As rain pours down outside, some teams are getting ready to start practice. They stretch and begin the routine to better their bodies.
These teams, ready to train despite the terrible weather conditions, are composed of student athletes who face the challenges, and the pressures, of balancing academics and athletics.
Marissa Rudley, campus dietician at the University of Idaho, said it can be challenging for student athletes to take on the dual role of going to school while competing at the college level.
Rudley said pressures to perform and an emphasis on an athlete’s body can foster body image issues in student athletes.
“Sometimes athletes might feel more pressured than the average college student to conform to a certain body type,” Rudley said.
Anne Cox, an associate professor in sports studies and counseling psychology at Washington State University, said body image concerns may be heightened in athletes because there are certain ideals for an athletic physique.
Cox said female athletes are more likely to have body image issues than male athletes are. Athletes in sports like gymnastics, figure-skating and diving are also more likely to struggle with the way they perceive their bodies.
There are many factors student athletes have in their lives that a typical student does not, and Rudley said one concern athletes may have is the differences in their need for food.
“These are students who are not your average college students, so they require a lot more fuel for their bodies,” she said.
When it comes to an athlete’s food intake, Rudley said it is important for athletes to eat well in order to perform well and athletes also need a significant amount of energy to stay healthy.
Rudley said having these unique eating habits can cause athletes to feel self-conscious, which can lead to eating disorders that negatively impact their athletic performance. She said she has seen a number of instances where student athletes develop eating disorders.
“It’s definitely common,” Rudley said. “College is really stressful.”
In addition to the pressure to maintain a certain physique, Rudley said sport uniforms may also contribute to self-consciousness in athletes.
Swimming, diving and women’s volleyball all have outfits that are usually more revealing, Rudley said.
Unlike many of their peers, Rudley said student athletes have the added pressure of being directly told by outside sources how they should treat their bodies.
“They might find that they’re under additional scrutiny both in competition as well as they have many different individuals who are weighing in on … their general health,” she said.
Rudley said this includes multiple coaches, teammates and outside referrals, such as herself.
Cox said coaches are largely influential in an athlete’s motivation. If the coach allows athletes to make their own decisions but provides guidance, athletes are more likely to be motivated.
However, Cox said when coaches focus on the weight of the athletes, it is detrimental, because it emphasizes the weight of the athlete and tells relatively little about their actual health, leanness and performance.
“It’s quite prevalent to use the scale,” Cox said.
She said this is especially common in gymnastics and cheerleading, where team members are often weighed every week.
UI men’s basketball player Chris Sarbaugh said he experienced this while attending the University of San Diego.
Sarbaugh said coaches pressure some of the athletes to stay in shape.
“Having their body fat tested or whatever and then making them like do extra work-outs,” Sarbaugh said. “When we go to team meals they’re always watching them and making sure they’re not eating dessert or anything like that.”
He said he had one friend in particular who the coaches said was overweight and who they pushed to lose weight, which had negative psychological effects on his friend.
Sarbaugh said his friend had to weigh in every Monday, and on Sunday would not eat anything all day. The coaches would call him out in front of everyone, which upset his friend, Sarbaugh said.
He said athletes may also feel pressured by how other people expect an athlete to look.
“They expect them like really fit, like really good shape,” he said.
Sarbaugh said he personally has not felt much pressure from outside sources, but does push himself to stay fit.
Fellow UI basketball player Jordan Scott said for the athletes he knows, it is more about staying in shape rather than needing to look a certain way.
“It’s about performance rather than looks, really,” said UI basketball player Skyler White.
Rudley said regardless of whether someone is an athlete or not, it is important for them to seek help if they are feeling overwhelmed or anxious.
“I would always encourage, if a student feels like they’re spending too much time thinking about food, counting calories, becoming anxious about food or exercise, anything involving that, that they seek help,” Rudley said.