Weight is a touchy subject for many athletes. Whether a wrestler trying to make weight, or a ballerina striving to achieve a body that will look flawless in a leotard, much focus is placed on what is reflected in the mirror or what the bathroom scale reads.

Roosevelt senior Scott Burns has been wrestling for six years. While a “smaller body, kind of stubbier” build could be considered ideal for a wrestler, “There really is no perfect body type. It depends on your style of wrestling,” Burns said. Even so, the team begins conditioning for the next year as soon as each year’s season has ended.

There is great pressure for a wrestler to make his or her weight class, as it is important that the team fill out these classes. With classes ranging from 103 pounds up to 171 pounds, and then on to the heavyweight class, it is crucial that a wrestler remains in his or her class. Often times, this means more carefully watching the food that one intakes.

“You give up time after school to practice, you give up food to make weight. It’s a sacrifice you have to make for your sport,” Burns said.

Rather than being looked at as a chore, most wrestlers view dieting before a match as an essential part of preparing. Typically, a wrestler will eat small amounts of food leading up to the match, and may possibly cut out all food and beverage out of the diet on the day of the match.



“You start to learn how much food weighs in you,” Burns said.

Regardless of the need for a member of the team to fall in a certain weight class, the coaches of the team are never allowed to instruct a wrestler to lose weight.

The same is true for dancers. Sophomore Meghan Dietz, who is in her twelfth year of ballet dancing, understands the importance of good health as well. With three-hour classes three times a week, as well as Pilate’s workouts and seven-hour weekend rehearsals, being in shape is crucial, and a certain body type is expected.

“The whole point is to look fit,” Dietz said.

The time spent in form-fitting clothing and in front of full-length mirrors also may inspire one to work harder.

“You’re always looking at yourself,” Dietz said.

At Dietz’s school, the instructors make sure that the dancers are maintaining a proper diet, and are not weighing themselves down with food before class. Many times, before larger performances, food platters with healthy snacks are set out. Even so, the dancers are a plethora of different shapes and sizes.

“At our school there’s all types of body types,” Dietz said. “We’re always told to make sure that [we’re] eating healthy.”