Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of eating disorders which may be a sensitive topic for some readers.
Smith College boasts a history of groundbreaking opportunities for its student-athletes, from being the first historically women’s college to join the NCAA to becoming one of the most decorated historically women’s colleges in the NCAA. The college’s 11 varsity sports provide athletes with access to coaches, trainers, practice times and facilities that is incomparable to most other women’s collegiate programs, as there are no men’s teams to compete with for resources.
While these intensive programs and competitive environment have contributed to Smith’s high standing in many sports at the regional and national level, is it really an empowering and healthy environment for athletes? According to The Sport Journal, an estimated 84% of collegiate student-athletes participate in disordered eating behaviors and 26% meet the criteria of a severe clinical eating disorder. With increased pressure for student-athletes to fit a certain look and build in order to perform well, there is a risk that a competitive athletics department like Smith would foster habits of underfueling and overtraining in order to try to meet those standards.
In a recent survey, Smith athletes responded that Smith’s athletics community is actually empowering and better for mental health. Over 80% of our survey respondents (sent to all Smith College Athletes) said that they experienced food and body image issues because of their sport in high school, but all said that they felt that these issues were lessened by the positive athletic culture at Smith.
Athletes in “aesthetic-based” sports, where body type is deemed crucial to performance, like running and swimming, recounted prior experiences of feeling like they needed to maintain their prepubescent body to maximize performance and that their failure to do so made them feel inadequate. However, members of the Cross Country, Track and Swim and Dive teams all stated that their team cultures embraced a variety of body types, including people who identify as genderqueer or nonbinary, who generally feel uncomfortable or dysphoric in the revealing uniforms of each sport. One swimmer states, “Smith puts way less emphasis on body structure and appearance, it is more about feeling good and getting stronger than what you look like.”
Many athletes also stated that eating in an environment with other athletes is helpful.With a mutual understanding that athletes have higher fueling needs due to intense levels of activity, there is less judgment. However, this idea of food only being seen as fuel can be detrimental when athletes are out of season or injured and unable to train. One cross country runner said, “when I stopped running for a period, I had trouble viewing food as necessary or good when not training.”
Especially at the collegiate level, athletics can become all-encompassing, making it difficult for athletes to value their bodies and lives outside of sport. What is the point of eating if it’s not contributing to performance? What is the point of bodies if they are not able to compete and train? This can also create a feeling of isolation when participating in spaces outside of athletics. One survey respondent said they feel uncomfortable when eating outside of team meals because non-athletes aren’t accustomed to their nutritional needs.
For life post-Smith, the four years of intensive training can leave athletes feeling like they have lost their purpose after graduation, where the majority of athletes are not planning on pursuing their sport professionally. The loss of routine, team camaraderie and even endorphins can leave former athletes in a slump when they enter the real world. Entering a world outside of Smith that is overrun with unhealthy diet and fitness culture can be jarring for athletes.
While attending Smith, athletes are provided with crucial resources such as nutritionists, athletic trainers and therapists. The availability of these resources is beneficial while student-athletes are in Smith’s carefully constructed environment, but this can be problematic for student-athletes post-graduation or for those who can no longer participate in their sport and lose access to these rehabilitative resources.
Despite Smith having supportive team cultures these issues still exist. Many athletes cited that even though their own team has positive language around food, body image was rarely talked about and seen as kind of taboo. Overtraining is also a common problem in an environment where such a high level of activity is seen as normal. Athletes stated they were overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety on rest days, even if it was mandated by a coach. It’s hard to draw the line of what is a healthy love of exercise and what is overloading due to fear of gaining weight or losing fitness. This slightly toxic culture of competition and comparison around activity levels can create feelings of shame. By encouraging some of these uncomfortable conversations instead of pretending that Smith is a utopia where food and body image issues don’t exist, athletes will be able to better transition in and out of their sport, and understand their self-worth outside of athletics.
