AIBU to think a £90 gymnastics leotard is too much?

[IsThisJustLifeInTheSouth]

Just moved to the SE from further north. DD9 does gymnastics. Is good enough to compete but no danger of hitting the Olympics. Her club have told us the competition leotard costs £90. This feels insanely high! Is this just life in the south and I need to get used to it?!

Very high for a synthetic leotard. Clearly the club is getting a huge cut of that.
How much is the class? Can you stomach daylight robbery?
How many comps will daughter do. How often does the leotard change?

Can you find it on ebay second hand?

Dance classes and gymnastics always seem to price gouge.

Is it gold plated?

My DS was in elite trampoline squad when he was younger. Every competition seemed to require a different leotard/trousers set, at about that price each time. It was definitely a bone of contention for parents.

Are there parents selling leotards that their kids have grown out of 2nd hand? Might be a cheaper way to get one ?

I don’t think this is just in the south to be honest! Our toddler goes to a little baby gym class and we were chatting to some of the mums with kids in the next class up (these are still only 4-6 year old children) about how they find it and they were telling us about the cost of all the bits for competing, they need a leotard for each routine, they have 3 different routines and they keep the same routine for 6 months then switch, leotards £105 each time so £315 every 6 months on top of the money you pay for the lessons anyway.

Mum of 2 squad gymnasts here in the south east. I am not surprised by this at all. Depends on the brand as some are cheaper than others but comp leotards are long sleeved and sparkly which costs £££

I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility, no. My dd does trampolining. Leotard costs £55, but it’s ugly. It’s not nearly as nice as all the other clubs. I’ve heard a rumour that they are re-designing the club leotard and getting a new supplier and the new ones will be around the £150 mark. 🙈

Wow!
thanks for the replies- I think these are insane prices but now wondering if it’s just because we hadn’t previously purchased comp versions that this seems so high.

You’d think, right?!

I think it’s because they are bespoke design so a short run. Also suspect the club puts on a markup and takes a cut.

All you can do is ask about second hand. Our club had similarly eye watering prices but were helpful about second hand options.

Wow. That's insane. They'll outgrow it in no time.

What happened to kids just doing sports for fun and kids being able to join in even if parents aren't on a high income.

It seems now that they always need to get graded, get certificates, compete, train several times a week etc. It's not just for fun anymore.

If your DD wants to do it I'd look to see if you could get a second hand one.

I think I’m finding it particularly galling as I really object to the enforced uniformity of it all (and those little fake diamonds give me the ick!). These are primary aged kids doing a local comp- I agree that the comp leotard is just a way to make money for someone in the supply chain.

I find the daylight robbery pretty hard to stomach but unfortunately DD loves it so I’m going to have to suck it up!

I never understand why these things can’t just be for fun. Why all the competitions and exams?

Couldn’t agree more @Helpmyarse but unfortunately gymnastics is one of those sports where they seem to want you to live and breathe it and sign up for all the extras 🙄

£60 ish is usual ime

It’s the same with dancing, of any sort. And drama. And other sports.

My children don’t want to do competitions and exams, they just want to go to a dance club for fun. You can’t find any! All dance schools where they want them to do exams. My six year old just wants to go to a dance club for fun, but even the street dance ones do exams.

It was the same when my eldest did drama and my middle child did fencing - they wanted to do it as they enjoyed it, but it was just constantly preparing for the next exam. It made them give up.

I’m in the north and long time gym parent. £90 is reasonable for a competition leotard, especially if long-sleeved. Depends on the make and design but it is often well over £100. Some clubs change design every year which also makes getting a second hand one impossible. So I think you just need to suck it up if you want her to do gymnastics. The other costs are relatively low compared to other sports.
And dance costumes are way more expensive…

A woman at work pays more than that for dance dresses.... And they are like leotards....

I am constantly amazed at how people afford it

Mum of 2 squad gymnasts in NW. Our last ones were £120. They normally keep the same design for 2-3 years, and within that timeframe the second hand leos tend to sell for around £70. It sucks when they only wear them maybe half a dozen times a year but its part and parcel of competitive gymnastics unfortunately.

Ours are £55 for 2 piece and £120 for 4 piece teams. Pretty standard unfortunately

That sounds about right. I think they are custom made and only in small numbers so they’re bound to be expensive.

Our club leotard is just over £100 so I think it’s pretty standard. Welcome to the world of gymnastics!
Add that to membership fees, general class fees, insurance, club kit, squad kit, competition fees, tickets to get into the competitions you paid to enter!
But my daughter loves it and gets so much out of it so we suck it up!

Check if DD will get to compete, even if she is in squad.

Also - for those wanting a non- competitive fun class, then look for rec classes.

If she starts competing at the higher grades you’ll be grateful for a £90 leotard. We had to get 3 at around £300 each at one point. That said, my DD adored gymnastics. It took us on lots of adventures and was amazing for her self esteem and attitude to health and fitness. I don’t think she’d be brave enough to do half the things she does today (travel, go to uni abroad, etc.) if she hadn’t had those experiences and friendships.

Because then they’d bored pretty quickly. Gymnastics usually has some Rec. classes but most kids want to progress to another group once they’ve learned everything Rec. has to teach them. The way to make sure they’re ready - and safe - for the next group is to test them.