WAG Shorts During Competition

[RTT2]

I don't understand anyone arguing for the current comp leo as practical competition wear. I feel like it trivializes the sport- it's an outfit for circus performers. Female gymnasts should compete in a uniform that supports their athleticism- having to worry about pubic hair showing, tampons leaking, or pads showing is absurd, and open back leos where athletes can't reasonably wear a supportive bra? Ridiculous. I also happen to loathe whenever coaches refer to their athletes as "my girls", but that's a personal preference.

 

[Carabistouille]

I don't understand anyone arguing for the current comp leo as practical competition wear. I feel like it trivializes the sport- it's an outfit for circus performers. Female gymnasts should compete in a uniform that supports their athleticism- having to worry about pubic hair showing, tampons leaking, or pads showing is absurd, and open back leos where athletes can't reasonably wear a supportive bra? Ridiculous.

Totally agree. They are also totally ineffective in terms of heat management.
Like you're freezing during winter and struggle to keep your muscles warm enough but you get really hot during summer and you sweat like crazy.

For what it's worth, my gym (and my country in general) has a very lax dress-code for training. Basically everything is allowed (tank top and shorts, t-shirt, leo, leggings, sport bra, loose shorts... We even have a girl with an RG leo with a skirt) as long as there is no safety issue (which never happens as gymnasts tend to be very responsible with their own safety).
I've never ever seen a gymnast above the age of 10 coming to practice in a leo. Tank top (bra during summer) and shorts is by far the most popular option.

 

[Flippin'A]

There are a lot of reasons that I quit gymnastics as a young teen, but one of the things that definitely contributed was that I struggled a lot with inserting tampons in a comfortable way and my gym didn't allow shorts which meant that wearing pads to practice (much less compete) was seriously difficult. No chance to wear pads with wings and without wings, particularly on the slick fabric, they never stayed quite where I needed them to be with all that movement. It was a constant stress, and if I'd been allowed to wear shorts that would have absolutely improved the situation. I wasn't insecure or unenlightened because of the desire to not stain ridiculously expensive leotards or display an intimate bodily function to my peers and suggesting so is honestly insulting. This is the reality for pubescent girls and giving them options to make that awkward time in life as comfortable as possible is always the right answer.

 

[Aussie_coach]

I have a very strict dress code in my gym, but bike pants are allowed.

I assume what we call bike pants are the same as what you call shorts. Lycra, right fitting stretchy pants.

Over a certain age all the kids wear them. Just as easy to see the kids lines as it would be in a leotard.

 

[3rd_time_around]

I just don’t like the boxy look of shorts over Leos or when the shorts are so tight and small it makes one wonder why they bothered wearing them at all. I also would say that the policy change was not made for the girls’ modesty or comfort but for other reasons, and then I’ll leave it at that.

 

[sfts]

I just don’t like the boxy look of shorts over Leos or when the shorts are so tight and small it makes one wonder why they bothered wearing them at all. I also would say that the policy change was not made for the girls’ modesty or comfort but for other reasons, and then I’ll leave it at that.

It may not be the reason for the policy change, but the girls I coach are very excited and have said they feel so much more comfortable with shorts, so I guess reason or not, that is the end result for some.

I am happy with the change, though I would prefer "black, navy, or solid color matching the leotard."

 

[raenndrops]

I am happy with the change, though I would prefer "black, navy, or solid color matching the leotard."

I agree, the shorts should be allowed to match the color of the bottom of the leotard, or black, or navy.
Of course, I also think they should be allowed to be the same material as the leotard.

 

[TumbleLeo]

I don’t want to go all out and say men shouldn’t have any say in this conversation, but I do find it incredibly frustrating as a person who did gymnastics while going through puberty, that “older” men (older from the gymnast’s point of view) are getting a say in how much modesty young girls are allowed during this time of their life. Most girls who did gymnastics as a teenager would have at least one teammate (or themselves) who skipped a competition because of their period. Long tights, unitards, and leggings aren’t usually given as an option to these girls even though it’s technically in the code of points and even if they were, they just single out that gymnast in a way that would be incredibly uncomfortable in a time of life where they are learning to navigate social situations. Furthermore as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse I would have done just about anything for a discreet modesty option to make me feel less vulnerable in those years. That’s not to say there is any link between not wearing shorts and abuse happening, but rather, just to highlight that we don’t know the reasons why these girls need or want any particular level of modesty and we should be providing that option to them without making a fuss about it, especially if that fuss is just over whether or not the shorts actually match their Leotard...

