Women Leotards & Warm Ups

[flipsandgrips15]

I guess this may be answered mostly by coaches, but parents feel free to jump in with info & opinions too.

We are changing our team leos & warm ups this next season. It makes me sad because I LOVE our current leo! It's our second year with that one though so it's time for a change. So my questions are:

What brand do you use? Recommend?

Do you follow your gym's colors when designing?

Do you prefer long sleeves or 3/4?

Capri pants or long pants?

We currently have a leo made of our gym's colors, but I was thinking of making it completely different the next time around by throwing in a couple of accent colors. We also have long pants for our warm ups, but I'm going with capri pants next time.

 

[sce]

Capris pants, but it doesn't get too cold here.

We like GK leos. I am not a fan of the custom sublimated ones. Most I have seen do not look very good. We have a stock jacket that we added embroidery and rhinestones to. I have seen some nice sublimated warm-ups both from GK and GTM.

 

[sce]

Our coaches prefer 3/4 sleeve. Long sleeve don't look good on everyone and get in he way if grips

 

[raenndrops]

We have Alpha Factor ... Have had them since 2013-14 because GK messed up our order 2 years in a row, discontinued our color of velvet so we needed to change leotards... And the rep suggested (and we got) leotards that they were planning to discontinue, but didn't tell us... And she brought sizers and they didn't accurately show how the leotards would fit, so many girls got too small.
We had our team colors and when we got the second GK leotard, we switched from Navy blue to black, but kept our other color.
AF didn't have our second color, so we changed it to teal… our newest leotard, we went back to navy blue instead of black... With gun metal gray and silver. It doesn't really go with our black warm ups though.
Our new leotards are 3/4 sleeves which is better because of all the different shapes of bodies.

I would also suggest Snowflake Designs. Fast turn around... They are willing to work with you on designs... Or you can have any of their current designs in different colors.

 

[Coachjessica]

Our gymnasts prefer 3/4 but long sleeves can actually create an illusion of a smoother line so that arms look cleaner/less deductible

 

[Splat]

Capris pants, but it doesn't get too cold here.

We like GK leos. I am not a fan of the custom sublimated ones. Most I have seen do not look very good. We have a stock jacket that we added embroidery and rhinestones to. I have seen some nice sublimated warm-ups both from GK and GTM.

My gym uses GK too. Along with what sce said we are not a fan of the sublimation. The leos dont always fit right and dont look that good either. Our gym let each gymnast choose between capri or long for pants. I believe alot of people chose the capri but im not sure. Our gym has looked into the 3/4 sleeves but we prefer the long sleeves because we keep our leos for 2 years and by the second year the sleeves end up being 3/4 and we dont know how well the 3/4 will look once the gymnasts arms grow. Our gym doesnt really have gym colors but we did stick with lime green for 2 years. I believe our gym likes the change in color after 2 years though.

 

[CLgym]

Just a parent -- but our gym currently uses GK brand for comp leo. Sleeves are 3/4 (which most of the grip-wearing girls seem to prefer over the full length sleeves but I guess we will see how they look next year, year 2 with the same leo). Leo is solid color (and, yes, it is the primary gym color). Customized with swarovski crystal design of the gym logo (chest) and gym name (sleeve). Sleeves are fully lined mesh, same color as body. Leo is simple and pretty, but also was a bit pricey. Fit is good... like most of my DD's other GK (tank) leos.

Warm up jacket was a budget brand and then embroidered -- not the best but inexpensive -- and girls pair with full-length black leggings of their choosing. We are in a cold winter area so the longer leggings make sense.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

We usually use Alpha Factor. Our Xcel team uses Ozone to cut costs and although it looks nice, the fit is terrible on almost everyone.
Team colors, in some combination, always. The past 2 leos have been 3/4 sleeve and we will likely stick with that, it looks better on more girls as they grow and it works well with grips for the Optionals.
Used to be long pants, went to capri leggings this year which the girls wanted. We let the Optionals have input.

