Attire & Training Aids (Team program)

Proper attire is important for participants of all programs at Richmond Gymnastics - be it during regular training or when attending competitions.

Team Program Athletes (CCP, Xcel, HighSchool Xcel, Developmental, MAG)

Items required to bring when coming in to TRAIN and when COMPETING:

  • Proper training/competing attire (see details below)

  • Sports/Athletic tape (search for Athletic Trainers Tape- preferably white - to cover blisters/rips and protect sore hands/feet, to tape wrists, fingers, ankles etc. for extra support and injury prevention)- can be bought from any sport store or online.

  • Pre-wrap (optional) sometimes placed below the sport tape to prevent the skin from tugging (search for Pre-Wrap/ pre-wrap athletic tape)

  • Extra hair ties/ hair pins. Hair spray to tackle any fly-aways, especially during competition.

  • Socks (without any grippy stickers at the bottom) can be worn during warm up, if desired and if deemed safe by the coach.

  • Healthy, nut free snack and a refillable water bottle

    For snack: athletes should bring healthy, nutritious, wholesome non-messy snacks to have during their break time. It must be a snack and not an entire meal. (Please refrain from refined flour or sugary treats that do not serve any benefit to the health of an athlete). RGA does not have a compost bin at the facility, and this is to keep rodents at bay. Athletes must take their left-over food/food scraps home with them and dispose of them in the proper manner. **Please advise the office, via email, if your child has any severe allergies and requires an allergy action plan.

If your child is already using some of the items below for training, these must be brought to TRAINING EVERYDAY, and when they attend competitions. If your child is NOT currently using any of the following aids, please wait for the coach to let you know if any of these are required for your child.

  • Tiger Paws: (to prevent the athlete from wrist injuries). These are wrist supports to prevent strain and overuse injuries. These need to be of the right fit, and be only in skin color. (search for Tiger Paws in any search engine)

  • Bar grip palms: Trainers (before athletes transition to grips) that younger athletes eg.: Developmental program athletes may require to wear when training on uneven bars. Prevents blisters on hands. (search for Bar Grip palms in any search engine)

  • Grips: Grips are sometimes used by athletes for uneven bars and is intended to protect the athlete’s hands from blisters/rips, while ensuring the proper learning of skills. Athletes are sized for the right fit and RGA orders them for athletes accordingly. Or members can order them from a vendor on their own.

  • Wrist guards: Sometimes, along with grips, an athlete also requires a wrist guard. These guards help prevent the grip straps from digging into the skin. It is like a tennis wrist band. RGA has them in stock for purchase or they can be bought from a sport store. Look for the wide (long) wrist guards.

  • Grip bag i.e. a small pouch or bag to place grips in to avoid getting chalk on other items in their bag. Grip bags are available to purchase from the office or you may purchase on your own.

TRAINING attire: (when coming in for regular training as per training schedule)

  • Girls: All team athletes must wear proper leotards or the RGA training leotard when training at the gym or attending training camps at another gym. Mandatory for Team athletes to have at least one RGA training leotard (as per their team color). The leotard can be paired with plain leggings (any length) or proper gym shorts.

  • Boys: All team athletes must wear appropriate shorts, and a well-fitting t-shirt.

    Examples of unacceptable attire: tops with low, scoop necks; tops that leave the midriff bare (eg: just sports bra with lowers); loose tops; loose pants/lowers, pajamas

COMPETITION attire (uniform when participating in competitions):

Mandatory items (uniform): please note that athletes may not be allowed to participate if the athlete does not show up properly dressed for the competition

  • Team jacket

  • Girls: Competitive leotard as per their team (different from training leotard and usually has embellishments) | Boys: competitive unitard, shorts and pants

  • Plain black leggings (without any big logos) OR RGA sweatpants (leggings/sweatpants CANNOT be worn while competing at events). No flashy, colourful sweatpants, hoodies etc.

Optional items (uniform):

  • Proper gym shorts | Color: black/matching with the bottom of the leotard | No logo/very small logo (this is worn only if the athlete wishes to wear one when competing). If an athlete wears improper shorts, it may cause a deduction in points at competitions.

  • RGA backpack

Specialized items (personal to an athlete- brought in for training and competitions by the athlete):

  • Ankle brace, knee brace (if required by the athlete for additional joint support)

  • If your child needs to wear a specialized shoe due to foot issues while training, please ensure that you have sought proper approval from the office/coach before attending class. Detailed doctors note would be required to consider requests.

    Personal items must be labelled so that they can easily be traced, if misplaced.

Lockers: Team athletes are allocated lockers and it has their name tag on it. The lockers cannot be locked. Athletes must ensure that they are sharing the locker space appropriately with their teammates and respecting the space of others. Athletes must keep their lockers and locker area clean.

TEAM SPECIFIC TRAINING AIDS: in addition to the items listed above

CCP team:

  • Ankle weights (with adjustable straps) - 3lbs each ankle for athletes 8 years and older; 2lbs each ankle for athletes 7 years and younger

  • Resistance bands - one medium and one strong - for stretching and strengthening exercises

  • Foam roller - standard size

  • Small spray bottle for water to use on uneven bars

Xcel/HighSchool Xcel team:

  • Small elastic resistance band (loop)

  • Foam roller - smooth/ no ridges

  • Ankle weights (with adjustable straps) - 3lbs each ankle for athletes 8 years and older; 2lbs each ankle for athletes 7 years and younger

Developmental (Dev) team:

  • Wrist bands (must be 3in wide i.e. long). RGA office has some for you to check out or purchase, if you so wish

  • Ankle weights (with adjustable straps) - 2lbs each ankle

HAIR, JEWELLERY, HYGIENE - during training and when attending meets

During training:

  • All participants, during training, should have their hair neatly tied back. Hair must be kept away from eyes. Long hair must be in a braid and shorter hair in a braid or ponytail.  If hair is left open, after the first warning, the participant will be removed from the class and will not be allowed to attend any more classes until this rule is adhered to. Participants must keep extra hair elastics and/clips in their bags

  • Participants must not wear any jewelry to training class or carry any valuables with them to gym. Dangly/long earrings are not allowed. Any other body piercings must be removed prior to training for safety reasons

  • Nails must be kept short - trimmed and filed and must not go past finger tips/toe tips

During competitions:

  • Hair tied back neatly, and secured so that there are no incidents of the hairdo opening mid session/routine.

    • Hair should not be in athletes’ face. Long hair, in whatever hairstyle, must not interfere in the athlete’s routine or be unsafe. eg: ensure that a hair bun does not interfere with back rolls or skills an athlete is doing on the floor. E.g.: some athletes who have the element of back rolls on the floor, a top bun may interfere in their skill execution. Note: there are multiple tutorials that can be found online that you can use for reference. If you have any questions, please ask your coach/the office.

    • Hair spray to tackle any fly-aways, especially during competition

  • No or little make-up. Keep it simple - no flashy colours, tattoos, or flashy nails/nail color

  • Jewelry – not allowed. A small stud earring is acceptable. Anything more may cause a deduction in score points at competitions

  • Undergarments: Skin colored brassiere can be worn under the leotard, if required. Ensure that the undergarments are well fitting and do not show from under the leotard.

NOTE: if a competing athlete is not properly dressed for a competition, including arriving with undone hair, we reserve the right to refuse their participation in the meet. There will be no refund requests accepted for non-participation due to these reasons.

Click here for LINK to RGA Market to order items for uniform and other RGA swag!

What is applicable to Gymnastics for All (recreational) program participants? click here