Attire & Items to bring

Proper clothing is important for participants of all programs at Richmond Gymnastics. This ensures that the participant focusses on attending class and listening to the coach instead of managing their clothing while doing high activity tasks. This also keeps the participants and coaches safe since inappropriate clothing can get snagged on equipment and/or get wrapped around the hands of coaches when they are assisting participants with skills.

What is applicable to all program participants at Richmond Gymnastics?

  • All participants train bare feet. Please refrain from dressing your child in stockings. If your child must wear socks, they must be without the grippy stickers at the bottom and are allowed at the discretion of the coach.

  • All participants 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 should not wear any jewelry to class or carry any valuables with them to gym. Dangling and 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Specialized items:

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

    • If your child needs to wear a specialized shoes 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.

  • Click here for LINK to RGA Market and to understand more.

Gymnastics for All (GfA) Program Athletes (recreational program)

Training clothing: clothing must allow for unrestricted movement and be snug and comfortable. Avoid anything with zippers, buckles or snaps.

  • Girls and boys can wear a proper fitting top meant for sports, along with proper, tight fitting lowers.

    • Usually girls wear a proper-fitting tank leotard paired with proper gym shorts or leggings. Usually no underwear is worn with a leotard since it can show and be uncomfortable when bunched up.

    • Boys can wear comfortable shorts and a t-shirt

Items that participants must bring to class:

  • water bottle (may be refilled at the faucet in the kitchen)

  • sports tape/athletic tape - can be bought from any sport store or online

  • for preschoolers/toddlers: a change of clothes should there be any incidents

    NOTE: Personal Items: Participants must be responsible for their own items. Label your personal items. Do not bring any expensive items or items of high personal value to the gym. RGA will not be responsible for the safety and care of any such items and thus will not be held liable for the loss/damage of the items.

Healthy habits: Let’s instill healthy eating habits early in life to contribute to a healthy society and the field of sports.

  • Athletes must carry a full water bottle to training. The bottle will be kept in the designated water bottle area so that it is accessible at break time and throughout training, as needed. Athletes can refill their bottle from the faucet in the kitchen.

  • TEAM program athletes: must ensure to bring only 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 any 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.

 

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

Items required to bring when coming in to TRAIN/COMPETE as per schedule:

  • Proper training/competing attire (see below)

  • Sports/Athletic 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 tape to prevent the skin from tugging

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

  • Grips (only if the coach deems it necessary for athletes to purchase- parents will be told if and when required). Grips are sometimes used by the athletes for uneven bars and is intended to protect an 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 the athlete accordingly. Or the member 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.

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

  • Extra hair ties. Pack a hair spray to tackle any fly-aways, especially during competition.

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

  • Healthy snack and water bottle

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

COMPETITION attire (when participating in competitions):

Mandatory 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 the 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 when actually competing at events)

Optional items of Uniform:

  • Proper gym shorts | No logo/very small logo | Color: black/matching with the bottom of the leotard. (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

Hair and jewelry:

  • 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.

  • If athletes choose do hair buns, make sure that the 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, simply ask your coach/the office.

  • 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 will cause a deduction in scoring 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.

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

TEAM SPECIFIC training aids:

CCP Team:

  • 3lb ankle weights (with adjustable straps) - please ensure to label them with your child’s name

  • Resistance bands (heavy) for stretching and strengthening exercises

  • Roller

Developmental Team:

  • Wrist bands (must be 3in wide). RGA office has some for you to see or buy.

  • 2lb ankle weights (with adjustable straps) - please ensure to label them with your child’s name