Motionwear || Gymnastics Blog

What is the Correct Way to Wear Gymnastics Leotards in Competition?

Posted on 14. Aug, 2009 by Kathe Jones.

The standard of dress for both national and international competition is regulated by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) and the Code of Points. When the Code of Points is not followed, gymnasts and teams will receive deductions for their attire.

Leotards for female gymnasts usually are designed to fit close to the body in order to reduce risk of injury. Leotards cannot be cut above hip height or at the top, but cut past the shoulder blades, back or front are acceptable. Any leotard that is see-through is against the rules.

In addition, judges can deduct points for visible underwear, including bra straps and underwear lines. To avoid up to ten point deductions from leotards disappearing into a, uh, bodily crevice, gymnasts use a glue-like material (often called butt glue or butt spray) to make leotards stick in place. This infamous glue becomes very popular among competing gymnasts, as well as beauty pageant contestants and professional football players.

Gymnasts also need to have a number or bib attached to their leotard or singlet’s back with safety pins. The number identifies the gymnast to the judges and helps them in keeping track of the scores. If gymnasts compete without their number, they earn a deduction.

In terms of hairstyles, gymnasts are not required to adopt any specific hairstyle or hair length. However, they must keep long hair tied back in some fashion, such as a ponytail, bun or braid. Often times, gymnasts are issued hair ties and scrunchies that match their competition leotards.

In terms of accessories, before 1977, many gymnasts, both female and male, were allowed to wear pendants and necklaces of religious or sentimental significance while competing. All jewelry is now banned.

Gymnasts with pierced ears may wear studs or post earrings. Other piercings, if visible, are generally removed for competition. For gymnasts with tattoos, while tattoos not strictly banned in the Code of Points, they are required to be concealed during competition by tape or bandages.

In addition, gymnasts normally have their own set of warm-ups. These warm-ups are a zip up jacket with the team name on the back, and gymnasts’ name on the left upper chest. The pants normally match with the jacket. At some competitions, gymnasts accept their medals wearing their warm-ups (you often see this during the Olympics) or they can go to the podium wearing only their competition attire.

Further, gymnasts are allowed to compete with grips (straps of leather that cover the hand) and wrist guards. They are also permitted to wear special gymnastics shoes, which are similar to ballet slippers, or they can choose to compete on bare foot as well. Ace bandages and braces for arms, knees, ankles or other joints are allowed as needed.

Photo: BryanGeek

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Leotards for rhythmic gymnastics vs. competition gymnastics

Posted on 07. Aug, 2009 by Kathe Jones.

Since rhythmic gymnastics and regular gymnastics vary in terms of movements and skills, there are a few differences in what athletes in both sports wear. While they both wear leotards, there can be a few minor differences between them.

There is no difference between the two for practice. In training and practice session, gymnasts can wear whatever they choose. Generally, they prefer sleeveless workout leotards and frequently wear shorts, leggings, T-shirts, tank tops or bicycle shorts. Some gymnastics schools have specific regulation attire, although it is not always the case. When competing, females’ leotards are designed to fit close to the body in order to reduce risk of injury.

In rhythmic gymnastics, gymnasts tend to wear leotards that are showy and costumey. Rhythmic leotards usually have more decoration whereas regular competing leotards have less fancy design and focus more on materials or fabrics that enhance gymnasts’ performance. And since regular gymnasts’ leotards are already showy compared to dancers’ leotards, you can imagine what a rhythmic gymnasts’ leos look like.

In terms of materials, there is no difference. We make our leotards from Silkskyn for comfort and durability, but in the 1970s leotards were typically made from polyester. These two materials allow gymnasts to have more freedom and flexibility when practicing and performing. Today, the making of leotards becomes more elaborate and inventive than ever before. Designers employ a variety of textiles, such as velvet, velour, mesh, metallic fabrics, foils and iridescent hologram fabric when creating a leotard. Leotards can also be decorated with rhinestones and metallic jewels that are heat-set onto the fabric and will not fall or wash off.

For international competitions, regardless of the sport, gymnasts always wear uniforms provided to them by their national gymnastics federation. These garments typically employ the country’s national colors. Normally, there are no restrictions on design. In some cases, gymnasts wear a more traditional national leotard for the team portion of the competition, and are allowed a personal choice of leotard during the all-around and event finals.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Helping Your New Gymnastics Moms & Dads Buy the Right Leotards

Posted on 11. May, 2009 by Bob Wilson.

New gymnastics parents are going to be coming into your shop or your gym and asking you for advice on how to buy the right leotard or which leotard to choose. So, what do you tell them?

I’d love to tell you to tell them to buy MotionWear leotards, but I can’t. The truth is, you should tell them to buy based on fit and fit alone. Don’t buy on brand, don’t buy on price and don’t even worry about size. The only thing they should be thinking about is “how well does this fit?” and maybe “how comfortable or how practical is the fabric?”

How to Get the Right Fit

The good news is they’re in your store or gym, meaning they can actually try on different gymnastics leotards and at least get a feel for them. If they don’t like a particular pattern or color, they can always order from the catalog, but at least they’ve tried it on.

