You write about using laxatives to lose weight. Have things gotten better? The body type of gymnasts has changed—it’s a lot more muscular—so I feel like [that] aspect is maybe not as rampant. But girls today compete at a higher level. That creates a new set of pressures.
Are the pressures endemic to all elite young athletes, or is gymnastics a special case? I think it’s that narrow window of opportunity that makes it especially hard. You understand a girl’s potential by the time she’s 9 years old. And coaches have the opportunity to potentially take advantage, because a young girl wants nothing more than to please the adults. It’s a fragile age.
Is it possible to compete at the elite level and have a healthy relationship to the sport? It’s unlikely. You have to set aside so much of yourself. There are a lot of girls who don’t mature past the sport. When I left for college, I felt like I was going off to the retirement home.
Do you still do gymnastics? No, but my body doesn’t feel right unless I stretch it into a pretzel. I can still do the splits.
