They should allow competition in shorts - just about everyone prefers it, and those that don't can just wear leotards - like in the aquatic sports and rhythmic gymnastics. All the time in the international competitions and in the interview workouts they show on tv there are gymnasts working out in shorts. Now, here is the Romanian team posing in shorts - I think they look cool! :D (pict. is from http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l8/Passion96/TeamRomania2006.jpg)

Romania's leotard design could be better...but ya, shorts are cool! And it's true about the rips on your hips on the uneven bars too!...and the bruises!

I don't like shorts that much. I just started wearing them in practice a few months ago; but NEVER on bars.

flyinflex: then you wear them just during warm-up or something? It really helps on bars, esp. if you do bars for like 45 minutes or an hour, to not get rips or as bruised on your hips! I think shorts look cool too! :D Pretty much everyone on my team wears shorts during workout. Some gyms don't allow it though...weird!

I go with the shorts too!! :D

Me too! In rhythmic gymnastics it's allowed to wear even pants...artistic gymnastics should catch up! ...like in swimming too, lots of the swimmers wear full body suits (to go faster in the water).

Also in ice skating, at first the women weren't allowed to wear pants in competition - just those skirt dresses, and later they changed the rule and now it's allowed!

In college, most of the girls actually workout in those shorts with a tank top, no leotards! It would be cool and make more sense to allow shorts over the leotard during competition as an option....it's time for the change! they should include this in the change of the code of points. fewer rips and bruises from the bars (and even beam too sometimes!), and it looks better too! it's a sport, not a swimsuit fashion show for guys. Actually the Chinese team has gotten deductions before for their leotards coming too high up, I think the panel were all women. Lots of girls in international competition look like they should get this deduction too, but they don't. In the sport of gymnastics it is a given that the leotard will move a little, don't you think?....better to give the shorts option too.

We practice in shorts too, just leotards for competition - I agree, they should make it optional to wear shorts in all the competitions, international too. A lot of the gymnastics programs that show the international competitions show the gymnasts working out in shorts, so it must be a preference for them too. My friend's gym doesn't allow them to wear shorts even during practice, maybe b/c the owner is an older woman who is stuck in traditional ways. :D

One of my friends said that for hs, they can't wear shorts for practice the week before the meet.