Parents When the booster club buys your leotard

[cbifoja]

Well, true, ours are not washed in hot water and bleach, obviously, but personally, I'm ok with DD wearing another girl's leo as long as it's washed. Lots of gyms sell/trade outgrown/no longer needed leos (ours doesn't because our comp leos are a new style every year ), and tons of people sell/buy used leos on ebay or during gym sales, etc.

To each their own, I guess!!

I suppose I'm in this camp too as far as attitude. I'm a biologist by training so I know there are some scary bacteria/viruses out there but I really don't think my kid is going to catch Ebola or some girlie parts disesase through a used leotard. I find the pit and chalk bucket way scarier in terms of contamination than a washed leo. "Hello, little gymmie. Would you like a side of MRSA to go with your new rip?" So yeah, it doesn't bother me to have my daughter wear a used leo either.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Were it not for used leos, my girls would have none- my daughters comp leo was purchased used from the gym and all the others came from ebay. I do wash mine in hot water though (no bleach). I am not concerned about the hygiene of it, really.
As for the situation from the op, if I were those parents I would assume I owned the leo- that it was either a gift from the booster club or was purchased due to parental contributions. It would make no difference who helped and who didn't. Going forward I would find a different way to distribute profits (maybe evenly divided and put into gymnasts accounts) rather than buy leos at all if it was only going to be able to be done sporadically.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

Does no one else wash their leos? It sounds like washing isn't a regular thing for some...? Practice and competition leos get worn once and then they're washed here.

I buy plenty of used leos from ebay...cause they are much cheaper!! I just throw them in the wash and then they are perfectly fine! We also have a used leo sale at our gym.

 

[MaryA]

What a waste to not be able to pass down used leotards (competition or otherwise) when they're SO expensive. My favorite part about the used leo sale at our gym is not the small amount of money that goes into my DD's gym account, or the leotards we get to buy for only a few bucks... It's getting to still see my DD's special leotards running around the gym on younger, smaller gymnasts!

 

[Sasha]

I find the pit and chalk bucket way scarier in terms of contamination than a washed leo.

And though I accept this logically, I can't get past the underwear-sharing aspect. This is probably in the same 'goes against logic' vein as knowing a toilet seat is usually less bacteria ridden [link] than other common things we touch (sofa arms, smartphones...), but still going to wash my hands after touching a toilet, and not going to eat off the toilet seat. lol. I applaud those more able than me to use logic as their compass in germ-related decisions.

Side note: If you click that link to the article, there's some more fodder for the anti-trampoline camp. Not really surprising tho! All our gymmies' equipment is pretty icky if we stop to ponder (so I'm just going to stop pondering now! lol)

 

[mommyof1]

All our gymmie's equipment is pretty icky if we stop to ponder (so I'm just going to stop pondering now! lol)

I think I am more afraid of MRSA than of broken bones! Not much to do about it except throw the gymmie straight into the shower after practice.

 

[kayjaybe]

Does your booster club money go toward anything else? We have a pretty active and large booster club, but we still buy our own competition leos & warm-ups. The booster club money goes to pay all the meet fees & associated expenses.

Maybe consider having the monies go to something else that isn't assigned to a specific gymnast like this, so then it won't even be an issue.

 

[cbifoja]

Does your booster club money go toward anything else? We have a pretty active and large booster club, but we still buy our own competition leos & warm-ups. The booster club money goes to pay all the meet fees & associated expenses.

Maybe consider having the monies go to something else that isn't assigned to a specific gymnast like this, so then it won't even be an issue.

We are a small club who has just in the past three years became active in fundraising and while my vision includes the ability to pay for more, our financial reality hasn't allowed us to do so. This was the first time we have been in the position to be able to do something this significant.

 

[cbifoja]

Talked to several parents today at practice. We together came up with a solution that has pieces of what a lot of you have also offered. Thank you for all of the input.

We have decided that the leos belong to the girls and that anyone coming in mid-cycle will have to acquire a leo either by buying a used one from another team member or purchasing one new through the club. This allows us to meet our original promise of new warm ups for all team members.

 

[skschlag]

cbifoja- do you guys have a board for your booster club?

 

[cbifoja]

Yes.

 

[skschlag]

Yes.

I know it seemed like a strange question, but we can't make decisions like that without a board meeting, quorum, motion and voting. And since you indicated it was a newer club, I thought I would ask Seems like a fair decision!

 

[cbifoja]

LOL....I understand and I appreciate the input. The board members were some of the parents I talked to. I also talked to officers and several of the active general members.

 

[wnl256]

This has nothing to do with leos, but I wanted to give you an idea how our booster club encourages participation by its members. We have a point system. Each member family is expected to earn points through volunteer work (at meets, around the gym, serving on the board, as chairperson, team mom, etc.). The number of points you have to earn is based on the number of girls on team and their level (preteam is less, TOPS requires a few more). Typical is: 8 points for one gymmie, 12 points for two. You have all year to earn the points. As a result, we get pretty good participation for volunteer work.

 

[kayjaybe]

This has nothing to do with leos, but I wanted to give you an idea how our booster club encourages participation by its members. We have a point system. Each member family is expected to earn points through volunteer work (at meets, around the gym, serving on the board, as chairperson, team mom, etc.). The number of points you have to earn is based on the number of girls on team and their level (preteam is less, TOPS requires a few more). Typical is: 8 points for one gymmie, 12 points for two. You have all year to earn the points. As a result, we get pretty good participation for volunteer work.

And what happens if you don't earn the "required" points? You say parents are "expected" but I'm curious as to what happens if you don't bother to do it.

 

[krisnkids]

This isn't technically "legal" if your booster club is a nonprofit. If it's NOT nonprofit, then this is fine.

The booster club was non-profit.

 

[MaryA]

The booster club was non-profit.

Then I would be careful. The internet is full of stories of groups, even school groups, getting slammed for this and it can be financially devastating.

 

[wnl256]

And what happens if you don't earn the "required" points? You say parents are "expected" but I'm curious as to what happens if you don't bother to do it.

There are, shall we say, financial disincentives. But they make it clear they don't want your money: they want your time.

And, no, I have no idea about the financial, non-profit, tax-related matters. That's not my area.

 

[MerriWeather]

I run a leotard consignment business so I am clearly ok with used leotards as are all of the people who buy from me!

As for the original question, I think you need to decide ho wit will be handled and then have an agreement to be given with each leotard and/or warm-up at the beginning. If you expect it back, then you need to state that. Then consider - will there be a fee assessed to the family if they keep or damage it? Maybe a 50% of retail costs could be in the contract so if they lose it, want to keep it, or make it somehow unusable for the future, they need to pay back 50%. Then people have the option to buy the leo at a discount or pass it on or however you want to handle it.

I think that because it wasn't stated it this time around, they were a gift to the gymnasts, personally.

 

[emorymom]

Next go around I would raise money for leos but ask that they be returned when they will no longer be used for competition so that the club has to do less fund raising later. That's just a good faith issue. If the parents want to keep them, then offer them the option of buying a new leo for their kid instead of getting one free through the booster club.
Soap kills germs and they can be sun dried inside out.
My son's booster club doesn't give out uniforms but does facilitate resale. And I put him in a used leo-shirt without a second thought.