WAG Shorts in competition

[TumbleTimes4]

I think shorts and a tank leo could great as competition wear if it was well designed. It is just not what we are used to. One of our competition leos had no bling and it looked amazing and very athletic. (Sadly it cost just as much as one with tons of crystal.) I think gymnastics should be about sheer athleticism not about glitter and crystal and high cut leos.

Half of the reason my DD wanted to compete was because she got to wear a sparkly leo and hair glitter . It makes her feel important and pretty and so I’m glad that the competition leos have some bling to make her feel that way. She’s a very girly girl so this way she can be tough and strong and feminine all at the same time.

 

[Sasha]

I do understand the interpretation that gymnastics is a kind of 'performance' in addition to being a sport, and thus some opinions center on not liking shorts for not being 'special' enough because they are not 'different' (or different enough?) from the day to day.

I challenge that argument alone, though, as I imagine that if shorts became the standard, that the design of competition shorts and how they paired with the leotard could definitely make them stand out and be special for competitions. I don't think we need to limit ourselves to imagining a plain black pair of bar shorts covering up the otherwise gorgeous leotard as the 'standard' for competition wear. I just think a few more inches of coverage via fitted shorts wouldn't negatively impact the aesthetic appeal, and would be functional and comfortable for athletes for the range of motion they need to perform. They would also largely eliminate the wardrobe malfunction issues / worries for those athletes who may benefit from non-custom cuts to properly fit their bodies, but can't access customer tailoring.

Of course, if you just personally prefer to view the full leg from the hip area in competition as your aesthetic preference in watching gymnastics, then fair enough. That has been the standard aesthetic for decades.

 

[sce]

For Christmas I tried to buy my DD a couple of leos with the shorts built into them thinking they looked cool and sporty.

Bad Dad mistake, Mom had to tell me that DD didn't want to hurt my feelings but hates that style and won't wear it. Oh well, I tried.

The thing is, wearing shorts with a Leonia very different from
Wearing a unitard. Unitards are not flattering in very many people. They are awesome fir the much younger ones but past a certain age, they can look pretty terrible bad are not as comfortable. But I think it’s great that you were trying to be a supportive Dad and buy her something you thought would be great for her.

 

[raenndrops]

I do understand the interpretation that gymnastics is a kind of 'performance' in addition to being a sport, and thus some opinions center on not liking shorts for not being 'special' enough because they are not 'different' (or different enough?) from the day to day.

I challenge that argument alone, though, as I imagine that if shorts became the standard, that the design of competition shorts and how they paired with the leotard could definitely make them stand out and be special for competitions. I don't think we need to limit ourselves to imagining a plain black pair of bar shorts covering up the otherwise gorgeous leotard as the 'standard' for competition wear. I just think a few more inches of coverage via fitted shorts wouldn't negatively impact the aesthetic appeal, and would be functional and comfortable for athletes for the range of motion they need to perform. They would also largely eliminate the wardrobe malfunction issues / worries for those athletes who may benefit from non-custom cuts to properly fit their bodies, but can't access customer tailoring.

Of course, if you just personally prefer to view the full leg from the hip area in competition as your aesthetic preference in watching gymnastics, then fair enough. That has been the standard aesthetic for decades.

For competition, shorts would need to match the leotard... that means matching the colors AND could also mean matching a sparkly pattern.
I always dreamed of (for our old, old leotards) shorts that matched the pattern of our leotards (similar to the one pictured). It the picture's case, the shorts would be white with light blue and red... and crystals to match the rest of the leotard.

 

[Madden3]

Sleeveless leotards and unitards with long legs, as well as gymnastics footwear, are permitted for competition.

So....basically they can wear leos with attached pants, but not snug fitting shorts? Or can they wear shorts as long as they are not baggy?

 

[GymFan96]

I thought the FIG had always allowed shorts and leggings for religious reasons.

I don’t get the people saying shorts are a good look. A leotard makes the legs look longer and makes for better lines. Shorts cut the legs off and make the body look choppy. We find that properly fitting briefs underneath give enough coverage. But I can see how extremely heavy periods could cause a problem, and feel bad for anyone dealing with that.

 

[MILgymFAM]

I thought the FIG had always allowed shorts and leggings for religious reasons.

I don’t get the people saying shorts are a good look. A leotard makes the legs look longer and makes for better lines. Shorts cut the legs off and make the body look choppy. We find that properly fitting briefs underneath give enough coverage. But I can see how extremely heavy periods could cause a problem, and feel bad for anyone dealing with that.

Aesthetics will always be a matter of opinion. I think shorts look more sporty and I prefer that. Also, most gyms seem to blatantly flout the rules and most leotards sit above the hip bones. It’s almost obscene sometimes. In my opinion, of course.

