Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 18:31
By Kim McCullough, M.Sc, YCS
Have you noticed how many of the “Next Top Model” reality shows are on TV these days? Girls can barely open a magazine or turn on the television without being bombarded by images of “super-skinny” and “size zero” celebrities.
A recent university research study found that 50 percent of 16-year-old girls believe they are too fat, when in reality, only 25 percent of them are overweight. These stats and these shows raise a serious red flag about how this “ideal” body image influences girls who want to become the “Next Great Female Hockey Player.”
The powerful influence of pop culture may lead players to question whether they want to stay involved in a sport that is not only traditionally “male,” but also requires them to build physical strength. Girls’ hockey players may start to question whether they can be the best player on the ice and still fit into the “skinny size zero” ideal.
The truth is that girls’ hockey players CAN’T have it both ways. If a girl wants to be the next great player, she has to train like one. When a player says that she doesn’t want to strength train because she is worried about her legs getting big, what she is really saying is that she doesn’t want to play at the elite levels of women’s hockey.
This is a choice that all aspiring girls’ hockey players must make. Strength training is going to build muscle. It’s NOT going to turn you into “Quad-zilla,” but your legs will get bigger and stronger.And the best female hockey players in the world are incredibly strong both on and off the ice.
Despite what girls see in the fashion magazines and on TV, there aren’t many women who are 5-foot-9 and weigh 100 pounds. And there definitely aren’t any elite female players that fit this “ideal” – the average weight on the Canadian and United States National Team’s is 150 pounds.
The best female players in the world are NOT “skinny size zeroes”, but they epitomize what the true “ideals” of society should be. They are both strong and feminine. This may not make them the ideal runway models, but it does make them terrific role models.
Girls hockey players can help to redefine the female ideal, but they must first make a choice.
Is it going to be...Runway Model or Role Model? “Next Top Model” or “Next Great Player”?
About the author
To learn more about how to help your girls take their game to the next level, get your Free Report: The 6 Secrets of In-Season Success at http://totalfemalehockey.com/. Coach Kim McCullough’s female player development website gives the coaches and parents of aspiring young players access to programs, articles and advice on how to help their players take their game to the next level. Kim is a highly sought-after expert in the development of girls hockey players and is the Founder of Total Female Hockey. In addition to training and coaching girls at all levels of hockey, from novice to the National team, Kim has also played at the highest level of women’s hockey in the world for the last decade.
