WAG Gymnasts: opinions of this jacket

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Yes to jacket, maybe even one for myself!
No to pinney although I have seen older teens wearing them, my former gymnast now cheerleader thinks they are hideous and none of her cheer squad are buying them this year!

Little Monkey will wear anything with team logo so we both have sweatshirts material hoodies, full zip and pullover, I also have a fleece 1/2 zip.

 

[Quadqueen]

I like the jacket, and while I don't love the pinney, DD has seen them around and has commented that she wants one!! And her teammate just had one made on her own with the team's name across the front.

 

[ginnymac]

My dd got a charles river half zip jacket for her team in 6th grade. She has worn it consistently throughout middle school and has just recently stopped wearing it frequently (she hasn't grown out of it yet---growing slowly!). Her teammates, boys and girls, all wore it frequently.

Pinneys are extremely popular right now, for girls. All ages, through high school. DD's team aphas one and school sells them too. Everyone is wearing them. They also are not as expensive, you may sell more. We live in CT, don't know if they are just popular here.....

 

[CoachGoofy]

That jacket looks a lot like our team jackets. They are very cute...and don't breathe at all. As a gymnast and as a coach I wouldn't want another jacket that doesn't breathe at all. No thank you.

 

[Krystan]

Our team just ordered team-only jackets and they were VERY popular, though not required. They are yoga-ish, meaning a lightweight jersey/cotton material, but tailored to look more warm-up-ish. They are thick enough to wear as a jacket, but no hood. I agree the hoodies are overused, and for wearing out and about, most kids older than, say, 10, will want something more fitted. The one they ordered is very bling-y, but maybe that's why the girls love it. A few years ago they did a zip-up fleece with embroidered team name on front and USA Gymnast on the back. It was very popular too, and I still see the girls wearing them (I think you're in NE too, and fleece probably gets more wear than something lighter). I do think the girls like having a special team-only item, since they aren't allowed to wear their real warm-up jackets out and about. Especially if you're thinking Christmas-time, I would think fleece would be a lot more popular than a warm-up jacket, depending on location!

 

[aerialriver]

Desperately sitting here trying to figure out what the heck a "pinney" is.

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[Catharinna]

I disagree with older girls wanting more fitted sweatshirts. All the girls on team here and kids at school in general like the more casual loose fitting oversized hoodies. Also pinnies are popular here in California too.

 

[sophiagymgall]

This may be the Canadian in me speaking, but to me, a jacket has to serve a purpose - either keep you warm or dry, or both. The jacket you linked to doesn't seem particularly well-made, it looks very thin, and while the manufacturer may say it's "water-resistant," it doesn't seem to be truly waterproof like a North Face or similar-brand jacket would be. Thus, it isn't particularly useful, and I don't think the style is too interesting either - it looks dated and like a warm-up jacket to me. I don't mean to be harsh, just giving my honest opinion!

I agree that a zipped hoodie, a sweatshirt or even a warmer long-sleeved shirt would probably be more popular.. Basically, something that you can wear on a daily basis, whether you're going to school, practice or the grocery store. To me, the jacket would look out of place anywhere except at a meet. For inspiration, you could check out some college's online shops - I find that they usually have a wide range of high-quality and very stylish jackets and hoodies. I know Purdue is associated with Nike and Columbia and they have several different jackets that I'd buy in a heartbeat! Obviously it's a lot harder to find a manufacturer for a small gym team, but it might you help determine what style you want to go for

 

[flipandtwist]

As a warm-up jacket, I think it's cute. As an extra to wear whenever, I wouldn't buy it. The most popular apparel item to buy for my dance team are long sleeved shirts. We as a team, love them. Or, you could consider getting a crewneck sweatshirt, again super popular.


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[txgymfan]

One of the most versatile things in my closet is a zip front black sweat shirt jacket ( no hood). It has a college logo on the left front and you could add a name on the right front. I can were it very casual or a little nicer. It also keeps me warm in really cold air condition. I don't know if kids would agree with me but if not it might be an option for parents.

