I am posting this because there is a petition going around my rink about what I wear while skating. This is absolutely ridiculous in my opinion. Some people feel that what I wear is inappropraite. I usually wear black spandex pants and a tank top, with a built in bra and a regular bra, so nothing is showing. It covers just as much as a skating dress and it is more comfortable and easier for me, since I wear but pads and need to take them in and out easily. I also hate skating dresses. I was upset, but am finding it laughable now, because if someone has such a problem that what I wear bothers them enough to make a petition that's their problem not mine.

But what do you wear to skate and do you feel my clothing is appropriate? At the rink I have skated at in the summer, much less was worn, shorts and sports bra tops etc ... I feel I am completely acceptable.

Opinions?

That's crazy!! I tend to wear tons on ice.. Long fleece spandex-ish pants, a tank top, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt and sweater! hehe I'm always cold! But at the clubs I skate at that would be perfectly acceptable... lots of the girls wear tanks, or t shirts with shorts! and your right it covers just as much as a sleeveless dress would!

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perhaps wearing a tshirt overtop of yout tank top would be more appropriate. Remember, there are young children at the rink, and though what you describe does not sound inappropriate, some conservative aprents might be offended. You are the adult and even though it sucks, you might have to conform by covering up your top.

As a teacher, we all got a tongue lashing when one teacher wore a shorter shirt and when she reached up her belly button showed. While, the child went home and told her parents that miss so and so has a belly button ring. When asked how they knew that, the child stated that they had seen. The parent then called the school and was upset. We were then told to make sure our shirs are long enough so we don't have another incident. Yes, its not fair, but to try to calm peopel down, it was much easier to wear longer shirts than make a big deal about it.

I remember we had some dress code issues at our arena and we just got sat down and were explained what was acceptable or not. You should enquire whether or not your club has a dress code. And children who wear the same articles of clothing you might, have less..umm..curves, which is probably why the parents might be upset

We have no dress code, the board has discussed the topic many times and has never seen a reason to have a dress code. My mom is on the board and talked to members of it today and they thought the petition was outrageous.

I get sooooo hot when I skate, that even wearing a t shirt makes me incredibly uncomfortable.

Some of the younger kids wear less than me ...

Oh and I'm only 16, so I'm still a kid too

The petition is probably more over the fact that some people at the rink seem to not like me ... and see my clothing as a reason. I don't know. I guess since it isn't the first problem I have had with the rink, I'm getting annoyed.

Hmmm..sounds a little too extreme to me, especially since you are 16. The mother who started the petition is probably angry at something you did to her daughter/son.

The next question becomes...why don't the people at the rink like you?

If the rink is a problem perhaps you might be better off switching clubs. If you continually have problems and they can not be resoled than going eleswhere might be better. However, maybe you could ask the parent who started the petition, with your mom present of course, why she finds your outfits inappropriate

Some parents are just crazy...

That's incredible, I've never heard of someone making a petition for one person's choice of clothes!
Lots of girls at my rink wear tank tops and yoga/jazz pants while skating, it's common practice wear for crying out loud. As long as there's not some unreal amount of cleavage showing I can't see the problem. Even if there WAS cleavage, it's not something people would do anything about.
I say continue to wear what you want, if you are comfortable.

We don't have a dress code, except at dance club when women are encouraged to wear skirts, and men not to wear trackies. But for practice, tank tops are certainly worn - usually over shorts worn over tights, if that makes sense. I remember saying one young lady made me cold to look at her, to be told that this was not the men's reaction!

Now, I wouldn't wear a tank top, but then, given the state of my upper arms, I don't wear sleeveless dresses, either! I should think they'd get up plenty of petitions about it if I did...... but 30 years ago, I might well have done.

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Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Sorry! It's a SPORT. Does anyone complain about what swimmers wear? or runners? PURLEEEZE!! This is ridiculous, you HAVE to be able to see your body line so baggy t-shirts etc are actually less acceptable. Shorts and a tank top are probably less revealing than a leotard with tights! If you have your boobs or butt hanging out I could say that they have a point.

I used to do ballet and we very often wore camisole top leotards and tights with a ballet skirt. I HAVE worn the same combo on ice (I used to get really hot), it covered everything and was my 'work' wear! I wasn't trying to be sexy (I had a purple face most of the time from the effort of trolling myself around) which I presume is what these people are imagining .... that's the jist of it, I think, their minds not your attire!

