Figure skating has traditionally been considered an "at risk" sport for the development of disordered eating. However, little data exist to support these anecdotal claims with most research focusing on female skaters at the elite level. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the frequency and psychological predictors of disordered eating among female sub-elite skaters. Enough data were collected to also conduct additional analyses with male skaters and make various group comparisons across the sport. A survey battery was administered to skaters across five states, which yielded a final sample of 301 participants ages 12 to 26. Results showed that the majority of skaters were not symptomatic of an eating disorder and actually cited numerous benefits of skating on body image, eating, and exercise. A smaller proportion of skaters scored within clinical range of an eating disorder (i.e., 13.1% [23/176] of female sub-elite skaters, 13.2% [10/76] of female elite skaters, and 3.7% [1/27] of male skaters), but were no more symptomatic than their adolescent and college-aged peers when compared to existing normative data. Among female sub-elite skaters, disordered eating was significantly predicted by body dissatisfaction, perceived weight pressures, and both positive and negative perfectionism (p<.05). Across the entire sample, disordered eating did not differ by skating discipline, competitive level, or sex (p<.05). Together, results suggest that figure skating has the potential to both positively and negatively influence body image, eating, and exercise. Researchers and practitioners are encouraged to adopt a dual-pronged approach such that efforts are made to not only minimize the possible detriments associated with figure skating, but to also maximize its many strengths.
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