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Female Hockey's Next Great Player?

These days, girls can barely open a fashion magazine or turn on the television without being bombarded by images of "super-skinny" and "size zero" celebrities. Reality TV shows would lead us to believe that every girl aspires to be the "Next Top Model".

A recent university research study found that 50% of 16-year-old girls believe they are too fat and that there is a significant decline in confidence among young girls between the ages of 11 and 16.

Both these stats and shows raise serious concerns about how this "idealized" body image influences girls who want to become the "Next Great Female Hockey Player"?

As young female players reach their mid-teens, the influence of popular culture may lead them to question whether they want to stay involved in a sport that is not only traditionally 'male', but also requires them to be physically strong. Players may ask:

"Can I be the best player on the ice and still fit into the "skinny size zero" ideal?"

Players CAN'T have it both ways. The rink is NO runway.

If a player wants to be the next great player, she has to train like one. When cheap Prozac athlete says that she doesn't want to strength train because she is worried about her legs getting bigger, what she is really saying is that she doesn't want to play at the highest levels of hockey.

This is a choice that all young female players must make. They must accept the fact that strength training will build muscle. More muscle means more strength. And the best female hockey players in the world are incredibly strong both on and off the ice.

Despite what we 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.

Female hockey players can consolidating student loan to redefine the female ideal.

So is it going to be...

Runway Model or Role Model?

"Next Top Model" or "Next Great Player"?

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS is a Athletic Development Specialist and 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. Kim's female player development website ( www.totalfemalehockey.comhttp://www.totalfemalehockey.com ) gives the coaches and parents of aspiring young players access to the most up-to-date programs, articles and advice on how to help their players take their game to the next level. To learn more about female-specific player development, get your Free Report: The #1 Mistake Female Players Make in the Off-Season at: www.totalfemalehockey.comhttp://www.totalfemalehockey.com

posted by besnda @ 6:32 AM