I know this is a touchy subject, but weight and body image are such a big issue for girls’ and women’s hockey players of all ages, that I had to write this to you.

Unlike boys’ hockey players who all want to grow up to be 6’2″ and 200lbs, we don’t want to or need to be muscle-bound, heavy or big to compete at the highest level of our sport.  In fact, sometimes being a bigger player in the female game works against you.  I remember getting more than a few penalties back in high school and college when much smaller players ran into me and fell over, and I ended up in the box.

Back when I played in college and in the elite women’s hockey leagues here in Canada, I weighed 165lbs and am just slightly less than that now.  I have absolutely no problem telling people how much I weigh now… but it was a much touchier subject back when I was growing up.

I was always a big kid growing up (a fat kid really) and throughout high school and college, I definitely found myself being consumed by the numbers on the scale.  I knew I was never going to be 120lbs, but like most of the girls I knew, I was very concerned about how much I weighed.

I wouldn’t have been comfortable telling people what I weighed back then.  It wasn’t that I was embarrassed, it was just that most of my close friends, whether they were hockey players or not, were much smaller than me.  To be honest, I just wanted to fit in – and I also wanted to be the best player possible.

I knew that I had to train hard off the ice and fuel my body with high-energy food so that I could compete at the highest level possible, but there was always that little voice in the back of my mind saying that I was too big and that I would play better, and look better, if I was smaller.

No one told me that directly – but I watched TV and read magazines, I saw that most of the “cute” girls looked like they were the size of my leg. We are constantly seeing images of “super-skinny size zero”celebrities and there are far too many “Next Top Model” and weight loss shows on TV. Research shows that that 55% of 16-year-old girls believe they are too fat, when in reality, only 20% of them are even overweight.

These stats and these shows raise a serious red flag about how this “ideal” body image influences girls’ hockey players.

Players are always asking me how they can make their legs smaller and get rid of their muscles. This obviously isn’t going to work to their advantage physically, but it is even more damaging psychologically.

Despite what girls 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 National Team is around 150 pounds.

I could try to sit here and tell you to never worry about your weight again and know that the number on the scale has absolutely nothing to do with your ability as a player or your worth as a person.

But I know that my influence is tiny compared to the power of mainstream media.  I wish I didn’t have to listen to young players
talking about how “fat” they are (when they aren’t) and worrying so much about how they look in their jeans.

But I also know exactly what it’s like to be a 15 year old girl who just wants to fit in and I can’t blame girls for this type of behavior.

I hope that by talking about this issue with players, parent and coaches in this way, and on a daily basis, that I empower just one or two girls to know that it is OK to be a strong, powerful woman and that training and  competing in the sport you love is much more important than your jean size.

Keep Working Hard, Dreaming BIG and Being Strong.

Your friend and coach,

~ Kim

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Director, Total Female Hockey
Girls’ Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes