Christy Henrich
Encyclopedia
Christina "Christy" Renee Henrich (July 18, 1972 – July 26, 1994) was a world-class American
artistic gymnast whose death from anorexia nervosa
at 22 led to major reforms in the way women's gymnastics is covered on television and in the news media.
, Henrich made the U.S. national gymnastics team in 1986 after placing fifth all-around in the junior division at the U.S. National Championships.
She continued to climb through the elite ranks over the next four years, placing ninth at the 1988 Olympic Trials and winning the silver medal in the all-around at the 1989 U.S. National Championships. She represented the United States at the 1989 World Championships
in Stuttgart
, placing fourth with the American team and just missing a medal in the uneven bars final. One of Henrich's original balance beam leaps was named after her in the Code of Points
; as of 2007 the skill is still included in the Code and carries a 'C' difficulty rating.
, who also reportedly felt pushed into doing something unsafe for her health when she kept attempting the difficult-to-master Yurchenko vault
until she was rendered quadriplegic in a vaulting accident—had also allegedly made insulting remarks about her size and body type. Desperate to move up the ranks in the highly competitive world of Olympic-level gymnastics, Henrich took the criticisms to heart; her drive to lose a few pounds progressed to unhealthy eating habits and, eventually, became full-blown anorexia nervosa
.
At first, neither her family nor her coaches were aware of the situation. Eventually, Henrich's battle with anorexia took such a toll on her health that she was no longer strong enough to compete, and she was asked to leave GAGE. Her weight dropped to about 47 pounds before her family intervened and compelled her to enter hospital treatment for her eating disorder. In spite of numerous treatments and periods of recovery, Henrich died of multiple organ failure just eight days after her 22nd birthday.
and Cathy Rigby
admitted their bouts with anorexia
and bulimia
; and other U.S. National Team gymnasts stepped forward and went public about their own eating disorders.
The focus on gymnast wellness was addressed with several programs on both the national and international levels, such as educational videos, nutrition counseling and classes, to varying degrees of success.
Additionally, American television channels broadcasting gymnastics competitions, such as NBC-TV
and ABC-TV
, stopped commenting about or listing gymnasts' weights in captions in the mid-1990s. Television stations from other nations have adopted similar policies.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artistic gymnast whose death from anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
at 22 led to major reforms in the way women's gymnastics is covered on television and in the news media.
Early career
Training with Al Fong at the Great American Gymnastics Express (GAGE) club in Blue Springs, MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Henrich made the U.S. national gymnastics team in 1986 after placing fifth all-around in the junior division at the U.S. National Championships.
She continued to climb through the elite ranks over the next four years, placing ninth at the 1988 Olympic Trials and winning the silver medal in the all-around at the 1989 U.S. National Championships. She represented the United States at the 1989 World Championships
1989 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 25th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Stuttgart, West Germany, in 1989 from October 14 to October 22.The scoring rule New Life was introduced for the first time ever...
in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, placing fourth with the American team and just missing a medal in the uneven bars final. One of Henrich's original balance beam leaps was named after her in the Code of Points
Code of Points (artistic gymnastics)
A Code of Points is a rulebook that defines the scoring system for each level of competition in gymnastics. There is no unified, international code of points; every oversight organization—such as FIG , NCAA Gymnastics, and most national gymnastics federations—designs and employs its own unique Code...
; as of 2007 the skill is still included in the Code and carries a 'C' difficulty rating.
Weight issues
Though Henrich was succeeding in gymnastics, a judge at an international meet in 1989 told her bluntly that she was fat and needed to lose weight. The perception of Henrich's weight being too high was fueled further by the culture of elite gymnastics, which was dominated by "pixies"—small, underweight, prepubescent girls. Henrich's own coach, Al Fong—coach of the late Julissa GomezJulissa Gomez
Julissa D'anne Gomez was an American gymnast whose rapid rise through the ranks of elite gymnastics in the mid-1980s was cut short by a vaulting accident in 1988 that left her a quadriplegic...
, who also reportedly felt pushed into doing something unsafe for her health when she kept attempting the difficult-to-master Yurchenko vault
Yurchenko (vault)
Yurchenko is the name of both a specific vault and a vault family in artistic gymnastics. The Yurchenko was named after Soviet gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, who originated the vault in the early 1980s....
until she was rendered quadriplegic in a vaulting accident—had also allegedly made insulting remarks about her size and body type. Desperate to move up the ranks in the highly competitive world of Olympic-level gymnastics, Henrich took the criticisms to heart; her drive to lose a few pounds progressed to unhealthy eating habits and, eventually, became full-blown anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
.
At first, neither her family nor her coaches were aware of the situation. Eventually, Henrich's battle with anorexia took such a toll on her health that she was no longer strong enough to compete, and she was asked to leave GAGE. Her weight dropped to about 47 pounds before her family intervened and compelled her to enter hospital treatment for her eating disorder. In spite of numerous treatments and periods of recovery, Henrich died of multiple organ failure just eight days after her 22nd birthday.
Aftermath
Henrich's death brought the problem of eating disorders in women's gymnastics into the spotlight. Prominent gymnasts such as Kathy JohnsonKathy Johnson
Kathy Johnson, also known as Kathy Johnson Clarke is an American commentator and retired artistic gymnast...
and Cathy Rigby
Cathy Rigby
Cathleen Roxanne Rigby , best known as Cathy Rigby, is a former gymnast, actress and speaker.-Early life:Rigby was born in Los Alamitos, California in 1952....
admitted their bouts with anorexia
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
and bulimia
Bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and purging or consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time, followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the food consumed, usually by purging and/or by laxative, diuretics or excessive exercise. Bulimia nervosa is...
; and other U.S. National Team gymnasts stepped forward and went public about their own eating disorders.
The focus on gymnast wellness was addressed with several programs on both the national and international levels, such as educational videos, nutrition counseling and classes, to varying degrees of success.
Additionally, American television channels broadcasting gymnastics competitions, such as NBC-TV
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and ABC-TV
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, stopped commenting about or listing gymnasts' weights in captions in the mid-1990s. Television stations from other nations have adopted similar policies.
See also
- Little Girls in Pretty BoxesLittle Girls in Pretty BoxesLittle Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters is a 1995 nonfiction book by San Francisco Chronicle sports writer Joan Ryan detailing the difficult training regimens endured by young women in competitive sports such as gymnastics and ice skating,...
, a book about the hard lives of female gymnasts and figure skaters - Julissa GomezJulissa GomezJulissa D'anne Gomez was an American gymnast whose rapid rise through the ranks of elite gymnastics in the mid-1980s was cut short by a vaulting accident in 1988 that left her a quadriplegic...
, an American gymnast paralyzed in a vaulting accident at a 1988 meet in Japan while attempting the difficult-to-master Yurchenko vault - Elena MukhinaElena MukhinaElena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina , born in Moscow, Russian SFSR, was a former Soviet gymnast who won the All-Around title at the 1978 World Championships at Strasbourg, France...
, a Soviet gymnast paralyzed in a tumbling accident in 1980 while attempting the now-banned-for-women Thomas saltoThomas saltoThe Thomas salto is an extremely difficult and dangerous move performed during the floor exercise in Artistic gymnastics. It is named after American gymnast Kurt Thomas.-Technical details:... - List of deaths from anorexia nervosa
External links
- Christy Henrich Tribute & Resources @ Eating Disorder Resources wiki
- Al Fong, Henrich's coach, featured in an article about Olympic gymnastics on espn.com