Competition leotards are not just attire for gymnasts; they are a symbol of their dedication, skill and identity. However, beyond aesthetics, the comfort factor of these leotards plays a pivotal role in the performance and confidence of gymnasts on the competition floor. In this blog, we delve into the significance of comfort in competition leotards and why it's crucial for gymnasts to feel at ease in their leotards.
For gymnasts, every movement, every twist and every somersault demands precision and concentration. Thus, any discomfort or distraction can significantly impact their performance. Competition leotards, specifically tailored for agility and flexibility, should provide the utmost comfort to allow gymnasts to focus solely on their routines.
Before stepping onto the grand stage of competitions, gymnasts spend countless hours honing their skills in their clubs. Club leotards become a second skin, fostering a sense of belonging and confidence within their own gymnastics community. These leotards not only represent the club's identity, but also serve as a comfort blanket, offering familiarity and support during training sessions, but more important, during competitions.
Ill-fitting and uncomfortable competition leotards can spell disaster for gymnasts. From restrictive seams to uncomfortable fabrics, every discomfort translates into a distraction during routines. Moreover, poorly designed leotards may lead to wardrobe malfunctions, causing embarrassment and hindering the gymnast's focus. It's crucial for us as leotard designers and manufacturers, to prioritise both style and comfort in competition leotards in order to empower gymnasts to perform at their best.
When gymnasts feel comfortable in their competition leotards, it radiates through their performance. A well-fitted, cleverly-designed and comfortable leotard enhances mobility, allowing gymnasts to execute movements with fluidity and precision. Furthermore, the confidence gained from wearing a comfortable leotard can positively impact a gymnast's mental state, empowering them to showcase their skills with grace and confidence.
The journey to finding the perfect competition leotard is multifaceted. It requires collaboration between gymnasts, coaches, and us as designers to strike the delicate balance between style and comfort. Customisation options, such as fabric choices, interesting back designs and seam placements, play a crucial role in tailoring leotards to meet individual needs.
In the world of gymnastics, competition leotards are more than just garments; they are instruments of confidence and self-expression. Comfortable leotards empower gymnasts to perform at their peak, free from distractions and insecurities. As us designers continue to innovate and prioritise comfort in our creations, gymnasts can step onto the competition floor with unwavering confidence, ready to dazzle the audience and wow the judges with their remarkable talent and skill!
Remember, whether it's club leotards for training or competition, comfort is key in unlocking a gymnast's full potential!
To start your club leotard journey with Stag, take a look at our Club Leotards page or just get in touch!
]]>Warm up:
2 minutes spider runs! (Running on all fours)
50 x jump-out-of-your-skin jumping jacks!
30 seconds of hocus-pocus hopping on each leg!
Workout:
10 x umpkin press-ups!
10 x Trick-or-Treat tricep dips!
2 x 10 second haunted handstand holds!
30 seconds of devilish dish rocks!
30 seconds of vampire V-sits!
30 seconds of creepy-crawlies crunches (dish to tuck position and repeat)!
30 seconds of squeaky squat jumps!
30 seconds of lunar lunge jumps (swapping legs each time)!
30 seconds of pumpkin 'pop' jumps (straight jumps on the spot in dish)!
Cool Down
1 minute right leg spirited split hold!
1 minute left leg spirited split hold!
1 minute bewitched box splits hold!
1 minute broomstick bridge hold!
We hope you enjoy this spook-tacular workout! Don't forget to post photos of you trying this workout and tag us on Facebook and Instagram!
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This year, our leotards were worn at the British Championships! Espoir Gymnast, Amelie Beadle-Gates of Wickers Gymnastics Club, warmed up and competed in her bespoke Stag Leotards!
We worked with her and her coach, Kelly, to design both her competition leotard and her warm up leotard. After a Zoom session and various communication via email, everyone was happy with the design.
Amelie went for a blue ombré upper bodice, with French Rose and Baby Pink Mystique appliques, embellished with hundreds of Czech diamantes. The base of the leotard was navy blue mystique with our Stag Leotards logo embroidered with white.
Amelie and her coach really wanted the leotard to stand out in the bright arena lights and so we decided that the piping on the leotard would white, to contrast the various colours in the leotard. We also supplied Amelie with a French Rose Mystique hair bow to add the final touch.
We also supplied a matching sleeveless warm-up leotard, which was soft, comfortable and fitted perfectly, allowing Amelie to focus fully on her warm-up.
The Czech diamantes sparkled amazingly under the arena lights, as Amelie performed across all of the apparatus.
It was Amelie's 2nd British Championships and she performed beautifully, coming 20th overall and an incredible 4th on Vault and 7th on Floor - well done Amelie!
We can't wait to see Amelie's performances in the future and are looking forward to watching her gymnastics journey!
With lockdown easing and a more consistent training schedule forming, we can look ahead towards competitions on the horizon. With a new fresh start to training, why not also have a fresh new club leotard to start the competition season with a bang (or a sparkle!)?!
]]>With lockdown easing and a more consistent training schedule forming, we can look ahead towards competitions on the horizon. With a new fresh start to training, why not also have a fresh new club leotard to start the competition season with a bang (or a sparkle!)?!
