New Muscles and Pounds Boost an American Ice Dancer’s Outlook

An interesting article about weight and figure skating featuring U.S. ice dancer Tanith Belbin. 

"As it turned out, Linichuk also ended up saving Belbin from a problem that has long plagued figure skaters: disordered eating. Often not as severe as eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, disordered eating involves irregular eating habits that can be fueled by a distorted body image. Belbin said she had struggled with those issues since puberty.


"When she was 16 or 17, Belbin grew several inches and gained weight, which threw off her skating technique. As her body matured, she tried to fight it. As an ice dancer who wears tiny outfits and is often lifted by her partner, Belbin said that every extra pound seemed like 20."