Chalked Up by Jennifer Sey

Author:Jennifer Sey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2020-05-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

“LET’S TRY PARKETTES,” I OFFERED one day on the way home from practice in the winter of 1984.

“Okay,” my mom said, nodding with relief. Parkettes was driving distance from our house—two hours each way—a feasible though monotonous commute. I wouldn’t even have to move away from home if I didn’t want to. My dad offered to buy a van so that I could study comfortably while my mom drove me there and back each day. This could work, we agreed.

My mom and I went to Allentown to meet the Strausses, the Parkette founders and head coaches. Of course I’d seen them before at meets, and I was acquainted with most of the girls on the team. Still, I was nervous. I gnawed on my mouth during the ride there. Would they want me? I’d already been rejected by a coach of their caliber. It was entirely possible that these coaches would take a pass on me as well. More daunting than being rejected was the notion that I could be accepted. They were notoriously rough on their girls. They screamed and cursed, threw things. It was even rumored that Parkette coaches had slapped a girl or two. Of course, the whisperings were of swift whacks to the back of the thighs, not punches or face slaps. I dismissed these rumors as likely false or, if true, minor offenses. My parents weren’t privy to this sort of gossip; we kept these things amongst ourselves, knowing parents might intervene if they heard everything there was to hear.

Beyond mere talk of abuse, the Strausses’ rigor when it came to weight was notorious. The girls weren’t allowed to eat anything. We snuck them food at competitions—illicit bagels for sustenance, punishable candy for celebrations. It was known that they weighed their girls twice a day, before and after practice. I would become all too familiar with the drill. Each day, I would be required to step on the scale. I’d tiptoe cautiously toward it, treating it with the fear and reverence it demanded. I’d mount with trepidation, exhaling, praying lightness. Fingers euphemistically crossed, I’d wish a half pound less, even a quarter, just to meet with a wink of approval. Otherwise, there’d be punishment. Weight gain meant more workout, running and jumping swathed in a rubbery sweat suit designed to burn off unsightly pounds. And, of course, there was shame. At Parkettes, there was nothing more shameful than gaining weight.

The Parkettes competed in white leotards to display how little fat they carried. Their stomach muscles carved ripples beneath the Lycra. Their hip bones popped, bold and pointy. These coaches were intent on having the thinnest girls on the competition floor. On my first day, I feared I could be rejected on these grounds alone.

Hiding the blister I’d chewed into my lip on the car ride from New Jersey, I entered the gym with my mom. She gave a nod of encouragement, but she was clearly nervous as well. She, too, wanted to make the cut.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.