Audra Koopman wanted to be leaner and more powerful.
She also wanted to eat. But, she said, she could sense what her track and field coaches at Penn State wanted: for her to have less body fat.
Coaches never told her to achieve a specific body fat percentage, Koopman said, but a lowered score on periodic body composition tests generally earned a pat on the back.
The upperclassmen told her to stay away from the dessert table at team banquets. Coaches, they cautioned, would be watching. The cookies and other treats were not there to be eaten.