U.S. Wedgie Team

     I LOVE the Olympics.  Love it!  It's a great event that the whole family can get into together.  Lots of events that we all like.  Unlike the "regular" sports offerings that the girls and I have no interest in.  While the boys in our house rattle off stats and names in the traditional "manly" sports, the girls and I have trouble even remembering the rules of said sports! The Olympics unifies our house. We usually all are excited about the same events- definitely more so in the summer Olympics when there is no ice skating.  Ice skating to the boys is like football to me.
     The other night, we were watching the Women's gymnastics qualifying event.  The uneven bars, floor routines and high beam.  And I started wondering about their choice of uniform.  I was specifically thinking about the leg cut of their leotards.  There must be a reason for it.  I guess it probably gives them free leg movement without tugging but it still looked uncomfortable to me.  They looked like wedgies waiting to happen.  I was thinking that maybe a little boy-short would be less awkward.  I mean they have to do splits!  Doesn't that drive leotards into awkward places?!  (I don't actually know since I don't think I have done a split since I was in utero and I wasn't wearing a leotard at the time...)
      As I was wondering this, my children distracted me by asking about some of the movements they make during their routines.  You know what I mean.  When they swing their arms or suddenly snap them up or down.  Movements that are sort of graceful but at the same time herky jerky.  I've always wondered what those were about.  (If you just pulled off a bunch of back flips, surely the judges don't need proof that you can hold your arms over your head...)  I answered that I didn't really know exactly what those movements were to show.  Then I started wondering aloud if maybe on the high beam those movements help them keep their balance.  If maybe, after a spin or a split, it helps them align themselves in space?  Who knows... (Really. If you know tell me!)
      As we watched the floor routine, they were doing these incredible series of flips and acrobatics with more of those semi graceful movements thrown in.  Suddenly, I was wondering again how they kept their uniforms from retreating into awkward places during those contortionist feats. (Sticky wax? Duct tape?)  I started thinking maybe those moves are like gymnast slight of hand tricks.  Could those odd little movements have a greater purpose after all? Maybe the quirky little leaps are to realign errant uniforms. And maybe those somersaults that seem silly after magnificent flips are to distract us from undergarment adjustment? If I bent to tie my shoe and then adjusted a little on they way up  would you even notice?  (I don't really do that! I don't want you to know my secret moves.  But I'm thinking the shoelace thing is a good idea-  unless I'm wearing flip-flops...)  If a magician can make an elephant disappear, I'm sure a gymnast can adjust her leotard without anyone noticing.  (And, unlike a magician, they are performing in the round. That alone deserves a medal!)  
     And I'm back to wondering why they are wearing those leotards with that leg cut.  It has to be a historical/sexist thing.  Were all the judges male back in the day?  I'm too young to remember...(Shut up.)  And, if it is really for practical reasons that they have to wear leotards, why isn't the men's team wearing leotards?