 

[raenndrops]

Aesthetics will always be a matter of opinion. I think shorts look more sporty and I prefer that. Also, most gyms seem to blatantly flout the rules and most leotards sit above the hip bones. It’s almost obscene sometimes. In my opinion, of course.

I agree with ALL of this.
Our gym gets the more modest leg cut, so the leotard does NOT sit above the hip bones. HOWEVER, we still have a few girls that pull the bottom down so it is as close to straight across as possible.
Also, not all girls are shaped the same. While our leotard looks fine on MOST of the girls on our team, 2 girls have issues. Even though the leotard fits, they re showing off more booty than we would prefer. Shorts would solve this problem. They would look sporty AND be more aesthetically pleasing.

 

[SMH]

Aesthetics will always be a matter of opinion. I think shorts look more sporty and I prefer that. Also, most gyms seem to blatantly flout the rules and most leotards sit above the hip bones. It’s almost obscene sometimes. In my opinion, of course.

My 8 yr old likes to watch college gymnastics videos sometimes- she thought some girls needed bigger leos because you could ‘practically see their whole butt’

 

[TumbleTimes4]

Just curious, could leggings possibly help to camouflage some imperfections in the legs, such as slightly bent knees?

 

[sce]

My 8 yr old likes to watch college gymnastics videos sometimes- she thought some girls needed bigger leos because you could ‘practically see their whole butt’

They might actually need a larger size. I have heard some college teams only orsmdwr one size and force all of tgem
to wear it.

 

[txgymfan]

They do need bigger leos but that's the coaches fault for not ordering the right size.
Personally, I'm in favor of fancy shorts as an option over leos for competition.

However, I also don't like swimsuits, I wear shorts in the pool or lake. Being dressed makes me more comfortable, I think female athletes should have the same option. I also circle back to the fact that male athletes don't have to show their upper thighs, why should the females?

 

[Flippin'A]

I took my dd to a college meet last weekend and I was shocked by how poorly the leos were cut. I'd seen it on tv, of course, but being two rows behind the floor made it far more obvious. There was one young woman in particular who was extremely tall and slender for a gymnast (I don't want to call her out by name) and clearly this leo was not designed for her body type. I would imagine a size up would be baggy on the arms especially, but as it was, the legs landed above the hip bones and it was pulled so tightly on the lower half that she was basically dancing naked. I'm not a prude by any means but I felt genuinely uncomfortable staring at her during her floor routine, and I know a few of the parents around me felt the same. While she seemed entirely comfortable and oblivious to the issue (to her credit) I can't help but think that such issues would force a less self-assured gymnast out of the sport before they ever made it to the collegiate level. I don't know that shorts are the answer (I also tend to feel that they break up the lines of the leg,) but at least offering more personalized leo sizes could help. Something like how jeans can come in long or short so you'd be able to give gymnasts a bit of extra room for the booty or a bit of extra length in the torso if they need it. I'm sure this would make it more expensive and more of a hassle to pick a size, but maybe just for the older girls it would be feasible.

 

[MILgymFAM]

I took my dd to a college meet last weekend and I was shocked by how poorly the leos were cut. I'd seen it on tv, of course, but being two rows behind the floor made it far more obvious. There was one young woman in particular who was extremely tall and slender for a gymnast (I don't want to call her out by name) and clearly this leo was not designed for her body type. I would imagine a size up would be baggy on the arms especially, but as it was, the legs landed above the hip bones and it was pulled so tightly on the lower half that she was basically dancing naked. I'm not a prude by any means but I felt genuinely uncomfortable staring at her during her floor routine, and I know a few of the parents around me felt the same. While she seemed entirely comfortable and oblivious to the issue (to her credit) I can't help but think that such issues would force a less self-assured gymnast out of the sport before they ever made it to the collegiate level. I don't know that shorts are the answer (I also tend to feel that they break up the lines of the leg,) but at least offering more personalized leo sizes could help. Something like how jeans can come in long or short so you'd be able to give gymnasts a bit of extra room for the booty or a bit of extra length in the torso if they need it. I'm sure this would make it more expensive and more of a hassle to pick a size, but maybe just for the older girls it would be feasible.

In rhythmic there were all custom made leos, for the girls exact measurements, and everyone on my DDs team had leos that cost less than her last artistic leo at the time.

 

[John]

This is a very sensitive subject. Everyone has their own beliefs. I like to think i have taught my DD that the human body is beautiful in all shapes and sizes and furthermore to be proud of who and what shape you are. I have also expressed to her mom that feelings of self consciousness usually come from external Sources, so please attempt to keep ideas of look expectations and forcing certain clothing to herself. There are other countries that do not seem hung up on the human body and levels of dress or undress. I think America should attempt to move in more of this direction. Release our children from unneccessary unhealthy self image stress.

