Former Team Canada Gymnast reveals a brutal way in which she was humiliated for teammates week after week

A former team Canada Gymnast has lifted the lid over the grim reality of participation in the sport and revealed that she was forced to stand on a scale for all her teammates every week.

Laura Mazzuca, 31, began to do gymnastics when she was only two years old. By the time she was six, she was already training 36 hours a week.

She participated in Team Canada five years earlier retired in 2021.

Now she has spoken exclusively with the Daily Mail about how it really was to be an elite gymnast, both for the good and the bad.

Mazzuca described the training schedule as ‘intense’ and claimed that she would spend seven hours in the gym five days a week.

She was home schooled and took her lessons in the morning before training from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This full -time schedule meant that she had very little time to socialize, and she says that she was often ‘missed’ of normal teenage milestones, such as parties or high school events.

When asked whether she could so far, she claims that, although there were not ‘necessarily rules’, it was discouraged by the coaches.

“They didn’t want us to be distracted and boys were considered a distraction,” she explained.

Regarding the biggest disadvantage of sport, she said it was constantly assessed on her aesthetics rather than just her skills.

As Mazzuca grew older, she admitted that the rigorous schedule and the constant pressure began to demand a ‘toll’ on her both ‘physical and mental’.

She claims that she had to weigh herself for all her teammates every week, and told the Daily Mail that she developed ‘disorderly food’.

“The emotional pressure of constant performance was something that influenced myself and many girls I know,” she said, claiming that eating disorders and associated misery of mental health were unbridled.

“Body Dysmorphia was a huge problem with myself and many girls with whom I trained,” she claimed. “It is really easy to end with unordered food when you are weighed for all your teammates every week.”

She also said that “the line between passion and burnout could fade quickly,” and this was especially the case during competitions, when expectations of coaches and colleagues were particularly high.

“Although I loved gymnastics, there were times when the weight of all felt overwhelming,” Mazzuca told the Daily Mail.

Even, she said, “Stop never felt like an option.”

The burns and bumps that a company started

Being in a gymnastics suit every day meant that Mazzuca had to shave her pubic hair daily. She claims she often struggled with razor fire and grown hair On her bikini line because of the constant maintenance.

“If a girl with dark hair grows back very quickly, keeping a smooth bikini line was a daily battle,” she said.

‘I was shaving every day or every other day, but with my sensitive skin I constantly fought against razor bumps and irritation.

‘It was frustrating, especially since there seemed to be nothing that it would solve. I thought razor bumps were genetic or just something I should live with.

“Over time I decided to take matters into my own hands.”

Mazzuca eventually developed the perfect routine to stop her razor fire.

After she found enlightenment herself, she decided to devote her life to helping other women to tackle the same problem.

Around 2020 she started working with a female chemist to make a formula to make her own shaving products. In February 2022 she launched her skin care brand called Mi-el, which sells a series of items, from body oil to after shaving cream.

“I exchange traditional shaving foam for shaving oils or shaving creams for sensitive skin,” she said. “The more moisture your skin has, the less irritation you get.”

Mazzuca recommends applying some tension on the skin that she says it will help “shave the razor.”

Mazzuca also says that she never stores her razor in the shower and claims that it “ensures that the razor is boring faster”.

‘I always shave at the end of my shower. Warm water and steam open the pores and soften the hair follicle, which ensures a much smoother shave.

“When I start shaving, I actually use cool water and not hot water and I only use short strokes of the razor.”

She also advised to exfoliate two to three times a week and added that aftercare is ‘crucial’ for eliminating razor flour.

“Now I don’t have to shave that often anymore, and when I do that, I am convinced that my skin will remain without bump and clear,” she said.

“I want other women to feel the same feeling of relief and trust that is accompanied by having products that really work.”