WAG $500+ competition leo!?!?

[Tammie]

Hi there.

Hi there. Sorry for the delay, I’ve been gathering additional cost info for comparison. So the annual cost for my daughter in xcel silver at our current gym is $1,650 greater than the next closest gym. And $2,800 greater than the 2nd closest gym.

While on the surface that seems like quite a bit more, it is "only" $1-200/month.

Again, I am not trying to influence your decision, only give you more points to think about. Maybe take a peek at the other teams' social media pages-how about scores(I know they are not all important, especially at lower levels, but if at one gym the majority of gymnasts are scoring 8s & 9s while the other is scoring 7s & 8s, and the 3rd high 9s, there likely IS a difference in the level of coaching-and those early skills ARE important to build the foundation of the gymnast for years to come!).

What are you getting for the extra fees? If nothing, then maybe it IS time to move on. However maybe your current gym has more coaches to students, or more training hours, or better/higher qualified coaching staff? I would assume if they're still in business, they offer SOMETHING that is over and above the other gyms in the area. If not, why would anyone stay if there was no added value to be found.

The thing with gymnastics, its not always easy to make apples to apples comparisons when it comes to financials, because there are so many variables and what you get with each gym can vary greatly-often in every aspect!!

Yet, if you only intend to stay in the sport as a fun, recreational activity, you have no desire for your daughter to go on to college or elite gymnastics, then maybe cost should be the single driving factor in your decision? If you want to leave all possibilities open for the future, however, then you may need to look beyond the financials to make the best decision.

P.S. I have never asked about costs at gym(i do many other places in life, I have 5 kids, I have to, just not in gym), it has never once factored into my gym decisions-I feel that my kid has chosen a dangerous sport with a history of some hinky behavior, so cost is the last consideration for me. I want to know their history, reputation, how previous athletes feel about the gym/coaches(would they put their child in the sport? This seems an ultimate indicator-to me, as some will say they would do it again for the opportunities, but wouldnt place their child in that position-its telling!!), any serious injuries that occurred in the gym(im talking broken necks and such, not sprained ankles or broken toes that seem to happen everywhere), how many coaches, how many spotters, are current athletes happy-with healthy self esteem(&weights), if they do weigh-ins-how are they done? How is the team atmosphere? Are the girls best friends or trying to do anything to get ahead of each other(healthy competition & rivalry is great, but there is a line), etc.

If a gym satisfies me in ALL of those areas, then I cannot also be picky about cost-lol. It's a pick your battles and what is most important moment.

However, that is me, my kid, & my situation, your situation very well may be different. AND I do not know your gyms, I don't know that the more expensive gym offers ANYTHING beyond the other gyms. Just something to consider before making a final decision(you have quite awhile to make it).

Like I said, just wanted to offer another perspective to the conversation

 

[Tammie]

New competition package at DD's gym is $675. Ouch. Glad I started saving a long time ago, but still. I may have to cryogenically freeze her or something so she won't grow out of it during the next 2 years, LOL.

Oh don't I know this feeling!!

I just thank God on a regular basis that it was one of my "2nd set" that was a natural gymnast, not one of first 2 kiddos(10yrs earlier). I couldn't have done it-just flat out couldn't have. We would have been like Gabby Douglas's family, living on the street to afford gym fees.

And it's never over with the "competition package," you likely still have competition fees, coaching fees, privates to get that xyz your kid is struggling with in his/her routine, and more & more & more. And the expenses only get bigger as your kiddo continues, it's a wild sport for sure!!

However, I cannot replicate the calm and peace that gymnastics brings to my kiddos life. So, as parents, we do what we have to do.

Somedays I still wish my kiddo had a talent for softball or soccer-or anything other than gymnastics-lol(most days not really, but others, absolutely!!)

 

[Astraea_9]

My daughter is in Xcel Bronze and we had to pay $200 for leo and warm-ups, and I consider that a rip-off, but figured it's probably like that at most gyms so I didn't fight it or anything. I get why gymnastics is an expensive sport given the cost of the equipment but the leotard charges are purely a revenue generator I think. I have bought several leotards at target or online and they cost around $40. Since they are buying in bulk my guess is the gyms pay like $10 each for the basic ones, maybe $50 for the bejeweled ones. When my daughter was in the rec program we paid $30 for the 'holiday leotard' they all wore for the holiday show so the leotards must not have cost the gym any more than that. The show had all the rec kids in it which means they had to buy like 150 leos in varying designs (each level had their own) and would likely not have swallowed that much cost if the $30 if that didn't cover it.

