WAG Leotard Preferences.

[Dahlia]

It's interesting different gym's philosophies. I notice (just from what I've seen from practice while my dd is in her class) that our team girls wearing leos and sometimes the little shorts over. I've never seen team girls in t-shirts/shorts. I have no idea if there is an official "policy". Though in the advanced/pre-team classes I see girls not wearing leos, which is strange to me. There is a little girl in dds class who often wears baggy long shorts and a baggy t-shirt (as in shorts that are loose and come below the knee - more capri length). She wore a leo one day, and I was amazing how good her body positions were, but you can't tell on a normal day with all those baggy clothes. Rec kids are about half leos, about half whatever clothes. I've seen little girls in dresses too. I think the only rule they enforce in the rec classes is no jeans...

 

[mommyof1]

At my gym most of the 7th grade through highschool aged girls wear a sports bra with a leotard pulled down with GK shorts. It doesn't hurt on bars haha but our leotard is usually pulled down to our belly buttoms.

We once visited a gym where all the teen girls were dressed this way. It looked like the only reason the girls even had leotards was so their parents would not know that they were prancing around the gym in their underwear--just pull up the leo at the end of practice when mom picks you up, and she's none the wiser. I have to admit that the pulled-down leos probably contributed to the fact that I did not like the gym.

 

[hawaii_gymnast]

Our gym is leo's only too, all kinds of brands. But on the sports bra and shorts issue there was a couple girls in the last year or two that I saw competed in a sports bra and shorts at a meet that you were allowed costumes for (you could wear shorts, leggings, whatever you wanted as long as your coach agreed). Let me tell you, our whole club athletes, parents and coaches were wondering what they were doing.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

We went to a meet recently where one large club competed in racer back style leos with a large cut out at the back. Looked very swimming costumey. There was a debate if they should be allowed to compete as the leo was deemed "inappropriate"

 

[dani4]

I inform all the parents of the dress code in writing and verbally on the first day, and they are given a rundown when they sign up. And I STILL have people like this, as well as 50% of kids coming without their hair secured away from their eyes with their vision clearly obscured. It's especially bad at the preschool level, maybe because the kids can't dress themselves and override a clueless parent. It's just baffling though that people would think any kind of skirt would be okay for gymnastics.

I've also noticed a lot of the girls just wear their long hair loose, even though it definitely says that long hair needs to be tied back on the gym's website. It's kind of painful to watch the kids jumping around with their hair in their face. I would say about half of the preschool kids just wear their hair loose. Not my daughters! Hair is a big part of our morning routine before gymnastics. I suck at making it pretty, but at least I can keep it out of their faces.

 

[happychaos]

There is a pre-teen (12 maybe?) girl in an advanced rec class at our gym who comes to class in an calf-length skirt with leggings on underneath. It is a long, full, flowing skirt with lots of fabric. She is of Middle-Eastern origin, and I assume it is a cultural/religious expectation. Her older sister who brings her always has on a long skirt as well.

She does hip circles, tap swings, walkovers, vault...everything in the skirt. She kind of gathers the fabric in front of her before she begins on bars, but I am always cringing waiting for the fabric to become wrapped around the bar. And I'm thinking she will step on it while on the beam....

I alternate between being proud that the gym would accommodate her, and thinking that allowing her skirt is a huge, huge liability. Not to mention putting her at great risk for injury.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

That would just not be accepted here. We make provisions for cultural differences but no way no skirts. I have seen girls culturally from the Asian sub continent practice in tracksuit bottoms and that was fine, but anyone competing wears a leo. I do know there is a cultural exception that allows leggings of the same fabric under the leo, but have never seen anyone compete like that.

 

[Natalia]

The younger girls all wear leos,the older girls often prefer to wear something like this:

DD is asking for these tops more often,I'm happy with that,I can throw these in the washing machine,the leos I hand wash

 

[cbifoja]

My daughter tried to wear a get up like above and was sent to the bathroom to change. Leos only but a lot of older girls wear bar shorts too.

 

[lhmom]

At DD's gym, rec class kids wear whatever they want. The pre-team and team girls are required to wear leos (with gym shorts if they want) and their hair is to be tied back. Now, our older gymnasts have tried to get away with the sports bra/leo around their waists. They hid it by wearing tshirts during warmup but the HC caught on and quickly put a stop to that.

 

[gymmomtoo]

Team girls wear leos. No shorts over--not acceptable at our gym. Rec girls mostly wear leos (copying team girls), but some beginners wear t-shirt and shorts until they decide if they like it. You have to have your hair pulled back--even rec coaches will say something. When I coached rec, I had to tell a few people to take jewelry off too.

 

[Jen H.]

I am so not understanding the Leo pulled halfway down thing? Wouldn't it sag down in the bum area? How on Earth could that be comfortable? What is the point, and is this some sort of weird trend, and am I too old to get it?
That would never fly at our gym!