Here at MotionWear, fit is the most important thing to us and we’ve spent years perfecting our patterns and styles for gymnastics leotards. Everything, right down to the type of elastic used or the stitching in the armpit, has been carefully selected, tested and engineered before it goes into production. Fit is our science.

And ideally, our gymnastics leotards would fit everyone perfectly. Unfortunately, they don’t. They fit most gymnasts perfectly and we’ve developed a strong and loyal following thanks to that, but that doesn’t mean they’re perfect for everyone. In fact, you probably know this already, but no brand is perfect for everyone.

So, again, tell your new gymnastics parents to try out a few brands, styles and sizes before they settle and don’t just jump on a particular brand because everyone else is wearing it. Because guess what? Their kid isn’t everyone else.

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What Newsies Say About Shawn Johnson on DWTS

Posted on 27. Mar, 2009 by Kathe Jones.

[ I thought that for today's post, I'd share some tidbits from what I did on my lunchbreak today... read up on the latest buzz about Shawn Johnson and Dancing With the Stars :) ]

Despite the recent stalker scare on the set of Dancing With the Stars, Shawn Johnson is back and training with a vengeance. You have to admire her. Johnson’s attorney, Phillip Cohen, was quoted in the LA Times, he said, “Shawn is 17, but she’s mature and is feeling very comfortable and confident because she feels that everyone has handled this matter quickly and efficiently across the board.” He also said we will see Shawn on DWTS this week… I’m glad to hear that!

Watching Shawn Johnson on the show has been great, it’s like a rare & wonderful combination of my two loves – gymnastics and dance.

The Monday before the stalking incident, Shawn did a foxtrot and tied with Melissa Rycroft and Gilles Marini who both scored 9’s, making it a three-way tie. Woo-hoo! Personally, I thought she should have won, everything from her dress to the steps were absolutely flawless. I like what Tom Conroy of FoxNews said of the performance, ” for a moment, it seemed we would get our first 10’s of the season, but Shawn had to settle for straight 9’s.”

I also agree with Annie Barrett from Entertainment Weekly, she said, “Shawn completely held her own against Mark’s moves and caused my own back to ache after that drawn-out assisted backbend, but my favorite part of their dance was, surprisingly, when they toned it down for a few seconds and just slightly swayed in place.”

If you’re like me and watch Shawn on DWTS, I’d love to hear your recaps… Go ahead and share with me in the comments below!

photo:fred of brazil

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Armpits, Ugly Leotards, & “Bizarre” Styles

Posted on 04. Mar, 2009 by Kathe Jones.

At a recent meet, a colleague and I were going over new leotard designs and just sort of talking shop on gymnastics wear. Anyway, I was showing her some photos of design ideas I liked and, of course, she stops on this one, starts laughing and asks “what is this?”

Well, yes, it’s an armpit. I guess it’s a little strange. I took the photo because I liked the way the seams were constructed. Simple as that. I guess it’s just me, but I’m a stickler for detail – even if it means carting around photos of armpits.

What can I say? I take gymnastics wear seriously.

Other things I have been known to snap pictures of include (as the title indicates) leotards that I think are ugly. I do this for the designers, sort of an “anti-inspiration” collection.

I also really love it when I come across a really bizarre style. This is usually to do with dancewear but sometimes I see a gymnast wearing something amazing. Some designers & choreographers just have a flair for accessorizing or pairing unusual patterns that work somehow. I take a quick pic and refer to these when we are creating new patterns or brainstorming new lines.

So, watch out, if you see me whip out my camera (or even my phone) I may be aiming for you.

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The Science of Fit

Posted on 14. Feb, 2009 by Bob Wilson.

The science of fitting gymnastics wear and dancewear can be broken down into three factors:

1. The measurement.
2. How the pattern is crafted.
3. The material and its characteristics.

Here at MotionWear, we have complete control over the measurements and the patterns, and are very hands-on with fabric suppliers.

We speak with our fabric vendors regularly, making sure they know that we have specific requirements for our fabric. We’ll tell a mill “Yes, we’ll buy from you, but the fabric has to meet these parameters.” We also test and inspect every piece of fabric on special machines, checking all of it’s characteristics. If it’s not right, we reject the fabric. It’s as simple as that.

I don’t want to give away all of our secrets, but another reason why our gymnastics wear and dancewear fit is so perfect is because we understand the difference between the needs of a dancer versus the needs of a gymnast. We know how different sports and different types of dance can call for a different form or movement and how that needs to be reflected in the material and the pattern itself.

We provide superior fit in order to give athletes and competitors the performance they need in the areas that they need it. And that’s the science of MotionWear’s gymnastics wear and dancewear fit.

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Local Gymnasts Spotted Sporting Motionwear

Posted on 10. Feb, 2009 by Kathe Jones.

This is a quick shout out to the beautiful Franklin Community High School gymnasts. In a recent issue of the Johnson County Daily Journal they were spotted sporting their Motionwear, Curvy Sunray, 3-tone color combination with Swarovski Crystals, leotards style 1476.

We wanted to really give them some recognition because, since their school does not have an official gymnastics team, these ambitious young ladies are paying their own way in order to compete.

Motionwear sends them a gigantic “Best of Luck” and thank you for choosing Motionwear!

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