolutely unrecognizable from her competitive days:


Oddly enough (and perhaps disturbingly), Trixi defended the forced diet, saying that she loved eating cakes and pastries too much. But 500 calories a day... geez.
 

Dragonlady

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Here's an interesting clip from 1974. Trixi Schuba, the 1972 Olympic Champion who won all of her titles because of her perfect figures (and not her free skating), told a story of how she was forced to lose 25 or 30 pounds while she was touring with Holiday On Ice, in order to look more glamorous in the shows. She was put on a strict diet of just 500 calories a day (!) while she was on tour. Here she is performing, absolutely unrecognizable from her competitive days:


Oddly enough (and perhaps disturbingly), Trixi defended the forced diet, saying that she loved eating cakes and pastries too much. But 500 calories a day... geez.

My cat would lose weight on 500 calories a day! The average active woman needs 2000 per day to maintain weight, and someone who is skating professionally requires more - 3500 to 5000 to maintain muscle and performance.

 

kailena

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Big deal. That is normal practice all over the world. When I got fat at work, they wouldn't let us eat or drink until we lost the weight. A couple people died, but it was because they are weak. Why are we making a big deal about this?


(Someone who doesn't know much about the topic) Seeing that she says she no longer does it in routine, is it an eating disorder, or a forced regime? Or is she just past it?

I think I posted this from FS Gossips before, and it's indeed disgusting and the Eteri camp seems most culpable for it. That said, I'm not sure it's just an "Eteri thing" and not a Russian sports thing, as in I would guess Eteri's directed to do this to keep up her factory.
 

Prancer

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Big deal. That is normal practice all over the world. When I got fat at work, they wouldn't let us eat or drink until we lost the weight.
Where did you work that they had the power to refuse you food and drink?
A couple people died, but it was because they are weak. Why are we making a big deal about this?
Because we are all weak and want to protect our own.
 

kailena

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Where did you work that they had the power to refuse you food and drink?

Because we are all weak and want to protect our own.
While I was in college in Hungary, I worked as a prostitute to cover my tuition and living expenses. We had to be in tip-top shape so I ate healthy, exercised, did my Kegels and worked hard.
 

Prancer

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While I was in college in Hungary, I worked as a prostitute to cover my tuition and living expenses. We had to be in tip-top shape so I ate healthy, exercised, did my Kegels and worked hard.
Really? Most of the prostitutes I see are drug addicts and look it. I do not, however, doubt for a second that their work is hard.

So are you equating figure skaters with Hungarian prostitutes? Or trying to argue that the standards of Hungarian prostitutes are in common practice all over the world? Or...what precisely is the salient point you want to make on this topic?

On second thought, you aren't entertaining enough to keep around.
 

bladesofgorey

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Sounds like Medvedeva is currently suffering from anorexia again based on her quotes from this very disturbing interview where she states that people are telling her she looks ill and she says dropping all this weight (down to bone) is making her feel happier.

To no surprise she was deeply anorexic leading up to the Olympics and ended up with brittle bones and talks about how dangerous that was, but eating disorders that develop in childhood are often lifetime afflictions. Also she alludes to the fact this push for unhealthy thinness and disordered attitudes about weight in children and young teens is still being promoted in Eteri's camp: https://fs-gossips.com/13708/

If I had a nickel for every time someone said "Oh they are just naturally thin" about every young Eteri skater competing with a deadly mental illness who's since come forward to admit they were suffering from an eating disorder the entire time.....
 

Cachoo

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In Russia there is an idea of “perfect weight.” Apparently it is your height in cm - 110 = perfect weight kg.

Russian ballet schools follow this and weight guidelines are openly talked about. Dancers can be expelled from ballet academies bc of weight. https://melmoth.blog/post/142675479933/vaganova-ballet-academy-heightweight-requirement

Not an excuse for Eteri but harsh weight standards seem to be a Russian thing.

The first thing I thought of was a series on YouTube about little Russian girls in their first year at a prestigious Russian ballet academy. They were painfully thin imho. Then I finally saw a girl that looked normal to me and they had her on restriction--I think she was eating broth during one meal while the others had an actual meal.