 

[alsmom]

The quarter zip sweatshirts are very popular here.

I would also go for the pinneys!! My older dd's cheer team made it to nationals this past winter. They got reversible(zebra/hot pink) pinneys to wear in Florida. They got so many positive comments on them, and now nearly every team around here has there own pinney.

 

[wallflower]

We sell a lot of different things that are available to parents, rec kids, etc. All manner of sweatshirts, sweatpants, fleeces, bags, etc. The goal with this was to have a special "for team members only" jacket. Something a little special which is why I'm trying to avoid just the standard pull-over sweatshirt (which we also offer).

I love the idea of something just for the team. I have always wished our gym did a full length zipper hoodie for the team girls. We don't really have winter here and my daughter wears a zipper hoodie as her jacket during our winter months. We don't even own jackets! So I end up buying her several zipper hoodies from Justice, Target, etc. She'd wear it everyday if she had a team one.

 

[gymdog]

Well, if it's a fundraiser, I still recommend you sell to anyone, but I don't really like the idea of exclusivity for its own sake. I guess I just can't understand what the point of having something like this just for the team would be. If someone wants to support or "sponsor" the team through a fundraiser by buying an item like this, why not? As a gym owner I would definitely not like or approve the idea within the gym community because of the image it promotes about the worth of rec participants, many of whom are future Xcel or level 3-10 team members. But I'm going to assume your owner has asked you to look into this. If it's team gift then I understand purchasing just for the team, but this sounds like a fundraiser.

I don't love that particular jacket, but the idea of a jacket isn't bad in itself. I have seen sweatshirts and jerseys be more successful though.

 

[MaryA]

But I'm going to assume your owner has asked you to look into this. If it's team gift then I understand purchasing just for the team, but this sounds like a fundraiser..

The idea started out as a team gift, but it ended up being too expensive, so offering it for sale grew out of that. And yes, this came down from the HC/GO. I like the idea though... Having something for them to wear when they travel as a team or whatever. Most of these girls will never get a high school varsity jacket in spite of being incredible athletes. What's wrong with them having their own special jacket?

We do mark the items that we sell up a bit, but we try to keep them as affordable as possible. So it's technically a fundraiser, but not a major one.

 

[txgymfan]

I think a team jacket is a great idea. Most high school teams or club teams have them for travel. Making them optional is nice for the families, at many gyms this would be a mandatory purchase.

 

[maryRS]

This is slightly unrelated, but I'm kind of amused that some people are unfamiliar with hoodies and having one for a team. My daughter has no less than 20 hoodies, teams, functions, camp, events, bar mitzvahs. My sons too, oh and don't forget the ones the boys have passed down to her. Too funny.

And yet, when asked about the jacket, what do I say, we'd prefer a hoodie! LOL

 

[2G1B]

I like the idea of a team jacket that is limited to team members. I don't view it as any different than letter jackets for high school kids. The rec kids shouldn't view it as being left out, rather as something to want to work towards.

I'm not sure what I'd want with the jacket though... I kind of like the one you posted. It would be practical for our area. My kids always want to wear their team warm ups; but I don't let them since they are forgetful and I can see them getting left somewhere. My son does have a hooded sweatshirt from his old team and he wears it some; but would wear a jacket way more.

 

[mamaS]

I like the look. Are you in a warmer climate? I am in a area with brutal winters. It looks super light weight?

 

[iwannacoach]

Just say it's the team's extra warm-up for really cold gyms and since you can never predict te urge to bust out a fhs-fl-fl full twist while walking down the street, it's okay to wear everywhere. What I'm curious about...... Does it come with accessories like a new double back off bars?

 

[MaryA]

Just say it's the team's extra warm-up for really cold gyms and since you can never predict te urge to bust out a fhs-fl-fl full twist while walking down the street, it's okay to wear everywhere. What I'm curious about...... Does it come with accessories like a new double back off bars?

If it came with that (or, depending on the level, maybe a kip or a flyway) then we could sell them for thousands and never have to fundraise again.