 

[TheXcelMom]

My daughter is in Xcel Bronze and we had to pay $200 for leo and warm-ups, and I consider that a rip-off, but figured it's probably like that at most gyms so I didn't fight it or anything. I get why gymnastics is an expensive sport given the cost of the equipment but the leotard charges are purely a revenue generator I think. I have bought several leotards at target or online and they cost around $40. Since they are buying in bulk my guess is the gyms pay like $10 each for the basic ones, maybe $50 for the bejeweled ones. When my daughter was in the rec program we paid $30 for the 'holiday leotard' they all wore for the holiday show so the leotards must not have cost the gym any more than that. The show had all the rec kids in it which means they had to buy like 150 leos in varying designs (each level had their own) and would likely not have swallowed that much cost if the $30 if that didn't cover it.

If you go to the GK website and customize one yourself you’ll see the cost.

 

[Astraea_9]

If you go to the GK website and customize one yourself you’ll see the cost.

The ones marked competition are outrageous, that company is clearly catering to people that have more money than sense. But it's not like they are the only brand out there. A quick google search allowed me to find a competition leotards with sleeves and rhinestones for $50 (see link below), and it took me about 15 seconds. Since gyms buy in bulk they can likely get it for far less. If gyms really are paying those ridiculous prices then they are just stupid.

Amazon product ASIN B01M7PRUVD
Edit: I think I'm going to buy this one, so pretty!

Amazon product ASIN B078SN3NM5

 

[3gymnastmom]

The ones marked competition are outrageous, that company is clearly catering to people that have more money than sense. But it's not like they are the only brand out there. A quick google search allowed me to find a competition leotards with sleeves and rhinestones for $50 (see link below), and it took me about 15 seconds. Since gyms buy in bulk they can likely get it for far less. If gyms really are paying those ridiculous prices then they are just stupid.

Amazon product ASIN B01M7PRUVD
Edit: I think I'm going to buy this one, so pretty!

Amazon product ASIN B078SN3NM5

Thank you for your reply. And both of those leos are really pretty.

 

[Tammie]

The ones marked competition are outrageous, that company is clearly catering to people that have more money than sense. But it's not like they are the only brand out there. A quick google search allowed me to find a competition leotards with sleeves and rhinestones for $50 (see link below), and it took me about 15 seconds. Since gyms buy in bulk they can likely get it for far less. If gyms really are paying those ridiculous prices then they

I know for a fact that our gym pays the full amount for out leos(550 with a jacket). Is it possible that the total is really 546/8, sure. But they are not using competition leos as a revenue generator.

As for GK being a ripoff, the fabrics are different, they feel different. For something that needs to be tight on your skin while you flip and twist-while hoping not to get a wedgie, nothing rips, etc. That difference in fabric and quality becomes a big deal!! Not to mention GK leos are made in the USA.

My kiddo is gymnastics obsessed, she wears leos all day, everyday, not just in the gym-leo and leggings everywhere(she used to throw a t-shirt over it, pretend she was "normal" & I would joke that you never know when you need that emergency leo for those times when you must perform emergency gymnastics ;-))

So anyway, she has a ton of them, somewhere between 50 & 60(&has asked for more for Christmas). At one point in an effort to gain more variety, I ordered 2 super cute leos, one from etsy, one from Amazon. She wore the etsy one time(said it moved weird & she almost fell on a tumbling pass cuz it pulled her in a weird way), she never wore the Amazon leo(she said it was too icky inside-whatever that meant).

So I'm done with that experiment. There may well be some good leo companies/makers out there that are not GK, but I guess I just have more money than sense, I prefer buying leos that she will actually wear. So we stick with GK!!

 

[PippenMom]

My daughter is entering into her 2nd competitive year, Xcel Silver. Fortunately for her first year we were able to get her competition leo and warmups 2nd hand. This year our gym is doing new competition leos, GK brand and we’ve been told that the $250 deposit should “hopefully cover half the cost”. $500+ for a leotard worn 6-7 times!? Is that normal? I suspect the gym uses leos, warmups and many other “required” apparel as a revenue generator. For example this summer we were required to purchase 2 summer training leos, GK of course, no price was given, just “send in your size and we’ll charge your card when they come in“. I pushed back and didn’t send in my daughter’s size when my two emails asking for the total cost were ignored.

