Mar 10
14
Gymnastics Leotards – Rhythmic Gymnastics Leotards…Are They Different?
As the title for today’s article alludes to, I plan on looking at the different styles of leos used for young ladies that participate in rhythmic gymnastics as opposed to artistic gymnastics. If you have no clue what I am talking about, never fear…I will explain the difference between the two later on in the article.
Before I launch into my diatribe about the differences of the rhythmic leotard, I wanted to take a moment and say congratulations to the US Trampoline and Tumbling Teams for their excellent finish in the recent World Championships. The teams brought home a silver medal (Team Women’s Tumbling) and two bronze medals (Men’s and Women’s Team Double Mini-Trampoline). Way to go Team USA, looking forward to another spectacular season next year!
Since the article today discusses the different style of leotard that the rhythmic gymnast uses, I thought it was fitting to also tell the USA Women’s Rhythmic Gymnastics Team congratulations for their exceptional performance at the Junior Pan American Championships that were held in Havana, Cuba. Way to go team. They walked away with all four event gold medals and they walked away with the Team gold medal. Keep up the good work.
Ok, so on to the topic at hand. By profession, I instruct artistic gymnastics. If you are not familiar with this term, it simply refers to the gymnastics where the young ladies work on the floor, bars, vault and beam. Rhythmic gymnastics differs from this in that the events those young ladies compete in are hoop, rope, clubs, and ball. One thing is for certain, this genre of gymnastics focuses on different elements than its sister sport. These young ladies are typically incredibly flexible, as their events require a high degree of flexibility.
Artistic gymnastics leotards are typically very tight, and cling to the body of the gymnast. This is necessary to ensure that while the gymnast is performing difficult tumbling and dance skills their clothing remains safely out of the way. Additionally, during practice sessions, the gymnasts frequently wear bike shorts that are made out of spandex, and cling tightly to the gymnast to provide them with some additional privacy. As the pictures on this page show, the shape and cut of a rhythmic gymnastics leotard is different than that of their artistic sisters. The design of the rhythmic gymnastics leotard is designed more to compliment the gymnast as she performs her routines. While the under part of the leo is still clingy, it has an almost skirt like frill that is attached to the bottom. This adds to the graceful feeling of the sport. Whereas artistic gymnastics is typically about power, the rhythmic side of the house focuses more on grace and elegance.
As always, you can check out GK Leotards and shop their rhythmic gymnastics line of leotards. They have a full line of rhythmic and artistic leotards, and probably have something to fit your style. If you are looking for leotards that are specifically for Rhythmic gymnastics check out Olystone leotards and look at their full line of rhythmic gymnastics leotards. They specialize in providing leotards to rhythmic gymnasts, and they seem like they have a pretty good selection.
