A US GYMNASTICS star deliberately took a major points deduction to wear a “cool” outfit at a meet.
Frederick Richard was deducted 0.3 points at the US Championships on Saturday when he took to the stage.
Frederick Richard took a points deduction to wear a new outfit[/caption]
The ace opted for shorts and compression leggings at the US Championships[/caption]
Richard opted against wearing the traditional stirrups[/caption]
The 21-year-old decided to forgo the traditional men’s gymnastic stirrups.
And Richard instead opted for a pair of gym shorts with compression leggings underneath.
The University of Michigan ace took second place at the competition, narrowly earning a podium finish by just .305 points.
But Richard had no regrets over his decision to wear a new outfit — despite it nearly costing him a medal.
The youngster declared: “It’s 1000 per cent worth it. If you look at these kids in the crowd, I’m thinking about them and I’m thinking about when I was younger.”
Indeed, Richard hopes to create a shift in dynamics by making stirrups a thing of the past.
He opened up on the embarrassment of wearing them outside the gym while growing up.
And Richard reckons a new look will inspire more youngsters to take up the sport.
He added: “If I left the gym to go to the gas station, I didn’t want anybody to see me in my pommel horse pants.
“Kids would say ‘do you do gymnastics?’ I’d say ‘yeah’ but I didn’t want them to search it and see the uniform, I didn’t feel like it was cool.
What are stirrups?
MALE gymnasts are currently required to wear stirrup pants while competing.
They are seen regularly on the pommel horse, rings, parallel bars and horizontal bars.
Stirrups were introduced in the latter half of the 20th century.
Their aesthetics allow judges to clearly see the athlete’s body positioning and leg movements.
Loops under the feet also keep the pants from riding down.
While its tight fit is also deemed to be a crucial safety feature.
“It does add to what makes a 12-year-old boy decide ‘do I want to keep doing this sport? Or should I play football or soccer because my friends think I’m cool when I play with them?’
“I want them to see this and think ‘this is cool, I want to wear this, this kid is trying to make the sport cool, he looks cool’.
“And that’s the stuff that gets kids into the sport, that’s stuff that keeps kids in the sport.”