Its a lot harder to use the restroom in a unitard or long tights/leggings as you have to fully remove it, especially during competition where you always have to be ready, a legless leotard is much easier to use the restroom in because you can just move it to the side. Shorts over a leotard should be allowed as long as it is tight (form-fitting), and matches the color/pattern of the leotard

 

[TumbleLeo]

Its a lot harder to use the restroom in a unitard or long tights/leggings as you have to fully remove it, especially during competition where you always have to be ready, a legless leotard is much easier to use the restroom in because you can just move it to the side. Shorts over a leotard should be allowed as long as it is tight (form-fitting), and matches the color/pattern of the leotard

EDIT: If a gymnast does choose to wear shorts over their leotard (which is okay), I recommend wearing form-fitting short shorts, as they are more modest than a leotard but allow more movement than regular length shorts, so its sort of gets the best of both worlds

 

[TumbleLeo]

EDIT: If a gymnast does choose to wear shorts over their leotard (which is okay), I recommend wearing form-fitting short shorts, as they are more modest than a leotard but allow more movement than regular length shorts, so its sort of gets the best of both worlds

the lululemon boogie short could be a good choice, you could also try low-cut dance briefs (which are very similar to shorts) as they also offer more modesty than a conventional high-cut leotard

 

[TumbleLeo]

I don't understand anyone arguing for the current comp leo as practical competition wear. I feel like it trivializes the sport- it's an outfit for circus performers. Female gymnasts should compete in a uniform that supports their athleticism- having to worry about pubic hair showing, tampons leaking, or pads showing is absurd, and open back leos where athletes can't reasonably wear a supportive bra? Ridiculous. I also happen to loathe whenever coaches refer to their athletes as "my girls", but that's a personal preference.

leos should not have an open back, it is outlined in the usag and fig rules

 

[TumbleLeo]

I also shook my head reading your post.
As I have mentioned before, there are so many girls who transfer to our gym from other gyms right around ages 12-14 solely because their old gyms have a no shorts policy and we have a shorts highly encouraged policy and it’s a high priority for many. At our gym, it’s really not about modesty with wearing shorts, it’s coach/gym owner preference because they don’t like touching sweaty body parts when spotting. They don’t even like open back Leo’s.
It’s probably more of a big deal than you realize and I hope that if you are as open with your gymnasts as you say you are, that you are also open with them about the policy change. I think you will be surprised on the amount of preteen/teenage girls who will opt for shorts.

Coaches should not touch the area that shorts cover, so I don't really see the sweaty body parts part, I can see it for the open back though

 

[rlm's mom]

leos should not have an open back, it is outlined in the usag and fig rules

If only i would see at least 3 gyms in our area listen to this...

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Was at a meet this weekend. Pleasantly surprised how many girls competed in shorts.

 

[Carly]

Was at a meet this weekend. Pleasantly surprised how many girls competed in shorts.

We saw one team in our session wearing shorts this past weekend, too. It was the first time that I've ever seen it. I was surprised that my dd didn't say anything about it. They can wear shorts to practice but not to meets. I don't know if any of the girls have even asked if they could. Maybe they would say yes but my dd is fine without shorts.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

We saw one team in our session wearing shorts this past weekend, too. It was the first time that I've ever seen it. I was surprised that my dd didn't say anything about it. They can wear shorts to practice but not to meets. I don't know if any of the girls have even asked if they could. Maybe they would say yes but my dd is fine without shorts.

I have to tell you, for me I didn’t like them. They looked sloppy. I think a unitard designed to incorporate shorts would look much better. Many of the shorts looked like they didn’t fit well. It didn’t look cohesive. A Leo/unitard designed to incorporate shorts would look much better. My kid wore unitards for years, a different look then shorts. I found the shorts distracting.

But nice for them to have the option

 

[Carly]

I have to tell you, for me I didn’t like them. They looked sloppy. I think a unitard designed to incorporate shorts would look much better. Many of the shorts looked like they didn’t fit well. It didn’t look cohesive. A Leo/unitard designed to incorporate shorts would look much better. My kid wore unitards for years, a different look then shorts. I found the shorts distracting.

But nice for them to have the option

I did not notice how the shorts fit but I definitely agree that they did not look cohesive. It would be nice if they could be designed to match the leo or a solid color that coordinates with the leo. But it is good that they are allowed to wear them. Maybe usag will expand the rules on color in the future.