Before the Olympic Games in Paris, the gymnast Frederick “Flips” Richard had bigger goals than a gold medal in mind, trying to change male gymnastics and show everyone what the sport really tried.
On Friday, in the Winter Cup of the US Gymnastics. And with a bronze medal In his belt, Richard debuted a new custom male gymnastics uniforms in an effort to present, as he called it, “a modern change of the uniform”, one that hopes is quickly adopted in sport.
Instead of the tight unit and the pants that cover the feet of the gymnasts, Richard was for something cooler and more comfortable: a tank shirt and shorts that resemble a more personalized basketball uniform, and optional leggings can Use in events like Pommel Horse Horse, when your legs can hide the device.
Richard said in an interview that he has been working with a designer from the Paris Games to “find all the weak points that I hate about the uniform” to find the perfect final product. They associated with Turn Gymnastics, a male gymnastics clothing company, to manufacture and produce the uniform.
“It’s quite simple, but it’s a much more comfortable sensation,” Richard said about the new aspect.
Soon, Turn and Richard will launch a website that allows gyms throughout the country to customize and ask for uniforms for their equipment to use.
“The people of the crowd will eventually wear our shirts, you can use our uniforms, which is something you don’t see in gymnastics,” Richard said.
The new uniform reached a cost for Richard on Friday: the three tenths of a point eliminated their general score, a penalty that can be the decisive factor in very competitive meetings.
The national team is decided in the Winter Cup, but Richard already has a place as one of the five members of the male gymnastics team of the Paris Olympic Games. They will not have to compete for their points again for another year, he said.
The new uniform is part of Richard’s largest plan to bring male gymnastics to the sports spiritualist.
“I feel that these next four years for me are, like my arc to change the sport,” Richard said. “Not only change the rules or change uniforms, but bring more eyes to the sport, associated with different athletes, associate with different artists, associate with different people, bring your eyes to gymnastics and tell my story.”
Growing up, Richard recalled that “feeling uncomfortable or a little ashamed to tell people that I do gymnastics” for many reasons, but the uniform was great.
I felt that I couldn’t even go to the service station after practicing without people questioning why they wore stockings. He made him ask him: “Why is you still seen?” When the styles have changed so much.
“There has been no innovation in it, it has not renewed,” Richard said.
So he took the opportunity to make a change, both for his younger self and for his children who could be in a similar situation now.
“We had these Olympic Games. We had our successes. He feels like the renewal of male gymnastics, “Richard said.” Anything we are passionate about changing, we are going for it. “
Fortunately for Richard, many in the world of gymnastics have responded well to their innovation, especially colleagues from university gymnasts who, according to him, agrees that it is time for a change.
Richard expects this uniform to give gymnasts of all ages and levels another option without having to accept points deductions.
He said he sees a clear path to that in university gymnastics, where team coaches can vote to make a rules change. Richard said many of the university coaches who know they are on board.
Child gymnastics does not adhere to the same rules book, so the change can happen even faster, he said.
However, it is more complicated on the world stage, so Richard said he spoke with international gymnastics officials about the uniforms.
He said they told him to use the uniform for an encounter to show that not only looks good, but it is also safe to compete, and see if people talk about whether it is really the time of a change. If you earn more traction, officials would have to vote on a final decision on whether to allow it.
Usa Gymnastics said it does not have an official comment, but noted that Richard is using what he feels comfortable and that he is taking the International Federation of Gymnastics, or Fig, as a result. Fig did not respond to a request for comments on Richard’s uniform.
Richard said he will show the uniform at each individual meeting he attends while working with the turn to be his website and the official “Frederick Flips” to the world. For next season, Richard said he hopes to see children and university students who wear their designs in the mat.
“My dream is to enter the Los Angeles Olympic Games to be able to use it,” Richard said.