 

[Keno11]

Yeah for team and preteam they all wear leos... the coaches asked that our pre teamers not wear shorts in the intial parent meeting. My dd will not wear them (she will wear them in the building but not to practice in) she is a rule follower.. bt there are a few on her team that wear the biketards (?) and 1 who wears the shorts over leos.
I see very few older girls wearing shorts.

ETA: Rec girls wear shorts and tee or leos, or biketards and everyone has to have their hair pulled back..rec or no.

 

[Dahlia]

Regarding hair - our gym actually has a small basket of cheap black elastic pony tail holders sitting on the half wall. I've seen coaches grab one and quickly pull a girl's hair back. Long hair down just isn't allowed for safety reasons.

 

[JBS]

Leos or leos and shorts...beam coach requires no shorts on beam. The no shorts on beam rule has helped us greatly with the teens at competitions.

 

[MILgymFAM]

At our gym everyone must wear a leo- red and team alike, and no biketards are allowed either. Only difference between team and rec is that rec girls may wear gym/dance shorts over their leos and team girls may not. I could imagine a girl doing gymnast training in a sports bra a little shorts, and it bugs me that girls in my 10yo DD's dance class practice like that.

 

[raenndrops]

According to the rules:
Rec - leotard or tight fitting clothes (no buttons, snaps, or zippers). We get a lot of the undies showing thing, but some parents are smart enough to buy biketards to prevent that.
We occasionally have a rack of "experienced" leotards that we offer for sale as well as new leotards. The girls who are selling their old leotards CAN attach a note telling why that leo is special and worth whatever price they are asking. Leotards that have done back handsprings are VERY popular with the rec girls, lol, and can get $10-$15. A leotard that can jump to the high bar can fetch $10-$20.
An old competition leo (2-3 styles ago) that scored a 9+ on any event can bring in $25-$35. If it competed at Nationals, it goes for $30-$40.

Team - Leotard, leo and shorts (soffe style or fitted gym shorts), or the racerback tank and shorts. In the summer, they are allowed to wear "bra tops" over their sports bras and shorts or 2 piece leotards. We have one girl on team (11 yo, so she should know better) that seems to like the underwear showing look - she sports it at least 1/4 of the time at practice.

High School Team - SUPPOSE to wear leotards, but some of the girls wear form fitted tees and shorts (or worse... footless tights - not leggings, but tights). Those who were on our team and are on the HS team DO wear leotards, but often have one of their "meet" tees and shorts over it.

 

[MILgymFAM]

According to the rules:
Rec - leotard or tight fitting clothes (no buttons, snaps, or zippers). We get a lot of the undies showing thing, but some parents are smart enough to buy biketards to prevent that.
We occasionally have a rack of "experienced" leotards that we offer for sale as well as new leotards. The girls who are selling their old leotards CAN attach a note telling why that leo is special and worth whatever price they are asking. Leotards that have done back handsprings are VERY popular with the rec girls, lol, and can get $10-$15. A leotard that can jump to the high bar can fetch $10-$20.
An old competition leo (2-3 styles ago) that scored a 9+ on any event can bring in $25-$35. If it competed at Nationals, it goes for $30-$40.

Team - Leotard, leo and shorts (soffe style or fitted gym shorts), or the racerback tank and shorts. In the summer, they are allowed to wear "bra tops" over their sports bras and shorts or 2 piece leotards. We have one girl on team (11 yo, so she should know better) that seems to like the underwear showing look - she sports it at least 1/4 of the time at practice.

High School Team - SUPPOSE to wear leotards, but some of the girls wear form fitted tees and shorts (or worse... footless tights - not leggings, but tights). Those who were on our team and are on the HS team DO wear leotards, but often have one of their "meet" tees and shorts over it.

I think it's awesome that girls are allowed to resell old leos. At our gym there is a rack of new ones, and also used for sale (all are $10), but members cannot sell their own there. The gym appreciates if girls donate their old ones to be sold, almost like a fundraiser.

 

[raenndrops]

I think it's awesome that girls are allowed to resell old leos. At our gym there is a rack of new ones, and also used for sale (all are $10), but members cannot sell their own there. The gym appreciates if girls donate their old ones to be sold, almost like a fundraiser.

Our gym does take a cut of each old leotard sold ($1 per leo) to go toward the YMCA Sustaining Campaign. As a Y team, we are required to contribute a certain amount to the campaign that helps fund the Y and its programs and scholarships. Some girls do choose to let the gym keep all the money, but others only give the $1 per leo. I tend to give at least 50%... more if the girls don't need new leos themselves.

 

[2G1B]

At our gym all team kids wear leos. Some of the rec kids wear various other things; but on team you wear a leo. And you aren't allowed to wear shorts. I totally don't get pulling the leo down. That makes no sense to me and I'd totally get onto my girls if they did that.

The boys wear t-shirts and shorts.