How elite Canadian female singles figure skaters experience the girlification of elite women's figure skating

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to explore how the elite female Canadian singles figure skaters experience the women’s elite singles figure skating events as events in which the majority of participants are young girls and young women with girlish figures (Kestnbaum, 2003). Through a lens of critical feminism, I further interpreted the interviewees’ experiences within the structural rules that might sustain the young ages and tiny body types of the participants. I used semi- structured interviews (Patton, 2002) with ten former elite women singles skaters who competed within the Edmonton region. In my research project, I located their experiences within the larger context of structural rules within figure skating, both written and unwritten, that may contribute to the majority of participants being young girls and young women with tiny bodies. I focused particularly on the impact of the age restrictions that are placed on competitive categories. In addition, I explored their beliefs about the ideal body type for elite women’s figure skating and their experiences with their own bodies.