Behind the Starting Blocks
By: Jessica Romo
Tags: College Athletics, Swimming, Mental Health Awareness

University of Nevada, Reno Swimming and Diving team member Montana Lloyd. Picture provided by Montana Lloyd.

When a college swimmer approaches the starting block at a meet, they adjust their goggles and cap. Right before they jump off the blocks and into the water can be the most nerve wracking moment for them. Years of hard work prepares the swimmer for that moment. Outside of the water the athletes deal with mental and physical roadblocks such as body shaming and eating disorders. Female athletes experience this more than their male counterparts.

According to bullyingstatistics.org, 94% of young females and 65% of males have been subjected to body shaming. Another word psychologists use to refer to body shaming is social physique anxiety. Social physique anxiety refers to the discomfort experienced when people feel like their body is being evaluated by other people.

Dr. Dean Hinitz is a clinical and sports psychologist. He has been practicing for more than 30 years. Hinitz currently works in Reno, where he has his own practice and he is a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. He was on the Men’s gymnastics team at the University of Minnesota from 1977–1981. These issues are something Hinitz is familiar with on a personal level.

According to Hinitz, sports psychology is categorized into three groups. Dealing with performance pressure, getting athletes to focus on working better together and personal psychology.

“Even if a person [is not] particularly judgmental themselves, there’s awareness that other people are looking and then sports where you literally are judged for your form… you know, it’s heightened to an extreme degree,” Hinitz said.

Reese Lamph is a swimmer at Nevada. This will be her first season with the Wolf Pack. She has been swimming competitively for 15 years. Before coming to Nevada, she swam at the University of Houston for two years. At Houston, she was able to accomplish a season’s best in the mile, with a time of 10:31.89. Lamph left Houston because she believed the environment created by the coaching staff impacted her, her mental health and her ability to swim.

“We could not figure out how to train me. He was very one way. And I knew what was good for me, what worked for me. And I couldn’t ever get him to meet me in the middle,” Lamph said.

The experience took a toll on Lamph. She was ready to quit the sport. Lamph was drawn to Nevada because of her best friend, Montana Lloyd. Lloyd is a swimmer at Nevada. She swam against Lamph in Las Vegas when they were younger and they later became teammates at Houston. Lloyd joined the swim team at Nevada after spending her freshman year at Houston.

Since joining the team in 2018, Lloyd has helped her team win second place in the Mountain West Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship. Lloyd finished in the top 24 for the 200 backstroke. She also had a season best in the backstroke with a time of 2:02.12.

She had a similar experience at Houston, where she didn’t know if she could continue to swim.

“If a coach is very set on their ways and don’t want to explore how you work as a competitor, it’s never going to work,” Lloyd said.

According to Lamph and Lloyd, the Nevada Swimming and Diving Head Coach Brendon Bray puts his athletes well being before the sport.

“When you get to college, it is so important to find a coach like Brendon, that is going to compromise and work with you and be willing to understand you as a person,” said Lloyd.

Lamph recently discussed attending therapy prior to transferring to Nevada with Coach Bray. Most coaches would say the conversation is too personal, but Bray encouraged her to continue to do so for her well being because it is important.

“Old school coaching didn’t address the emotional side of any of this,” Hinitz said.

Growing up in the sport, Lamph has also heard negative comments from her male teammates in club swim about her appearance. She felt like she and many many others have to worry about their swimsuits being too loose or too tight, something their male counterparts don’t have to worry about. Lamph and Lloyd both think the conversation of body image is started by the men in the sport and is stuck with them consistently.

“Especially for girls, you go through that development, you get your period, you get your boobs, you get curves. Suddenly you’re like ‘woah, my body doesn’t feel the same in the water,’” Lamph said.

Swimmers spend a lot of time in a swimsuit, so these changes for them are more visible.

“You’re learning to adapt [and] swim the same way, but in a different body,” Lloyd said.

As an athlete the body evolves even more due to the training and conditioning they go through to prepare for meets. Shoulders may become broader, legs become more muscular. Lifting can affect the women mentally because they can gain muscle and society expects women to be petite.

“Everyone is built different, just accepting what you look like and who you are and being proud of the things that it can do for you,” Lloyd said.

According to Lamph, changing the way coaches, athletes or even fans of the sport address the athletes can impact them in a positive way. Using words like ‘strong’ or ‘powerful’ instead of ‘big’ can make a difference.

“I have had coaches in the past that have made comments [about my swimsuit], ‘ok, that’s a little small.’ like why are you looking. Those comments you wouldn’t tell a boy his speedo is too small,” Lamph said.

Alexia Taylor-Arredondo is a swimmer at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has been swimming competitively for 10 years. Prior to attending UNLV, she competed for the Reno Aquatic Club and Truckee Tahoe Swim Team. There was a point during her club career where she needed to step away from the sport because of the coaching environment.

“The women in this sport get pushed more because we do not build as much muscle as the men can. That is why our coaches are always pushing us to where we do have our moments where we break down,” Taylor-Arredondo said.

“Male coaches need to learn to speak to their female athletes a little better,” Lloyd said.



USA Swimming implemented the use of SafeSport in 2017. SafeSport is a program that helps keep coaches accountable for the language they use towards athletes, particularly women. They promote and advocate that their body is beautiful and showcase other athletes that have gone through similar situations. It also helps protect athletes against sexual assault.

“Stop weighing your athletes. Stop demanding that [they be] on these strict diets. Suggest healthy diets. Don’t food shame your athletes. Don’t body shame your athletes. Keep healthy dialogues open. Make it an environment where everyone feels comfortable, like they can talk about how they feel,” Lamph said.

“Nothings going to change unless more people fight for it,” Lloyd said.

Reporting by Jessica Romo.