We are in an area where there are several other gyms with Xcel programs and I’ve considered looking into another gym, but not sure if it’ll be the same story. This gym is closest to our home and my other two kids are on the boys team, so bringing her to another gym would be inconvenient and would probably make her sad b/c she’s made friends at this gym. What has been your experience with competition leo costs? And does your gym require other purchases like t-shirts, summer leos, etc? And is using required apparel as a revenue generator typical?…is that ethical? Besides a lesser time commitment, isn’t Xcel supposed to be more reasonably priced compared to JO?

Thanks for weighing in. My daughter really likes gymnastics, but I’m starting to feel taken advantage of.

Xcel, at our gym, costs about the same as the upper level optionals teams. The gear (Leos, warm-ups, etc) cost the exact same across the two groups, and the competition fees are about the same too because the meets require out of state travel.

 

[Astraea_9]

I know for a fact that our gym pays the full amount for out leos(550 with a jacket). Is it possible that the total is really 546/8, sure. But they are not using competition leos as a revenue generator.

As for GK being a ripoff, the fabrics are different, they feel different. For something that needs to be tight on your skin while you flip and twist-while hoping not to get a wedgie, nothing rips, etc. That difference in fabric and quality becomes a big deal!! Not to mention GK leos are made in the USA.

My kiddo is gymnastics obsessed, she wears leos all day, everyday, not just in the gym-leo and leggings everywhere(she used to throw a t-shirt over it, pretend she was "normal" & I would joke that you never know when you need that emergency leo for those times when you must perform emergency gymnastics ;-))

So anyway, she has a ton of them, somewhere between 50 & 60(&has asked for more for Christmas). At one point in an effort to gain more variety, I ordered 2 super cute leos, one from etsy, one from Amazon. She wore the etsy one time(said it moved weird & she almost fell on a tumbling pass cuz it pulled her in a weird way), she never wore the Amazon leo(she said it was too icky inside-whatever that meant).

So I'm done with that experiment. There may well be some good leo companies/makers out there that are not GK, but I guess I just have more money than sense, I prefer buying leos that she will actually wear. So we stick with GK!!

I do get that there are differences in quality, and we have been burned by leos she didn't like the feel of as well. But their are definitely leos my daughter feels comfortable in all day that cost me $30-$40. We have had good luck with Danskin, they are cheap and machine washable and she loves them. Also United All Around, those are handwash but can get with rhinestones and more artsy designs than Danskin. We avoid Destira - we tried 2 of them and she thought both were itchy. Ironically they were the only ones we bought from her gym and cost 3x what the other ones cost.

 

[Tammie]

I do get that there are differences in quality, and we have been burned by leos she didn't like the feel of as well. But their are definitely leos my daughter feels comfortable in all day that cost me $30-$40. We have had good luck with Danskin, they are cheap and machine washable and she loves them. Also United All Around, those are handwash but can get with rhinestones and more artsy designs than Danskin. We avoid Destira - we tried 2 of them and she thought both were itchy. Ironically they were the only ones we bought from her gym and cost 3x what the other ones cost.

Typically I shop GK sales and clearance & whatever I can do to save a bit. She has 2 practice leos that I've paid >$50 for(simone biles art deco mickey mouse leo & a dreamlights that i had a coupon for-was 80ish, we paid 47? 52? Right around 50-both killed me-lol), the rest are under 40(many were 15-25)...because she has so many & wears them all day everyday instead of shirts(ie they get dirty), I hate paying too much for practice leos!!

I also throw them all in the wash, on gentle, with only other leos, but still thrown in the wash!! I also have a stain spray made specifically for workout gear that removes her "play dirt" & food type stains like a champ(along with method detergent & many times a persil laundry pod thingy)

Her leos are used and abused by the time she is ready for a new size(it doesn't help that she is super short and doesn't grow much-so we have each size for 18-24mos or longer), but they all still look great!!

Seriously, if you want GK leos, look into their sales & specials, you can find some great deals!!

I will check out the brands you mentioned to add variety(variety is important!!)

