if sport participation plays a role in the development of disordered eating. This would

enable researchers to identify points in the season, if any, when athletes may be

susceptible to developing dangerous eating behaviors.

 Second, longitudinal studies investigating childhood and adolescence are

necessary to determine if people with certain intra-individual characteristics (e.g.,

perfectionism, body dissatisfaction) are predisposed to developing eating disorders.

These longitudinal studies should examine the role that an athlete's societal influences,

particularly those of the family and those involved in the athletic environment (e.g.,

coaches, teammates, judges), play in the development of disordered eating over time.

 Third, the fact that this study found gymnasts to be different from wrestlers

further supports Hausenblas and Carron's (2002) recommendation that researchers

examine sports individually rather than group different sports together. Future research

should continue to do so with other sports, particularly those proposed to be high-risk

sports (e.g., aesthetic, weight-dependent, endurance; Hausenblas & Carron, 1999). This

study illustrates that the sport-specific demands vary from sport to sport; so combining

sports together does not provide an accurate picture of how the sporting environment

affects athletes' disordered eating correlates. Researchers should also examine individual

sports over time. This would allow researchers to track the development of disordered

eating attitudes and behaviors within the context of the specific sporting environment,

and as athletes progress to higher levels of sport.

 Finally, future research involving gymnasts should examine different levels of

gymnastics including gymnasts at both the elite and collegiate levels (Picard, 1999). For

instance, Division I athletes have to earn and keep their athletic scholarships, while