Jennifer Kirk , a former World Junior Champion skater who has skated at elite levels with some of the most celebrated figure skaters in the country, has come out to discuss the problem of eating disorders in the figure skating world. In an article that might be triggering for some, Kirk describes her three year battle with an eating disorder, noting that “a lack of control over various aspects of my life manifested itself in what I ate.” As she fell deeper into her disorder, Kirk began noticing that other skaters were struggling as well: “Although I tried to ask for help in passive ways–hinting about what I was doing to my body to my friends and family–I soon realized that many of my friends in the sport were facing the exact same struggles themselves.” Kirk, who retired from the sport in 2005 and now claims that her “decision to quit skating was largely due …