The competition leos are way more-like ridiculously more, however I'm not the one that picks them, they're custom, designed by our head coach, and I just pay what I'm told. For that one leo per year, I just suck it up!! Although I'm hoping SOON we can keep a competition leo more than one year, like everyone else!!(our team has different, "cheaper" leos for level 3(450-500, ours was 500), level 4/5, a bit more, but still "cheaper"(500-575, ours was 550), and optionals are the nicest leos(6-700, ours will be 650 this year)...they are changed every 3-4yrs, the current ones have been in use since 2020, so likely to change next year! So we bought level 3 last year, level 4 for this fall, we will buy level 6/optionals late fall/winter for winter/spring, and next year they will change, so we will buy another-lol, just comedy of errors and bad timing that will have us buying 5 competition leos in 4yrs-watch, then she will grow & need another year 5-lol!! But we do what we have to do for our kiddos, right?

P.S. the competition leo is never thrown in the washer-lol.

 

[cogymmom2dd]

Yeah that’s pretty steep. I have a L8, L6, and XCEL Silver. The L8 and L6 fees were $325 for the GK Leo+warm up+ bags. DD3 for Silver was $250 but I bought her Leo used from someone but still had to pay for the warm ups and bag.

 

[JessSyd]

But we do what we have to do for our kiddos, right?

P.S. the competition leo is never thrown in the washer-lol.

If I am reading this correctly, you‘ll have spent $1750 on three leotards across the course of about 36 months? For a low/mid level gymnast? I don’t even know how to politely describe what your gym is doing. There’s a phrase for it in Australian/British English, but I can’t use it here so I am lost for words.

And not day to day leotards - leotards they only wear a handful of times that need special attention for washing (As opposed to a fully blinged up Sylvia P leotard which can absolutely go in the washing machine and the instructions printed on them say so).

What is the cost per wear there? And what is the lesson inherent in a girl’s ability to compete being contingent on her parents‘ willingness to pay ludicrous money for an outfit that works exactly the same way as a leotard that costs less than half the price, but is apparently two or three hundred dollars worth of ‘more beautiful’. It screams of skewed priorities (the gym‘s not the parents’ - I know parents are hostages to this sort of decision in a way).

I know I am banging on a bit in this thread, but it really does astound me. I cannot get over the complacency with which folk accept this as an inevitable part of the sport, or the level of gatekeeping inherent in gyms choosing to set the cost of essential equipment so high.

If I had to pay that much for leotards, I’d have to find the money by skipping a competition or two each season. My kid would be all blinged up with nowhere to go. But at least she’d look more sparkly than other local gyms?

 

[Tammie]

If I am reading this correctly, you‘ll have spent $1750 on three leotards across the course of about 36 months? For a low/mid level gymnast? I don’t even know how to politely describe what your gym is doing. There’s a phrase for it in Australian/British English, but I can’t use it here so I am lost for words.

And not day to day leotards - leotards they only wear a handful of times that need special attention for washing (As opposed to a fully blinged up Sylvia P leotard which can absolutely go in the washing machine and the instructions printed on them say so).

What is the cost per wear there? And what is the lesson inherent in a girl’s ability to compete being contingent on her parents‘ willingness to pay ludicrous money for an outfit that works exactly the same way as a leotard that costs less than half the price, but is apparently two or three hundred dollars worth of ‘more beautiful’. It screams of skewed priorities (the gym‘s not the parents’ - I know parents are hostages to this sort of decision in a way).

I know I am banging on a bit in this thread, but it really does astound me. I cannot get over the complacency with which folk accept this as an inevitable part of the sport, or the level of gatekeeping inherent in gyms choosing to set the cost of essential equipment so high.

If I had to pay that much for leotards, I’d have to find the money by skipping a competition or two each season. My kid would be all blinged up with nowhere to go. But at least she’d look more sparkly than other local gyms?

Ugggh! I just typed out a long reply and lost it due to a text from one of the kids-oy!

OK, 2nd try.

Believe me, I agree with you 100%!! There is part of me that wants to balk at the costs, but due to our personal circumstances, I dont. This is also SoCal, everything here is expensive and over the top!!

Our gym is a different type of place. We have girls that go to nationals every year, many that go on to classics, championships, and beyond.

We are also located in a wealthy area, my daughters teammates are CEO/business owners children, NFL players/actor/actresses children, one guy won an Oscar for music in a movie...and my daughter has an engineer and stay at home mom of 5...and we commute 90min each way.

These parents seem to get a bigger thrill out of their little 5/6/7yr old wearing the same outfit as a national team member, than they care about the money. Our gym seems to be filled with an odd mix of parents with too much money and kids with incredible talent.