Things to look out for: colored fabric adjacent to eachother that can bleed when sweating or rubbing. Mesh looks great but can be fragile and stones tend to fall off easier. One or two fabrics we have had ended up getting really nasty discoloration from sweat and/or deodorant. Do NOT use very light colors all-over or on the bottom of a leo if you have girls over age 10-11 on your team. It can look very nice but usually requires an undergarment leotard.
Our girls recently got a meet leo (from a meet they went to, not one of purs) that is a beautiful design but needs to be worn with undergarments, *everything* shows straight through part of the design.

 

[lindsaygymnast7]

Our team leos and warm - ups are Ozone. Our team has gotten a lot of compliments at meets on them, however they do not fit well and are uncomfortable. The leos were also pricey ($200 +) and are 3/4 sleeve, which is nice because it doesn't get in the way of grips. My competitive leotard is a size larger than I normally wear and is still too small, but the sleeve length is fine. The jackets are just plain black and have our gym name written on the back in crystals. We are on our second years with them and so far no jewels have fallen off. The pants are 3/4 length. The only complaint I have about the pants is that they are a little see - through, which isn't too much of an issue because the pants are always being worn with the leo under them. The Ozone leos are cute, but they are uncomfortable and fit strangely.

Our gym doesn't have set colors, but the gym tries to have the leotards that the compulsory levels wear have the same general colors and the leotards that the optional levels wear. We change leotards every two years, and usually the leotards are very different every two years. Two years ago, the leotards were mainly blue, and for the last two years the leos have been pink.

 

[3riverselite]

We have under armor Leos and warmups through GK. I like GK leos because almost everyone knows how they fit already since we see mostly GK tanks on our kids. They have messed up our order several times though. We always allow extra time for them.

We used the gym's primary color and an accent color.

I personally prefer 3/4 sleeves. The gym owner insists on long sleeves. As mentioned by others, the long sleeves get in the way on bars. They also look funny on our little kids because most of them end up with extra fabric bunched up at the wrist.

We have Capri pants since most of the kids prefer them.

 

[e'smum]

we are in MA and our girls can do either long or capri. most go with capri. we do 3/4 sleeves. and our team colors are teal/silver. you can see from our current leo (we are on the 2 year plan where every 2 years the leo gets switched) that's it's really not teal/silver. a total switch up from the prior two leo's dd has been in. it does have sparkly stones all over it which i guess is the silver part.

i like our current one as last year there were too many teams with the same color combo/same exact colors (but not the same leo) and at some meets there would be 3 teams on the floor with the same colors and i'd be watching a team warm up for a few mins before i realized it wasn't our girls! lol .

ours are all GK/UA.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

We use GK. Personally after my/our gyms, last experience with them I wish they wouldn't.

The coach decides and would never let us pick something. They do at times like for our end of year program (where team must get a new leo), give the girls (usually the top level girls) a choice of say 2 pre picked by coach. Official comp leo is always gym colors, always 3/4. Summer one changes colors and is sleeveless. This past season the parents got to vote and I am sure that will never happen again. Because as soon as you give folks a vote, it becomes a free for all.

Side note for warm ups........... We are in the NE so its usually pants. But I would rather capri's because the length is more forgiving when there is a growth spurt. And will be suggesting it after the season is over for the next go round of warm ups.

 

[raenndrops]

we are in MA and our girls can do either long or capri. most go with capri. we do 3/4 sleeves. and our team colors are teal/silver. you can see from our current leo (we are on the 2 year plan where every 2 years the leo gets switched) that's it's really not teal/silver. a total switch up from the prior two leo's dd has been in. it does have sparkly stones all over it which i guess is the silver part.

i like our current one as last year there were too many teams with the same color combo/same exact colors (but not the same leo) and at some meets there would be 3 teams on the floor with the same colors and i'd be watching a team warm up for a few mins before i realized it wasn't our girls! lol .

ours are all GK/UA.

lol…. this season, 3 teams we face have the SAME warm up jackets (same color combo too- black and turquoise). Only 1 team gets the matching pants and they all have their team name on the jackets, but it is like… Come on, you know that so and so has that jacket and color combo. Pick something else.
This is one of the reasons we changed colors again. Our black and teal was too close to some of the other teams' colors, even though the leotards were COMPLETELY different. As of now, nobody else we face has navy and gun metal

 

[suebee]

3/4 sleeves. Haven't noticed any growth issues the second year.

