NEDA TOOLKIT for Coaches and Trainers
The challenge of making it to the top in an aesthetic sport
Talking with Former competitive diver and 2004 Olympian Kimiko Soldati
Kimiko Soldati is an elite athlete who struggled with an
eating disorder and is now involved in the sport from
the coaching side. She is married to Purdue University
head women’s and men’s diving coach Adam Soldati,
and serves as volunteer assistant coach for the Purdue
teams. My coach didn’t know about my disorder at first. I
remember being terrified before I told him. I felt like
I was letting him down; I was embarrassed. But it was
a road we traveled together, and it helped for me to
communicate to him what was helpful to me and what
wasn’t. From where I am now, looking back, I see how horribly
entrenched my eating disorder was; it was like being
sucked into something and struggling just to breathe.
I dealt with bulimia and excessive exercise for about
10 years. In diving, you’re out there by yourself in a
swimsuit being judged by what you look like. As in
gymnastics and other aesthetic sports, your body is
your tool and your means of performance and the goal
is perfection. Being in a sport like that, my body was
constantly at the forefront of my mind. It definitely
contributed to developing an eating disorder, and it
was exhausting.
Here are some helpful strategies, some of which my
coach used with me during my recovery, and some of
which my husband, who was with me throughout my
recovery, now uses with his diving teams:
It is difficult for athletes and coaches to draw that
line between being as physically fit as possible and
maintaining peak performance, but keeping on this
side of obsession and compulsion. For me that line was
completely blurred. Any athlete with an eating disorder
has the attributes coaches love: they are coach-
pleasing; they have high pain tolerance; they are driven
to succeed; they are perfectionists and control freaks.
They are very coachable, and coaches love that. It’s
frightening for coaches to think, “If I change this person,
it’s going to change those characteristics, and I really
like those traits.” Coaches are in the hardest position,
because their job is to produce champions.
Eating disorders in my sport are more prevalent than
even statistics show. You have the diving competition,
and then you have the underlying body competition:
who’s skinny, who’s fat, who’s five pounds over. It’s the
first thing that comes to divers’ minds when they walk
into the pool.
While I never thought my eating disorder was affecting
my performance, I look back and realize it did. I
struggled with injuries my whole career, underwent
five shoulder surgeries and did not heal properly. I was
also an emotional train wreck because my identity was
totally wrapped up in my sport. Seeking treatment
with a therapist and the strength I drew from my faith
eventually helped me overcome my disorder.
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Validate your female athletes’ feelings, a lot. It will
feel redundant and obvious to say, “I understand
how you’re feeling,” or to point out daily areas an
athlete is doing well in, not just those that need
improvement. But your athlete will be better
equipped to do the hard work you are asking of her
if she feels understood and appreciated.
If you notice odd behaviors, ask how your athlete is
doing. “What’s going on? Are you stressed about a
meet?” Try to go deeper than just focusing on the
behaviors themselves. Ask, “What can I do to help
you relieve the anxiety?”
Be honest with yourself. Are you in this sport
for yourself, or for your athletes? Obviously, you
want to win, but are you willing to compromise
an athlete’s emotional and physical well-being to
attain those results?
Take the time to speak one-on-one with your
athletes about their goals. If meeting those goals
will require a reduction in weight, talk about how
to do this gradually, with the help of a sports
nutritionist, and in a way that will not trigger
unhealthy behaviors.
When you do deliver a critique or comment
touching on weight, size or shape, follow it up with,
“How did you interpret what I just said?” You may
be shocked at how a female athlete has completely
misinterpreted your remark.
Enlist team leaders to help create a healthy eating
environment so athletes aren’t competing to see
who can eat the least. When it comes to healthy
eating and body image, peer communications
are often better received than coaches’
pronouncements. Page | 47