Our gym is small, very small. Last year our team was huge compared to normal, I believe there were just over 40girls, including xcel, plus we have 'drop-ins,' girls that are members of national teams around the world that come to have routines cleaned up or skills perfected. Making the team here is a big deal, making optionals is an even bigger deal.

For us, my kid was off gym for almost 2yrs, a move from heck met with the pandemic so so nicely to make 20mos off. My kid was afraid she would have to give up on her dream, yet after this year, I believe she will be back on track. My kid came to them with an odd mix of L3 through L6 skills, from a gym ran by a TOPs selection coordinator(so she conditioned like a boss, but actual gymnastics skills were lacking) and had to restart her levels, to ensure she wasn't missing something important. I honestly believe she only got her spot because of the pandemic(they needed money), however since then she has fully earned her spot! She is now a favorite and is expected to go fairly far with the sport. She also trains the L9/10/elite hours, for about a year now(28-34hrs/wk if you include privates...she takes off 1/4 to 1/3 of the Saturdays for family fun & weekend getaways, she's in the middle of 3 weekends in a row off right now, so our hours vary more than most...I feel like she's young & needs to have fun in her life too, not just gymnastics as a full time job!! Btw-she will be 11 in Dec, is also mildly autistic and gymnastics is her "thing"-I dont believe she would do as well in a large gym, it would overwhelm her, so she is in the perfect place for her!!)

So while skipping L5 is making things financially worse(competition leo wise), I accept that! Word on the street is also that they will be letting her go once she reaches optionals, that her level will be decided 2wks before any given competition(not skipping, but only competing one competition per level-maybe, her HC demands perfection-but so does my kid, they mesh very well). So she is happy with where she is again, her confidence is through the roof, and her autism is calm(which is worth more than any amount of money to us)!!!

Life is good once again, so I don't complain & we pay whatever is asked of us.

Hope that all makes more sense now!! Both in terms of our gym as a whole and our personal circumstances as well

 

[JessSyd]

Oh you don’t have to explain your circumstances to me! You’re not the one mandating $500 leotards for level threes!

It does sound like financial gatekeeping though - they WANT their gym to look and be more expensive than gyms around them. Their business choice I guess!

It is interesting that they are doing it in imitation of the elites - TBH I think some elite leotards have become a bit silly too. My goodness, they are world class athletes - they do double doubles and DTYs. They fly! They don’t need thousands of crystals to look amazing. If anything, the crystals are a distraction from the athleticism on display.

 

[Momofthetinygymnast]

The leotards for my daughters xcel team varied from $220-$275. The upper level JO optionals have a leotard that is approximately $450. The lower level compulsory levels have leotards comparable to the xcel leotard costs with the exception of level 2. I don’t see much of a price difference in competition apparel between xcel and JO at her gym with the exception of optionals and level 2. Xcel and JO both have the same warmups.

My daughter doesn’t have to purchase training leotards or t-shirts. The gym is up front with all costs prior to the start of the season. Like you, I would not agree to a training leotard where the gym wouldn’t share the cost with me ahead of time.

That seems on the high side for our area anyways. Last year we had ozone and they were $300. This year Sylvia p and they are $325.

 

[JPC13]

I asked my wife the other day and my daughter's comp leo was $195. The gym uses the same design from L2-L10 and it's more than nice enough -- based on what I've seen at comps it's at least as fancy looking as any other one and the construction/lining/seams are good enough for it to be wearable to my picky daughter.

I haven't changed my opinion that $500+ for a leo is totally wasteful, and a huge and pointless barrier to entry for a lot of lower income families. This sport suffers from both sexism (yeah, a bathing suit is definitely the ideal garment for land-based athletics) and elitism and an ultra expensive comp leo is the perfect combination of both.

 

[3gymnastmom]

I asked my wife the other day and my daughter's comp leo was $195. The gym uses the same design from L2-L10 and it's more than nice enough -- based on what I've seen at comps it's at least as fancy looking as any other one and the construction/lining/seams are good enough for it to be wearable to my picky daughter.

I haven't changed my opinion that $500+ for a leo is totally wasteful, and a huge and pointless barrier to entry for a lot of lower income families. This sport suffers from both sexism (yeah, a bathing suit is definitely the ideal garment for land-based athletics) and elitism and an ultra expensive comp leo is the perfect combination of both.

You and the others that have called it out are so right about these inflated fees and apparel being a huge barrier. I never thought about the elitism, but I agree on that as well. Thank you again for weighing in.