Capri pants. Have definitely noticed that the pants are shorter or longer on some girls, depending on sizing and growth.

GK leos. Many people are familiar with the fit, so that's a definite plus.

Colors are not always gym colors, but seem to be pretty close to gym colors (so might be a different shade but the same color, if that makes sense). I have not seen a lot of gyms with similar leos or colors to us. They do seem to change the accent colors with a new leo, so the new leos do not really look similar to old ones.

 

[GymSnax]

Our team wears GK Leos with 3/4 sleeve. Seems to fit well like others have said. Now, our warm-up jackets are white with silver lettering and at first I was a little skeptical about the color but it looks really sharp on the medal stands. Of course, taking care of a white jacket is a totally different story....

 

[coachmolly]

We use stock warm-ups from a local imprint shop for our jackets and have glitz and names added. They are baggy/windbreaker type jackets and last forever. I imagine the little ones will need to replace in a few years, but most of the 10+ crowd can hang on to the same jacket for many seasons.
For pants, we just tell the girls to get black leggings, so they can choose long pants or capri. We hardly ever actually march out at meets and are typically just in leos and ready to warm-up for pre-meet presentation of teams, so it doesn't really matter all that much. And I'm not sure anyone is looking too much at awards to see if girls from the same team are all wearing pants of the same length.
Our leos are Garland and they are absolutely fantastic! Very easy and pleasant to work with, quick turnaround time, lots of great options, the fit is great for all kids (6-18 year olds, lots of body types). We had an instance a few years ago where a girl had a massive growth spurt between ordering the leo and the beginning of the season and they were very quick to send a new leo before our first meet. We've also had them do custom workout leos which were also super cute and very well priced- far cheaper than a GK stock leo for a custom tank with the gym name in rhinestones.

 

[Carly]

Our leos and warms up are from GK. Leos are long sleeve and pants are long too. I love the capri look but our coaches do not so we'll probably never get them. Both are always in the team colors. We get new leos every year but keep the warm ups for a few years.

I would highly advise against getting a sublimated fabric from GK for your competition leos. (Not familiar with sublimated from other companies if they do make them.) The one that my dd has had for about 6 months looks terrible. She has other gk leos that she's worn for years and they still look great. GK must know about this issue because if you look at one on the GK site, you'll see this info in the description:
Pilling may occur on PolyTek and SubFuse Sublimated fabrics when it comes in contact with any rough surface, examples are mats, grips, floor mats, etc.. The back/bottom area of the garment tends to pill easier than other areas. Unfortunately this is an issue we cannot avoid due to the nature of the fabric. Elite Sportswear will not be responsible for replacing or repairing your garment if pilling occurs.

 

[flipsandgrips15]

Our leos and warms up are from GK. Leos are long sleeve and pants are long too. I love the capri look but our coaches do not so we'll probably never get them. Both are always in the team colors. We get new leos every year but keep the warm ups for a few years.

I would highly advise against getting a sublimated fabric from GK for your competition leos. (Not familiar with sublimated from other companies if they do make them.) The one that my dd has had for about 6 months looks terrible. She has other gk leos that she's worn for years and they still look great. GK must know about this issue because if you look at one on the GK site, you'll see this info in the description:
Pilling may occur on PolyTek and SubFuse Sublimated fabrics when it comes in contact with any rough surface, examples are mats, grips, floor mats, etc.. The back/bottom area of the garment tends to pill easier than other areas. Unfortunately this is an issue we cannot avoid due to the nature of the fabric. Elite Sportswear will not be responsible for replacing or repairing your garment if pilling occurs.

[emoji15] Leotards are so expensive! I can't believe they continue to sell them made from this fabric if they know it's poor quality! I will definitely steer clear...thanks!

 

[Carly]

Just wanted to clarify my statement about the sublimated fabric. The fabric is actually polytek and subfuse that are the problems. Not the sublimated. Sorry! Our comp leos are sublimated but on holotek fabric and they are fine.

 

[duyetanh]

My kid's gym uses Gk for everything.
And it as sure as **** isn't cheap. Think expensive car payment. Expensive. Car. Payment. Ugh!!!!
Full sleeves, Capris, and way rhinestone studded jacket. It's way over the top honestly. Blech.