Tennis champ denied travel funding due to weight

126siany

The USTA denied travel funding the for worldwide number one junior tennis player because they want her to lose weight. Seems pretty ridiculous!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2200045/Taylor-Townsend-Tennis-champion-told-lose-weight-USTA-forfeit-chance-compete-U-S-Open.html

jazee11

^^^
bump for later

fueledbychange

......WHAT?? :noway:
I googled her.. I'd love to have her body! She's really slim. What is wrong with people?

neverstray

Yeah, she's fat for a tennis player. If they want to develop her into a pro, she needs a pro attitude, which includes a proper diet. I can see it. Sorry, I guess I agree with them. Look, they aren't going to pay for her to fly around the world representing them if she doesn't pay attention to her diet. Nutrition is equally important. You can't compare her to you. She is potentially a world-class athlete. That is different than just an everyday person that plays a casual game of tennis on the weekend.

jazee11

Wow, I guess I would expect the folks that are working with her to be teaching her a proper diet. The article made no mention of whether or not this was happening.. The article came off as though they were just taking this derogatory action and iIt does seem sort of extreme.

anemoneprose

Ridiculous. She's NUMBER ONE. What could the reasoning have to do with performance?

meshashesha2012

how is this any different than football players being told they need to lose weight in order to be considered to play on a team?

in any case there's a lot of missing information in this article so i think it's premature to base any opinions on what's been presented. one thing i'm wondering about is if they have realized her diet is unhealthy. just because someone is a good athlete and active doesn't make them healthy.

checof

The USTA are ridiculous. Taylor Townsend is the number one ranked tennis player IN THE WORLD for her age group. She may not *look* fantastic, especially around the mid-section, but her fitness level is obviously adequate enough to allow her to crush the competition and dominate in her sport. Again, this person is the best there is, she is NUMBER ONE.

Clearly, the USTA are more concerned with their image than they are about the well being of this young person. They want someone who looks good, and this girl isn't it. They are hypocrites, stating that they're concerned about her long term health. Humiliating a 16 year old girl in this very public way doesn't show concern for her well being, on the contrary, it's harsh punishment for not looking like a fitness model. I can't imagine what this did to her self esteem and mental state, it happened just before the open started. She's a kid, she's 16 - being targeted because of your weight in the media by your coaches is the stuff of nightmares. Not surprisingly, she lost in the individual event.

She did come back to win in doubles, and after Martina Navratilova and other prominent tennis stars jumped to her defense, the USTA has since taken back their ridiculous stance and are now funding Taylor. Now they are saying "It was a miscommunication." Classy backpedaling by Patrick McEnroe, who has always been a complete tool like his brother, only not nearly as talented.

*steps off soapbox*

kealambert

Wow, I guess I would expect the folks that are working with her to be teaching her a proper diet. The article made no mention of whether or not this was happening.. The article came off as though they were just taking this derogatory action and iIt does seem sort of extreme.

as the other articles on that site indicate, it's nothing but a sensationalist tabloid.

mgobluetx12

The USTA are ridiculous. Taylor Townsend is the number one ranked tennis player IN THE WORLD for her age group. She may not *look* fantastic, especially around the mid-section, but her fitness level is obviously adequate enough to allow her to crush the competition and dominate in her sport. Again, this person is the best there is, she is NUMBER ONE.

Clearly, the USTA are more concerned with their image than they are about the well being of this young person. They want someone who looks good, and this girl isn't it. They are hypocrites, stating that they're concerned about her long term health. Humiliating a 16 year old girl in this very public way doesn't show concern for her well being, on the contrary, it's harsh punishment for not looking like a fitness model. I can't imagine what this did to her self esteem and mental state, it happened just before the open started. She's a kid, she's 16 - being targeted because of your weight in the media by your coaches is the stuff of nightmares. Not surprisingly, she lost in the individual event.

She did come back to win in doubles, and after Martina Navratilova and other prominent tennis stars jumped to her defense, the USTA has since taken back their ridiculous stance and are now funding Taylor. Now they are saying "It was a miscommunication." Classy backpedaling by Patrick McEnroe, who has always been a complete tool like his brother, only not nearly as talented.

*steps off soapbox*

Amen!

kealambert

Ridiculous. She's NUMBER ONE. What could the reasoning have to do with performance?

possibly setting a standard, and I'm guessing it's not the first time this has been brought to her attention

Crystal_Pistol

This is a blog so take it for what it is, but it seems to clarify some things. Appears that they were gonna reimburse her.

http://straightsets.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/07/taylor-townsends-fitness-report/

I would expect that an organization would up the ante when you are trying to be a professional athlete on fitness standards. Just my thoughts...

anemoneprose

Ridiculous. She's NUMBER ONE. What could the reasoning have to do with performance?

possibly setting a standard, and I'm guessing it's not the first time this has been brought to her attention

I think it's Kournikova who set the standard that appears to matter most here.

From the WSJ article: "The Chicago-born tennis prodigy, who is part of a four-year-old USTA-funded development program, is the world's No. 1 junior girls player, the reigning junior Australian Open singles champion and the junior Wimbledon doubles champion."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444273704577635530959121916.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Yeah, she's way out of shape :noway:

paintlisapurple

Ridiculous. She's NUMBER ONE. What could the reasoning have to do with performance?

I second this.

kealambert

you people are too sensitive

anemoneprose

you people are too sensitive

What 'you people'? Dude, it's effed up. I don't see sport being taken seriously here. At all.

