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SHARED by: Haley Blair, Gymtime Gymnastics Team Director

A sports team uniform is the ultimate statement piece (even if, as was the case with the 2012 and 2014 Olympics, it’s steeped in controversy!). And this is a city that knows all about making fashion statements.

The Gymtime gymnastics competitive team uniform is neon green and basic black (after all, this is New York). A number of pieces make up our ensemble:

The Leotard – To be honest, comfort is not the biggest concern! Competitive leotards tend to be very tight and fit regardless of the material. A close fit makes for a clean, finished look. You don’t want your leotard to be baggy and hanging off you for the judges. Gymtime’s colors have always been a dark lime green and black, so we make sure to incorporate those colors. We like to change the leotard style around every three years to give the girls a breath of fresh air. The trend now is shiny and bright. And, of course, there must be jewels.

The Warm-Up Suit – We recently changed our warm-up to a black velour one with green embroidery, which the girls love. It’s warm, comfy and stylish. This year we added everyone’s names onto their jackets, which made them even more excited! All the girls must arrive at the meet in the same warm-up. It promotes team unity and spirit; it helps others identify the group as a team; and, on a logistics level, it makes it easier for the girls to spot team members when they arrive amidst the sea of gymnasts on and around the competition floor.

The Scrunchy –That’s just a fun touch. We definitely need to have a matching scrunchy to finish off the outfit right! Ours matches the shiny green section of the leotard.

The Gym Bag – Our team bag is sized generously enough so it can accommodate water bottles, healthy snacks for before awards or after the meet, tape for injuries or hands on the bars, grips for the bars, a personal score notebook plus extra hair ties, clips and hair spray/gel.

Completing the Look (Less is More!) – Girls can wear makeup; however, none of our girls is at an age where we encourage that! The gymnasts are not allowed to wear nail polish or jewelry because they can be a distraction. Prohibiting gymnasts from wearing jewelry and nail polish is a way of keeping the competition in line and uniform. I have never experienced someone being barred from competition if they wear these things, but you could get points taken off if a judge notices. That’s why I come to every meet with nail polish remover … just in case! (I’ve had to use it more than once).

Also, the girls’ hair must be very tightly secured. You cannot have wispy hair in your face because it is not safe.  You need to be able to see all of the equipment with no distractions. Also, neat hair is part of the clean and presentable competitive look. Hair needs to be extra tight so that it stays throughout warm-up and the entire meet. Multiple elastics, bobby pins, and a lot of gel and hair spray do the trick!