A qualitative examination of college wrestlers' experiences making weight: issues of team dynamics, eating attitudes and eating behaviors

The purpose of this study was to examine college wrestlers' experiences of making weight and the issues of team dynamics, eating attitudes and eating behaviors involved therein. Of particular interest was how team participation and the social atmosphere of the team influenced the athletes' dietary practices. Ten participants completed an interview regarding their social experiences while members of a wrestling team and their eating attitudes and behaviors. Upon analysis three higher order themes were revealed: eating behaviors, social dynamics, and coaching influence. Eating behaviors demonstrated the use of a vast array of practices for making weight, social implications of eating, and how the participants' diets change in the off-season. Social dynamics depicted a group of individuals who are in constant competition with each other but struggle to branch out and exist in a social space separate from wrestling. Lastly, coaching influence demonstrated that the coaches are a profound authority on the eating behaviors of the athletes and that the coaching role is an important one in the world of team dynamics. This can often lead to strained or negative relationships between coaches and athletes.