We can design and provide club leotards to gyms, schools, regions and leisure centres. You may have a design in mind, or you may just have the basic requirements e.g. club colours and can leave the designing to us. We can work together to create a design which embodies your club and empowers your gymnasts.
As well as competitions, we can also offer one-off bespoke leotards if one of your gymnasts needs a leotard with the wow-factor for a prestigious event such as the British Championships or perhaps a team leotard for the British Team Championships. We can also provide club training leotards or even leotards for seasonal events, such as Christmas Displays!
On a regional scale, we would be honoured to create a leotard for your region for use at National Finals - our leotards are thoughtfully designed with little bits of meaning that can really make your gymnasts stand out from the crowd.
Finally, school gymnastics. Having competed in school gymnastics competitions myself, I know how special the atmosphere is and sometimes a sparkly, new school leotard makes it all the more exciting! We can work with you to create a show-stopping school leotard for your school regional events or even an extra special leotard for National Finals!
Just get in touch to start your club leotard journey with Stag Leotards - we can't wait to start sharing ideas!
If you are interested in designing and ordering a club leotard with us, then we also offer a club consultation. This is where we travel to your club with all of our leotards, fabric swatches and a head full of ideas, to discuss designs for your club!
We offer this service if your club is within 80 miles of Sheffield. If you are a little too far for us to travel to you, then we can also arrange a Zoom Call.
Talking face to face, whether that be at your club or over Zoom, allows us to have a more detailed, hands-on discussion, in order to collaborate and produce the best design for you!
These consultations and meetings are all 'no obligation' and free of charge - all we ask is that you don't use our designs with another leotard company.
Just get in touch to book in a club visit or a Zoom session.
Are you hosting a competition or gymnastics event this year, perhaps a Christmas Display? We would love to have a leotard stall at your event!
We can travel to your competition and sell our leotards at your event whilst also providing 1 leotard, free of charge, to be used as Prizes at the competition.
Competitions are exciting enough, but when there's a leotard stall at the event, it really is special for a gymnast to pick out a new leotard after they know they have performed their best!
We can travel nationally to any competition - just send us an email if you would like us at your event.
Pictured: Angelina Melnikova - Photo Credit: www.sportgymrus.ru
With the Olympics starting on Saturday, we thought we'd tell you a little bit about who we are looking forward to seeing, as well as sharing with you the gymnastics schedule for the Olympic Games!
Obviously we cannot wait to watch our amazing GB Team in action, but take a look at the list below for some other Women's Artistic Gymnasts to keep an eye on (oh, and Simone Biles is a given, so she's not on this list! 😜)
Probably one of our favourite gymnasts ever. Strong and powerful vaults with excellent execution, graceful and flowing bars, difficult beam and an expressive floor with huge tumbles. She is a true all-arounder and this is shown by her long list of medals at a range of major championships. Melnikova always looks truly focused yet passionate about her gymnastics. When things go wrong, you know she will get right back up and carry on as if nothing ever happened.
Calm yet powerful, composed yet expressive. Ellie is a consistent all-rounder, excelling on all events but has an exceptionally solid beam routine. You'll rarely see her without a smile on her face or cheering for her teammates. A delight to have on any team.
Competing in her home country, it would be wonderful to watch her win a medal. She is a strong all-rounder, with big tumbles on floor and two solid vaults, and like the previous gymnasts in this list, always looks calm and composed, yet you just know she is having fun!
Qualifying to the Olympics through the individual apparatus route on Vault, Jade is a powerhouse, yet not to be overlooked in the All-Around competition either, having improved massively on bars and beam, perhaps partly due to her teammate Riley McCusker (whos strongest events are the opposite of Jade's and vice versa). She debuted her triple twisting double layout at the US Championships podium training, so it would be a real treat if we got to see this in her floor routine at the Olympics!
Aged just 16 and only eligible for the Olympics due to the postponement in 2020, Viktoriia could be 2nd in the All Around, with only Simone ahead of her. She is incredible on all events with beautiful lines and flexibility in all of her skills. Keep a look out for her new floor routine because we LOVE the choreography in it!
A Bars Star! There's not many extra upstarts or swings in this routine! It's just move after move after move, all connected with ease and beautiful execution. Every handstand is hit and legs are glued together throughout. If she performs like she has done this year, then a bars medal is guaranteed!
Getting Gold on Vault at the 2021 European Championships in Basel, Guilia Steingruber is in the running, not just for vault finals, but a vault medal too. She will likely do the Chusovitina (handspring entry with 1.5 twists in the straight position) and a double twisting Yurchenko.
Capable of HUGE mid-15s on beam, eyes will be on Guan Chenchen, when she takes to the balance beam, to see if she will clinch the Gold Medal in the Beam Event Finals. She also has a fun and unique floor routine, as well as a big full twisting double layout dismount off bars.
Eythora Thorsdottir is the epitome of 'Artistic' Gymnastics. With her thoughtful and expressive choreography, she almost 'floats' across the floor and tells a story to the audience as she does so. Consistently capable of high 13s and into the 14s on floor, Eythora may just sneak into the floor final.