This is about ad money. It's insulting to the player, and insulting to all women.

VogtAndrea

The girl's good at what she's doing. They should let her do what she does well and it's really good that they did backpedal and are going to help her.
Sadly, the world doesn't tolerate others well. There are all kinds of people in the world. Some of us will never be what everyone else would like to see on winner's platforms. Too BAD. It can and will happen.
All I can say is Good for her! She's one of the best at what she does and ought to be able to do what she does.

Brendajo510

Ridiculous. She's NUMBER ONE. What could the reasoning have to do with performance?

Agreed

126siany

I can somewhat understand that her coaches might want to improve her diet so that she can continue to perform as well as she is now over the course of a lengthy career. It's a lot easier carry extra weight and move the ways in which tennis requires at 16 than it will be at 30. So I can comprehend that they want to keep her in great condition to protect her from injury and extend the number of years that she can perform superlatively as part of their development program.

But that goal could have been accomplished without public shaming of a schoolgirl.

Crystaleyed

I agree,
I mean it clearly doesn't affect her ability to play good tennis that and you have to let the girl decide for herself if and when she wants to lose weight, you cannot force someone into it. I personally think that they're just trying to keep the stereotype that tennis players are skinny.
I personally think it's a great thing, to see someone who's not the stereotypical norm. going out and doing great IN SPORT.

DaveRCF

I like the USTA's longer-term approach on this. With the number of calories this young lady burns daily through training, there must be some room for improvement. Serena is a big woman but there is a tremendous amount of muscle contributing to the bigness. With the right attitude (which she actually seems to have) and closer attention to her diet, it is only a matter of time before she makes a splash playing professionally. I am sure this decision is because she is on the cusp of turning pro, where the stakes are a lot higher and the fitness levels are off the charts. She's probably no more than a year or two away from becoming pro.

I would also add that the modern game puts a tremendous toll on player's bodies. Carrying extra weight around is not going to do Ms. Townsend's knees any good over the long haul.

cmcorn26

If you compare earlier pics to those taken in the last couple of days, appears to me it looks like she is going to hit a growing spurt real soon. She is only 16.......education is needed right now....cut down sugars, watch fats, etc.......at some point there won't b another growing spurt. She has got some muscle under that layer.

kjw1031

I personally think it's a great thing, to see someone who's not the stereotypical norm. going out and doing great IN SPORT.

I agree. Maybe she would inspire some heavier kids to take up tennis. They ARE trying to increase interest in tennis, so maybe different people can appeal to different groups.

daphnemoon

Insulting to women? Come on! As a woman I do not find this insulting at all. If I had the talent this girl clearly has I would think it would be a priority to give myself the kind of body that will enable me to play at the highest level for as long as possible. Tennis nowadays is as much about the physical stamina one has as much as which shots. Like someone else said, she clearly needs to rethink her diet since she must be burning a huge amount of calories in each match.

Compare this to the Jess Ennis case, before the Olympics, now *that* was crazy to suggest she was fat, as some did.

ktied

The USTA are ridiculous. Taylor Townsend is the number one ranked tennis player IN THE WORLD for her age group. She may not *look* fantastic, especially around the mid-section, but her fitness level is obviously adequate enough to allow her to crush the competition and dominate in her sport. Again, this person is the best there is, she is NUMBER ONE.

Clearly, the USTA are more concerned with their image than they are about the well being of this young person. They want someone who looks good, and this girl isn't it. They are hypocrites, stating that they're concerned about her long term health. Humiliating a 16 year old girl in this very public way doesn't show concern for her well being, on the contrary, it's harsh punishment for not looking like a fitness model. I can't imagine what this did to her self esteem and mental state, it happened just before the open started. She's a kid, she's 16 - being targeted because of your weight in the media by your coaches is the stuff of nightmares. Not surprisingly, she lost in the individual event.

She did come back to win in doubles, and after Martina Navratilova and other prominent tennis stars jumped to her defense, the USTA has since taken back their ridiculous stance and are now funding Taylor. Now they are saying "It was a miscommunication." Classy backpedaling by Patrick McEnroe, who has always been a complete tool like his brother, only not nearly as talented.

*steps off soapbox*

:flowerforyou:

kealambert

I agree,
I mean it clearly doesn't affect her ability to play good tennis that and you have to let the girl decide for herself if and when she wants to lose weight, you cannot force someone into it.

if the body is the one paying the way, and they're a minor, you sure as hell can

kiachu

The USTA is a private organization. They didn't say she could not play tennis but they did say they aren't going to pay her way for it. I think they have the right to make that decision. And yes they have an physical image to project represent.

anemoneprose

Insulting to women? Come on! As a woman I do not find this insulting at all. If I had the talent this girl clearly has I would think it would be a priority to give myself the kind of body that will enable me to play at the highest level for as long as possible. Tennis nowadays is as much about the physical stamina one has as much as which shots. Like someone else said, she clearly needs to rethink her diet since she must be burning a huge amount of calories in each match.

Compare this to the Jess Ennis case, before the Olympics, now *that* was crazy to suggest she was fat, as some did.

It's insulting because, as in too many areas of life, physical appearance matters more than her talent, work ethic, skill, or professionalism.

Her only medical problem was being a bit low in iron.

Leeann1979

Imagine how amazing she will be when she becomes more fit. I could only dream to have her game. Lindsay Davenport was never very fit, same as Monica Seles towards the end of her career. The USTA should be proud to have such an incredible talent.