Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters
Books / Paperback
Books › Sports & Recreation › Gymnastics
ISBN: 0446672505 / Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, May 1996
A sports reporter investigates the training of girls as professional gymnasts and figure skaters, arguing that the pressure to succeed results in mental and physical harm.
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With sports as our national fairy tale, we have come to worship the tiny gymnasts and sequined skaters who appear on the landscape as storybook princesses with their poise and beauty, agility and grace. But the truth behind the making of elite women athletes reveals a grim national trend far less magical than what these images project. All too often behind the pigtails and mascara is a trail of abuse from parents, coaches, and federation officials - the very people charged with protecting these young athletes.
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