 

[GymnastMomX2]

Is that just for the leo, or does it include warmups, bag etc. We have uniform costs over $500 but it includes a comp leo, practice leo, warmups, extra team pullover, and bag. If its just the leo that seems crazy, they could easily pick something more affordable.

 

[procmadz]

At our gym, the xcel Leos are typically between 50 and 75 dollars, depending on whether it is a custom Leo or a stock Leo from gk. Warmups are $190, and a backpack is I think about 50. Comes out to roughly 300, if you need new sets of everything. Our Leo’s though are also only used for one season, and for reference, this was two years ago. Our team is also on the smaller side (maybe 30 girls last year, bronze to gold) but as teams get bigger, the Leos tend to get nicer (we have 60 girls this year, bronze to platinum) we also have only one Leo across all 4 levels.

 

[Tammie]

Oh you don’t have to explain your circumstances to me! You’re not the one mandating $500 leotards for level threes!

It does sound like financial gatekeeping though - they WANT their gym to look and be more expensive than gyms around them. Their business choice I guess!

It is interesting that they are doing it in imitation of the elites - TBH I think some elite leotards have become a bit silly too. My goodness, they are world class athletes - they do double doubles and DTYs. They fly! They don’t need thousands of crystals to look amazing. If anything, the crystals are a distraction from the athleticism on display.

Do you want to know what is sad??

In our area(SoCal), our leos are about average. We went to one competition where there were some girls competing in plain leos(just a solid color, not even long sleeves)-however this was the same team that my oldest daughter(21) overheard one of the moms complaining that 6hrs/wk in the gym was just too much(I don't remember if it was 2hrs/3d or 3hrs/2d). It was a team from a military base and everything they did was different from most.

Every competition there is always a team with more blinged out leos than us(2 in particular come to mind, both would have been on par with the national team, thousands & thousands of crystals type-they had to weigh a ton!!), then the majority that look similar to ours. Sometimes a team with "lesser" leos, but not many/often(&not by much).

I actually do not believe our coaches are trying to keep anything "exclusive" as we are lending DDs L3 leo to another little girl for the season this year. They also work with many parents on expenses and making them work. We truly belong to an amazing gym in that regard!!

If I had to guess the reason for such expensive leos? Our area demands it, both in how the other teams are outfitted & the majority of parents in our particular gym(the ones who are invested in their 6yr old matching someone they see on TV-how else are they going to brag to their friends when theyre child doesnt stick with the sport beyond cartwheels??). I also heard that the year before we joined the gym, the L3 leo did not match the older girls-I have no idea what it looked like, it was changed to match closer the year we joined-if I had to guess, parents complained. I obviously cannot confirm that, but we have many complaining parents-so often about the stupidest stuff, so would not be shocked!!

Btw-i am not trying to justify anything, just explain the situation a little better, give you a better understanding of the circumstances-both in our particular gym and for us personally...not that it matters, noone else is paying for the 500 leo/jacket combo, we are. If I wanted to get 500-$1 bills and light them on fire for fun, that too would be my business and I could do that-without the need to explain myself ;-) yet, I still think the $500 leo is over the top and unnecessary!! BUT, we do what we have to do!! The due date for leo money actually came a month earlier than last year(so, a month earlier than i was planning), with money due on Wed(in cash, no ccs), I had to ask if they could wait until Thursday(payday)-they did, no problem. So yeah, this wasn't my choice!! And having different leos for L3 then L4/L5, then optionals??? Again, not my choice. I would have preferred to pay the 600/650 whatever it is and had the same leo for the 2yrs/3 seasons!! I may ask why they don't do it that way some time.

Keep in mind that until about a week ago(this thread), I had no idea that we paid on the high end for our leos. I've never done any of this before. I had heard that gymnastics gets expensive when girls start competing, so I figured this was just what people meant, a $2k competition season for compulsory and $3-4k for optionals(between leo, entry & coaching fees), plus travel, obviously. I didn't realize that others did not pay the same, or even that it COULD be less expensive. Ignorance is bliss, I guess!

The VERY best part??? Both the leo and the jacket are WHITE!!! Does it get any worse? I have 5 kids and do animal rescue...that thing rides in a garmet bag, she changes at competition and out of it before we leave. She couldn't wear that thing in the house or even in the car, nope, nope, nope!! I cannot wait until they change styles again!!