Why can't I say a girl is big?

...

But really, the fitness level of many female athletes isn't what it should be. Unfortunately, it's entirely taboo to discuss openly.

 

I'm not doing it to make fun of her. She was a girl version of Shaq. She planted herself on the block and destroyed anyone who came near her. She had 12 boards and scored 15 on 7 of 9 from the floor.
At one point we were talking about how she had zero post moves, but on one of the buckets she drop stepped on a girl and put up a pretty sweet layup.
But if this girl was skinny, she wouldn't have done anything against the girl from Local High, who has done a pretty good job this year of beating up kids taller than she was.

 

Burly. Burly is a good word.

 

Then just say she dominiated in the low post.

Unless she was super-tall, it's a non-story. She dominated in the low post, the other team couldn't stop her, and Island High won.

That's it. You don't have to get cute with it.

 

Earlier you say "she's not powerful. She's fat." Yet here you describe someone who used nothing but power -- the way, say, Charles Barkley would in the NBA -- to dominate a playoff game. How is that not powerful?

Pardon me for jumping to a conclusion here, but it sounds like you desperately want to call her fat and mock her, and you're pissed that you can't.

 

Speaking as someone who was watching said game as well, girl was fat - I'm guessing closer to three bills than two. "Power" isn't that right word, because I think that would imply Dwight Howard or in-shape Shaq instead of what she was, which was Oliver Miller or Tractor Traylor without skill. She easily had 100 pounds on anyone on the other team's roster. If she had drawn the next team in the brackets, they would have shut her down (and probably will tomorrow night in a bloodbath, since they don't match-up well at all).

So yeah Rhody, I don't think you'd be out of your mind to mention her sheer size advantage. Maybe you can just put it that way without including a value judgment in there? "Joan Smith easily established post and rebounding position, thanks to an X-inch and XX-pound advantage over smaller Local Team defenders." Say it as matter-of-fact as you can.

 

Rhody - it seems you are upset about a double standard when it comes to discussing weight. I understand your point, but the best advice I can give is to get over it, especially since we're talking about preps.

Use other adjectives. Powerful. Strong. Immovable. Etc. It'll get the point across.

 

There's nothing that says you can't use it.
Nothing that says you won't catch shit for it, either.

 

Based on her stats, and the way you describe her play, it seems like this girl can actually play. I would just focus on that.

She may, indeed, be overweight in comparison to what the ideal maybe should be for someone her age, height and build. But why not go with citing her "intimidating presence" and describe how she filled the lane and, to use your own words, played "like Shaq."

I'm pretty sure everyone would get the idea, and it would be done in a way that is truthful and not hurtful or maliciously mocking. In fact, using those terms and phrases paints a much more descriptive picture of her play and impact on the game than just saying she's 5-9 and whatever-number of pounds.

Oh, and that story idea on the fitness levels of female athletes -- and/or male athletes, for that matter?

It absolutely can be done. You simply have to handle it right, focus on the fitness part, and find the right sources to discuss the reasons for it, the realities and ramifications of it not only on high school sports and kids' athletic endeavors, the possible solutions for it, and people's reactions to it, whether mocking, cruel or something else.

If you are honest and straightforward about what you want to do, and are sensitive about it, it would not be that hard to find a few overweight and/or physically compromised or not-as-good-as-they-could-be kids who would be willing and able to discuss the issues, probably quite forthrightly and intelligently, with anyone who might want to give them an ear.

I've had some interesting, informative and insightful interviews -- with kids and coaches -- about this very topic.

Some kids will even be willing to give personal high weights and details of their weight/fitness struggles if you handle things correctly and they know they can trust you to handle the information with sense and sensitivity.

 

By far the best way to handle it.

 

Dat's a big bitch!

 

Honey don't miss the dinner bell often.