It is disheartening to know that Eteri's skaters have reached such heights but at such great cost: Anna, Yulia and Evgenia have horror stories, Aliona and brittle bones among others. Knowing what they know now would they do it again? I'm willing to bet they would and that is scary to me.
 

bladesofgorey

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Some facts about anorexia and why Eteri runs an eating disorder factory as much as a skating school:

Too many people on here over the years, including people in medical fields have made flippant and completely incorrect statements about people with anorexia. Once anorexia or other eating disorders have taken hold they can't just be flipped off like stopping a fad diet or quitting cigarettes. This overview isn't very long but hits on a lot of the research findings. Please note that in animal models the restriction of food by outside sources triggers anorexia. In other words, having one's food restricted causes biological/chemical changes to one's body and brain that lead to the disorder.
 

Tesla

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I used to wear two pairs of tights and a mesh layer over them just so people wouldn’t be alarmed by my protruding knees and bones. I’m naturally built this way — what I’d call ‘innate anorexic thinness.’
My 13-year-old daughter is super thin and her knees and bones don't protrude. This isn't normal. This is such a sad article. I feel so sorry for Evgenia.
 
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bladesofgorey

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My 13-year-old daughter is super thin and her knees and bones don't protrude. This isn't normal. This is such a sad article. I feel so sorry for Evgenia.
It's extremely upsetting. 'I’m naturally built this way — what I’d call ‘innate anorexic thinness.’ Followed by her outlining how extreme her diet was and is in order to "get down to bone".
 

Former Lurve Goddess

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Some facts about anorexia and why Eteri runs an eating disorder factory as much as a skating school:

Too many people on here over the years, including people in medical fields have made flippant and completely incorrect statements about people with anorexia. Once anorexia or other eating disorders have taken hold they can't just be flipped off like stopping a fad diet or quitting cigarettes. This overview isn't very long but hits on a lot of the research findings. Please note that in animal models the restriction of food by outside sources triggers anorexia. In other words, having one's food restricted causes biological/chemical changes to one's body and brain that lead to the disorder.
This - a lot of people don't understand that food restriction/extreme dieting can in themselves cause anorexia. I'll also add that many people with eating disorders don't necessarily "look" like they have them.
 

Vagabond

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The only Tutberidze skater whose skating I really enjoyed was Kostornaia, who came to her after learning her skills elsewhere and has been saddled with a reputation for being headstrong. Good for her for being headstrong! I wish every skater training with Tutberidze were as headstrong as she.
 

purple skates

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Not to sound superior, but I never enjoyed any of her skaters. At the time I thought it was because they were all tiny rotating machines with no maturity. Maybe I was subconsciously seeing the eating disorder/abuse. Dunno. I feel so bad for those abused child athletes.
 

withwings

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Neither did I and, I am almost certain, not so many in general except Russians themselves. It was a skating factory for political/ideological reasons "we, Russians are the best (and it is why all world hates us)" where all the ways how to achieve this are under the wing of the government. Medals were goals, not skating itself. Medals. Girls were prepared like torpedoes for achieving this goal.
 
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bladesofgorey

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No one knew. She is a favorite among many of us. It hurts because she is a warm, sweet person and she suffered. No doubt about that. I happen to love a lot of skaters who won silver medals. I think this Silver Queen paid dearly for hers.
I hadn't put on a pair of skates in decades and hadn't paid any attention to the sport for as long as that, but it was my better half asking if I'd seen a young skater named Medvedeva who he'd happened on while flipping sports channels. I watched and was amazed at how easily and freely she skated, and how much (to me) she seemed to make skating look like the most enjoyable thing one could ever do when she was performing. I could be wrong, but I don't think she was "faking" it. I think that she was in love with the feeling of skating, not just with winning, and it came through in every performance. Watching some videos of her skating made me pine for skating again. Those performances were what brought my aged self back to the ice. It's so upsetting to realize how deeply she was suffering those years.
 

Cachoo

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Not to sound superior, but I never enjoyed any of her skaters. At the time I thought it was because they were all tiny rotating machines with no maturity. Maybe I was subconsciously seeing the eating disorder/abuse. Dunno. I feel so bad for those abused child athletes.
The one thing I hate is the short careers of most Russian female skaters now. Liza was an exception. I hope a good skater, like Frolova, who has artistry but no quad, has a shot in their system. I loved her sp.
 

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