How could we leave Oksana off this list?! Coming in to her 8th Olympic Games at the age of 46, with 5 eponymous skills, Chusovitina is proof that as long as you love gymnastics, why stop?! We can't wait to see her compete at her final Olympic Games.
It's going to be a tiring week and a half for gym fans!
We believe there will be coverage on BBC One and BBC Two, a second Live Stream on BBC iPlayer, as well as content on the BBC Red Button and the BBC Sport website and app.
Saturday 24th July
2:00am - Mens Qualification Subdivision 1
4:30am - Men's Qualification Subdivision 2
11:30am - Men's Qualification Subdivision 3
Sunday 25th July
2:00am - Womens Qualification Subdivision 1
3:55am - Womens Qualification Subdivision 2
7:10am - Womens Qualification Subdivision 3
11:05am - Womens Qualification Subdivision 4
12:20pm - Womens Qualification Subdivision 5
Monday 26th July
11:00am - Men's Team Final
Tuesday 27th July
11:45am - Women's Team Final
Wednesday 28th July
11:15am - Men's all Around Final
Thursday 29th July
11:50am Women's All Around Final
Sunday 1st August
9:00am - Men's Floor Exercise Final
9:55am - Women's Vault Final
10:44am - Men's Pommel Horse Final
11:27am - Women's Uneven Bars Final
Monday 2nd August
9:00am - Men's Rings Final
10:00am - Women's Floor Exercise Final
10:54am - Men's Vault Final
Tuesday 3rd August
9:00am - Men's Parallel Bars Final
9:48am - Women's Balance Beam Final
10:37am - Men's Horizontal Bar Final
Let us know in the comments below!
We do not own the photo used in this blog and all credit goes to www.sportgymrus.ru.
Launching Stag Leotards as sort of a 'lockdown experiment' has been the highlight of the year and we cannot thank everyone enough for the constant support we have received - whether you have ordered from us or just left a lovely comment, we appreciate it so much!
We have loved designing our first 4 leotards this year and rest assured we have been busy working on some new designs ready for 2021 - many a night we have had designs flying round our heads keeping us awake!
If you have any feedback about any of our products, or a specific leotard design you would like, please don't hesitate to get in touch - we would love to hear from you!
In the meantime, we wish you a Happy New Year.
Stay safe,
Love Tiggy x
]]>1. The gymnastics leotard is named after French acrobat, Jules Léotard. As well as the leotard being named after him, he also developed the Trapeze and so inspired the song 'The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze' by George Leybourne.
2. At the 1948 Olympics, gymnast Cissie Davies' outfit was not a leotard, but instead a garment that looked very similar to a netball dress!
(Source: https://www.insider.com/olympics-gymnastics-leotards-2016-8#in-1948-cissie-daviess-uniform-at-the-london-games-even-had-a-skirt-2)
3. It was only in the 1980s that the Lycra material that we know and love was starting to be used!
4. The 1990s trend of crushed velvet was seen on many leotards in the 2000s, for example, worn by Team China at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. We don't see crushed velvet on many leotards today - who thinks it should make a comeback?!
5. The 2000 Sydney Olympic Games also saw the introduction of more sparkles to leotards, as well as the popular mystique fabric which grew rapidly in popularity leading up to the Athens Games in 2004.
6. Printed gymnastics leotards seemed to be the in-thing at the 2008 Being Olympic Games as well as an increase in the number of crystals used! Nastia Luikin's leotard had 184 diamantés on it - this may seem tiny compared to the sometimes 1000s of diamantés we see on leotards today!
7. But, as the years went on, so did the diamantés and Gabby Douglas dazzled the crowd with almost 1200 crystals on her leotard at the 2012 Olympic Games!
8. Now, at present day, many competition leotards have 5000 or more diamantés on them - usually Swarovski crystals to create an incredible glittering effect under arena lights. One of Team USAs National Leotards is worth $1200!
Let us know in the comments your favourite leotard trend!
Please note we do not own the rights to the images used in this Blog. The source of this image is: https://www.insider.com/olympics-gymnastics-leotards-2016-8#in-1948-cissie-daviess-uniform-at-the-london-games-even-had-a-skirt-2)
]]>We hope you enjoy browsing our gymnastics leotards. If you have any questions about any of our leotards, for example regarding the material or sizing, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We pride ourselves on having a wealth of experience in the world of gymnastics - founder Tiegan has been a gymnast for 15 years!
]]>We hope you enjoy browsing our gymnastics leotards. If you have any questions about any of our leotards, for example regarding the material or sizing, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We pride ourselves on having a wealth of experience in the world of gymnastics - founder Tiegan has been a gymnast for 15 years! We hope to be able to help you.
Don’t forget to also visit our Club Leotards page to see how we can create the perfect club leotard for you, by working with you to design a leotard which is both eye-catching and comfortably practical.
We will also be regularly posting articles on our blog about everything gymnastics so keep checking back for interviews with famous gymnasts, top tips and much more!
Please Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Instagram to see more from Stag.
Can’t wait to see you all wearing your Stag Leotards – we’d love to see photos on social media. #StagInStag 🦌
Happy shopping!