If you’ve ever watched college gymnastics, you might have seen this before: your mom, eyebrows furrowed, head shaking, and mouth agape, claiming she can design a better leotard than some coaching staff. Whether you’re the most seasoned college gymnastics fan, or a total newbie, everyone has opinions about leotard designs. While it’s easy to scrutinize leotards, few people know about the time, effort, and money that goes into the design process. You’re about to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create leotards for top college gymnastics teams, thanks to insights from the coaches themselves.
For many coaches, the first step in designing a leotard is finding inspiration: A specific color palette? Nature? Maybe even another collegiate team? Geralen Stack-Eaton, assistant coach of the Minnesota Gophers and former Alabama gymnast starts with social media. “I’ll go on Instagram and Pinterest and look for figure skating outfits, ballroom dancing, prom dresses with cool backs and designs and that’s mainly where I start just to get inspiration,” said Stack-Eaton.
Erin Dooley, assistant coach for Maryland and former Florida gymnast, always has her eyes peeled for the latest design trends across the NCAA scene. “First I try to see what’s the…
