February flew by, and what a month for college gymnastics it was! As we head into what may be the final month of competition for the majority of teams, we have to go back and reminisce on all the beauty of the year thus far; specifically the beauty brought to us by the thousands (yes literally thousands) of sparkles and gems on some of the most beautiful leotards of the year.
NCAA gymnastics is home to some of the most iconic, unique, and stunning leotards the entire gymnastics community has. In just the first two months of the year, 96 new leotards have debuted, and undoubtedly a handful more will premiere heading into the back half of the season.
Across all sports, uniforms are one of the first things people think of, and gymnastics is no different; ours just happen to be super sparkly. The leotards play such a big role in college gymnastics especially and a great deal goes into the process of designing, creating, and finally getting to display them on the competition floor.
Coach’s Choice vs. Gymnast’s Choice: Who Decides What You Wear?
In both of my collegiate experiences, it was typically the coaching staff that would come up with the designs for our leotards and we would be asked for inspiration, but the final result was usually a surprise. When actually designing and drawing up the leotards, the time frame is open-ended, more so dependent on when you wish to debut the leotard. No matter how long something has been in the works, there is immense thought, effort, and love that goes into it, and actually seeing it come to life is incredibly exciting.
Coming from the perspective of an athlete, I do miss getting to wear something so beautiful each week, but, the actual wearing of the leotard, is not something I miss too much. I’m much more comfortable now when I go to competitions. The question of “Does comfort line up with pretty?” always comes into the conversation, and honestly, there is no answer for this; it’s dependent on what leotard you are wearing each weekend. I personally was never a fan of fully open-back leotards or a high neck with a clip that always seemed to come undone after every pass on floor, even though some of my favorites now as a fan have that element. Regardless of the actual components, all I wanted was to feel good and confident in what I was wearing while I was competing, and I know that is the main thing every athlete wishes for when they get ready each week.
When to Debut Your Best Look
Like the actual designing process, choosing what leotards to wear is usually up to the coaches as well. This process is in many ways similar to the inspiration for creating a leotard. The pink meet is home to the pink leotards, a competition in honor of someone, like the recent Rip Current Awareness competition at George Washington debuted its ‘Alex deMoura’ leotard, Michigan’s Flip for Chip leotard at its annual meet, and so on. Being at Temple and Bridgeport, one of the things I think that is different from some of the teams that are now getting more TV exposure, when I was competing, specifically at Bridgeport as this was more of a rare occurrence at the time, we would wear our ‘best’ leos then, knowing they would be seen by a larger audience. I assume for other schools that might not get as much national exposure, that when given the chance, they make the same decision, and want to not only look, but more importantly feel their best on a bigger stage.
While I can only speak from my own time in the NCAA, there were only a handful of times that we as athletes got to choose what we would be wearing. During both of my senior seasons, we as a class were able to choose what we got to wear for our senior night at our last home competition which was an extra special decision. Likewise, if we qualified to an NCAA regional, we would also get to choose what we wore, especially if you qualified as an individual. While I don’t know exactly all the behind-the-scenes decision making that goes into what leos we wear, how many times we wear them or what competitions we wear them at, the factors of who you are going up against, the theme (if there is one) of the competition, and the magnitude of the stage you are competing on, all play a role.
What Makes a Leo Unforgettable?
Leotards have been created pulling inspiration from the campus, unique aspects of the team’s state, or a particular theme or story that is significant to the team. Some I just love because they are the first to come to mind and embody that program’s school spirit, like UCLA’s throwback leo, Utah’s Kings Peak leotard, or Stanford’s ‘Angry Tree’. I’ve also loved learning the story behind leotards in support of other causes, or in honor of a specific individual or group the program wishes to highlight and remember like George Washington’s Alex deMoura leotard.
My personal favorites over the years have been those leotards that have been a part of something bigger, like a championship leotard, for instance. One of my favorites for the longest time that I got to wear was Temple’s Black Diamond leotard, and to me, every time I wore this leotard or saw pictures of it, it reminded me of my first year as a part of that program, the work that it took to win our first championship, and the year and people who allowed me to fall in love with gymnastics again. Outside of the programs I have competed for, I have loved leotards with similar meanings, like LSU’s white national championship leotard from 2024 or Michigan’s blue velvet from its first program championship in 2020.
Every leotard I have been able to compete in has such different meanings and memories attached to it. Even from when I was growing up in club, I still have some of my favorites tucked away to look back on that are surrounding some of the happiest memories or the biggest milestones leading up to college gymnastics. Getting to wear a leotard you had a great competition in, scored a personal high, beat a team record, won a championship, will always elicit those happy memories, no matter how many times you get to put it on.
There have been countless new leotards over the years, iconic staples, and those leotards that just mean a little more with their dedication, and being able to wear it, do the sport you love, and honor something or someone in the process is a special experience.
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Article by Julianna Roland
