Welcome to My Blog!
Hi I'm Megan Wong, founder of Rise & Thrive! As an athlete myself, I experienced the drawbacks of puberty. So, I hope to make a platform to support and empower female athletes going through the same situation! Here's my story:
As a tiny prepubescent girl sitting in health class at school, learning all the ins and outs of menstrual cycles, hormonal changes, and drastic “life-changing” effects that puberty can bring to a female body, the 11-year-old figure skater that I was, had never imagined this day to come so soon. And little did she know that the familiar routine of perfecting jumps on ice would be disrupted when the world was hit by the COVID pandemic; and more importantly, the onset of puberty.
YEREVAN, ARMENIA - OCTOBER 6: Megan Wong of Hong Kong performs during the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating at Irina Rodnina Ice Rink on October 6, 2023 in Yerevan, Armenia. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun- International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty images)
When Covid hit, Shanghai had to lock down for 3 months and that’s when puberty hit.
I grew 5 centimeters and put on a few pounds, rendering my skates too tight. The day the COVID restrictions were lifted, I eagerly resumed training; I stepped onto the ice with hopes of practicing triple jumps (spinning three rotations in the air), only to have my confidence completely shattered with a fall on a basic single axel jump (a type of jump that is far less complex than triple jumps). BAM, I fell straight on my hip. The rink fell silent as all eyes turned towards me. My cheeks became as red as tomatoes, and I was extremely embarrassed. It was humiliating for me to fall on a silly movement in front of all those little kids who looked up to me. I repeated the movement repeatedly, but I just couldn’t land it, tears flooded my eyes, and I just couldn’t understand what happened to me. It took my coach's insight to realize that the growth spurt and extra weight had altered my body's dynamics.
The solution that my coach tossed at me was daunting: “Lose weight and work 20 times harder.”
And so, I did. I started my diet by cutting out all starch and sweets. My plan was to eat one meal per day, starting with breakfast, and not eat lunch and dinner. This allowed my weight to drop significantly but it also caused my immune system
to crash. Before long, I got very sick and was challenged by a painful
medical condition – shingles – that set me back, yet another few weeks of skating training. Let me advise you, if you ever want to lose weight, NEVER avoid meals, you need the nutrients in your body to keep you healthy. DO NOT follow what I did, there are always healthier ways to lose weight. Getting back on ice after I was sick, I still couldn’t land my jumps. As a result, I was faced with a new hurdle: fear. Fear of jumping and a growing resentment for the sport I once loved. Trust me, it’s a process that everyone goes through. Do not worry, everyone loses their technique and might not be doing as well as before. So, instead of fixating on my failures, I learned to accept them and focus my energy on overcoming them.
So, my message to you all young female athletes out there: puberty might bring unexpected challenges, but it’s an inevitable yet universal journey. Sometimes, we will lose technique, falter, and face setbacks. But rather than fearing the process, embrace it! Because this process, unironically, is what transforms us from young girls to grown, powerful women!
I hope that someday I will stand on the podium that I’ve always dreamt of, marking the long journey that I had overcome, and empower others to navigate through their own challenges the same way my peers and family did me.
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