 

[coachmolly]

It is rough to compete in something that you don't feel comfortable wearing. I competed for a gym that had competition leotards for a few years that were terribly ill fitting and borderline obscene on some of the athletes. You obviously thought about it while competing, it was unavoidable. When I switched clubs my new competition leotard was much less flashy but actually fit and I felt so much better wearing it. While none of my current athletes have a problem competing in just a leotard, we also allow them to get the size they feel most comfortable with, even if it is slightly too big and a little baggy in places. I know plenty of gyms that don't allow that and order the size they deem acceptable for an athlete, just like what you see in the college gym world.
I like the look of just a long sleeve leotard for competition, but I also want girls to feel comfortable competing and not choosing to leave the sport for something like required apparel. I would hope a child would not get to that point, but I do know it happens. If that means allowing shorts, especially at the lower or Xcel levels, why not?
We had a Muslim athlete at our state meet last year who I believe was wearing leggings and her sleeveless club leo with a matching long sleeve t-shirt underneath. She looked fine.
Someone asked if leggings could mask any imperfections and it is possible. I've had kids who consistently wear leggings come in wearing shorts one day and wonder how I missed all the slight knee bends in leaps, casts, etc. for so long. So I do ask my kids not to overuse leggings, though I really don't keep track of who wears them and how often. They are allowed to wear shorts everyday with the exception of the practice right before a meet when we do a practice meet set-up.

 

[M2Abi]

I've been to college gymnastics meets where the cut of the leo made me very uncomfortable watching the routines. And I don't think it was the size of the leo, it was the style. All of the girls on the team were overly exposed, IMO.

 

[ayyyrial]

I think any style of leotard can look polished and professional if the team has matching attire in their team colors with a nice design. That's really what sets it apart from practice. Long sleeved, tank style, with shorts, attached shorts, with leggings...doesn't matter. The thing that makes it "competition" gear is that the design is special (i.e. nicer than practice gear) and the whole team wears the same thing. Plus the athletes typically put some effort into their hair and/or makeup (or some teams ask them all to do a particular thing), which doesn't change if someone wears a tank leo or shorts.

Plus, to start with, there are really only a few body types on which a leotard doesn't look awkward. Kids usually look fine (and adorable), but grown-ups not so much. If we can give people more options, all the better.

 

[GymFan96]

They do need bigger leos but that's the coaches fault for not ordering the right size.
Personally, I'm in favor of fancy shorts as an option over leos for competition.

However, I also don't like swimsuits, I wear shorts in the pool or lake. Being dressed makes me more comfortable, I think female athletes should have the same option. I also circle back to the fact that male athletes don't have to show their upper thighs, why should the females?

The same reason male figure skaters wear pants? Btw male divers and swimmers suits are even MORE revealing than women’s. Everything is not always equal and doesn’t need to be, imo.

 

[raenndrops]

I took my dd to a college meet last weekend and I was shocked by how poorly the leos were cut. I'd seen it on tv, of course, but being two rows behind the floor made it far more obvious. There was one young woman in particular who was extremely tall and slender for a gymnast (I don't want to call her out by name) and clearly this leo was not designed for her body type. I would imagine a size up would be baggy on the arms especially, but as it was, the legs landed above the hip bones and it was pulled so tightly on the lower half that she was basically dancing naked. I'm not a prude by any means but I felt genuinely uncomfortable staring at her during her floor routine, and I know a few of the parents around me felt the same. While she seemed entirely comfortable and oblivious to the issue (to her credit) I can't help but think that such issues would force a less self-assured gymnast out of the sport before they ever made it to the collegiate level. I don't know that shorts are the answer (I also tend to feel that they break up the lines of the leg,) but at least offering more personalized leo sizes could help. Something like how jeans can come in long or short so you'd be able to give gymnasts a bit of extra room for the booty or a bit of extra length in the torso if they need it. I'm sure this would make it more expensive and more of a hassle to pick a size, but maybe just for the older girls it would be feasible.

GK has long torso / short torso option. Snowflake Designs will also do custom sizing.
GymDigs allows super custom sizing... for $6 more than the standard sizes... even if the custom sizing includes 3+ extra YARDS of fabric. They will design it to fit the exact Bust / waist / hips / torso ... and if there is something unusual, they can even design to fit specifically (for example: 32DD might need more fabric in front than in back at the chest).
Other brands probably also offer custom sizing - maybe they just dont advertise it.

As for breaking up the lines of the legs... the lines are still there in form fitting bar shorts, especially if they match the leotard.