Customer Reviews
Apalling - By: Courtney, 31 Oct 2004 
I cannot believe that children should be subjected to such horror! These are CHILDREN, not adultsin the book who are forced to endure insults, eating disorders &in some cases sexual abuse. This book focuses on young Gymnasts and, to some extent, Figure skaters who are mistreated & abused by not only coaches but selfish parents who just want fame & glory for themselves at whatever cost. I was apalled at the manner of coaches like Karolyi, who abused his Gymnasts. This book gives you the behind the scenes information of the Gymnasts we see at the Olympics. We don't usually notice what really goes onin the world of Gymnastics, because the Gymnasts seem so little & adorable. We therefore don't look very closely. This book certainly changes your view of Gymnastics!
EENY...MEENY...TEENY...WEENY... - By: Lawyeraau, 11 Sep 2003 This is a terrific book on the state of woman's gymnastics and, to some extent, figure skating, though the primary focus of the book is on gymnastics. It focuses on the enormous demands made upon these young athletes by coaches, trainers, officials, & parents. Some of those demands are so unrealistic as to border on child abuse. There are athletes who are starve themselves, who develop life threatening eating disorders, who perform dangerous maneuversin the quest for the gold, & who sometimes end up dead or devastatingly injured as a result.
There is a lot of backstage dishin the book that is interesting. True life stories, some of which are heartbreaking, flesh out the allegations asserted by the author.
The emphasis on being tiny & elfin has had enormous impact on elite female gymnasts. One sees the differencein just by looking comparatively at the women's U.S. Olympic gymnastic teams from 1976 & 1992. The photographsin the book best illustrate this & this comparison bespeaks volumes. Elite gymnastics went from being a woman's sport to a girl's sport, as the author has sagely noted.
Moreover, while some measures have been taken, such as raising the age for Olympic competitionin 2000 from fifteen to sixteen, at the same time the minimum level of difficulty has increased, making an already dangerous sport more dangerous. Remember, elite gymnastics is a sport fraught with the potential for devastating spinal cord injuries. The author recounts a number of these heartbreaking injuries & the circumstances under which they occurred, leaving the reader to ask oneself, "Just what were these coaches thinking?"
The pressure that some of these girls & young women endure is truly unbelievable. The demands upon them are often unrealistic, stunting not only their physical development, but their social & emotional development, as well. Competing with serious injuries, while taking potent drugs for the excruciating pain, is simply not commensurate with a sensible athletic regimen.
Parents who are living their dreams through their children are often as dangerous as unscrupulous & unqualified coaches. Many force their children to compete merely to satisfy their own desires for personal glory, badgering & berating their offspring every step of the way. Coaches, likewise, have their own dreams. Everyone wants to produce Olympians, but at what cost?
This is a an excellent book with a lot of information, both anecdotal & empirical. When purchasing the book, however, be sure to get the latest edition, as it has been updated with information on the state of gymnastics as of the year 2000. It also contains 24 pages of photographs, including 8 new pages for the updated edition.
A real eyeopener. - By: , 29 Dec 2002 This book is a "must read" for all parents of budding gymnasts. It details the mental & physical abuse gymnasts have sufferedin the USA, at the hands of their coaches & parents. Blinded by their dream of the Olympics, coaches obsessed about the weight & shape of their gymnasts causing eating disorders. They strove for perfection & screamed abuse at gymnasts for mistakes, forced them to train & compete with horrific injuries & allowed them no life outside the gym. In addition to this parents would push their children, refusing to let them quit, exposing them to emotional blackmail & beatings for not conforming.
Allin all, this book is a disturbing but utterly compelling read.
an interesting look at the sports - By: , 14 Dec 2001 
I think this book is a good read. Although I don't necessarily agree with some of the viewpoints & yes it is true that it only focuses on the negative sides of the sports, I still think that it is beneficial to be aware of these unfortunate incidences, which elite gymnastics may or may not be directly responsible for. And every readers should keepin mind that, as the author stated, she did not write about average gymnasts or about gymnastics as a recreational sport but rather as how it produces young athletes to feed the national obsession with winning. Also everyone can learn from past mistakes. I've picked up many messages from reading this book. Top coaches are not gods- they make mistakes & have their own agendas. Some may practice 'survival of the fittest' to the extreme. Parents have to acknowledge whether or not their children will thrive or cripple under such enormous pressure & prepare for alternatives when the price to become the 'fittest' has become too high. Also children need to know how much they are loved & valued just for being themselves. They can all grow up to be amazing individuals & make the most of their lives- with or without gymnastics.
A great book showing the life of top-class gymnasts etc. - By: , 26 Feb 2001 
This book helps you to understand the life's of top-class gymnasts & figure skaters & there families.It shows how you can make these people into what they are & how they destructed. It discusses issues forced on these athletes e.g. Weight disorders like anorexia & bulemia & being overworked & how they injure & end there careers. An execellent book which sould be bought read to the full.