What do THEY wear btw?

x

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Is the petition worded like "Skaters shall not wear spandex pants and tank tops" or is worded like "Skaters shall wear a dress and tights"? You said that your mom is on the board. The board should squash this petition immediately. Most clubs have policies in place to bring complaints, and they are brought to the board, not by petitions being circulated. If a board hears of a petition they have to remind the skaters what the process is for changing club by-laws, if that is going to include clothing.

If you think the petition is about you, it probably is, maybe not because of your clothing but there is something about it that makes it easy for others to target you. Why is your clothing bothersome? Are you very slim and fit with no jiggle? Bare clothing on flab (not that I'm saying you have flab) is hard to look at. Are your spandex pants skin tight, are they thin spandex or thick? Do you wear underwear with them? Would you, could you, wear that to school?

Would you wear that same clothing if the local midget hockey team was standing at the boards watching the figure skating? That usually makes the girls put their t-shirts back on in our rink.

I feel awful that this kind of stuff happens in clubs, it does, our club had something similar here, and it wasn't about the skater so much, it was her mother actually that the petition was designed to insult.

If anyone in my club/rink started a petition against me--for attire or whatever reason--I'd be shocked.

Don't people have anything better to do??

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This space has been put on hiatus for retuning....

If you think the petition is about you, it probably is, maybe not because of your clothing but there is something about it that makes it easy for others to target you. Why is your clothing bothersome? Are you very slim and fit with no jiggle? Bare clothing on flab (not that I'm saying you have flab) is hard to look at. Are your spandex pants skin tight, are they thin spandex or thick? Do you wear underwear with them? Would you, could you, wear that to school?
- I am extremely muscular, built and thin
- The pants are thick, I don't wear underwear because of lines
- I could wear it to school, wouldn't because it's workout clothing, but I wear less to school somedays

Would you wear that same clothing if the local midget hockey team was standing at the boards watching the figure skating? That usually makes the girls put their t-shirts back on in our rink.
- Yep, doesn't bother me at all ... I look fine

The petition is not about dress in general, it is about MY dress specifically. I do not know what the petition says, as I have not seen it, someone is carrying it around.

So I take it you're the only person at your rink who dresses this way? From what you've described, you look like every teenage girl at my rink, including my own daughter. She's 13, and usually wears black spandex pants over tights, and a tank or t-shirt over an athletic bra. Like you, she gets extremely hot when she skates. For that matter, it's pretty much what I wear to skate myself, though as a middle-aged mom, my stuff is cut rather more generously! From what you've told us, it sounds like there must be more to this than objections to what you're wearing, because you sound like you'd fit right in at any rink I've ever skated at.

I agree, that's about how most of my friends and I dress. Just out of curiosity, what do the other girls at your rink wear?

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Mostly at my club the junior and intermidiate girls where either Dresses or Skirts with either sleeved or long sleeved top.
or the Senior Skaters the girls normally wear Spandex black pants or A skirt with a tank top! This is also very popular!

Men usally wear either track pants(not bagg) Or Normal Mens skating attire.
I think posting petion was a ridicoulous thought !
Its up to you what you want to wear and the coaches should be happy with what you pick as long as it isnt something to outrageous if you get my drift.......

Maybe you could post a picture of yourself wearing said outfit. Then and only then could be really be the judge of this situation at your rink.

I think it's incredible that someone in authority hasn't stopped this petition in it's tracks. I'm sure your mom can be your advocate here and address this with the skating director and the board. Whoever started this should be told that this is not how to handle such a situation. Complaints of this nature should go through the proper channels to resolve. I would find such a petition to be personally very embarassing, and really I'm not sure how far I would go to counter it.....but I'd be going up the ladder from coach to director to the board to stop it.

At our rink, generally your coach is responsible to dictate the dress they prefer. But the dress described here is very common at our rink and every practice session at any competition I have ever been to.

I'm sure the parent who started this has never skated, and has no idea that you get hot when you work hard, and that baggy attire is often unsafe.

Everyone else's attire - there are about 5 other girls who wear the same as me, my best friend, who we think may also be listed on the petition and some other younger girls. The rest wear dresses or pants and sweatshirts, I just get really hot and so do some other skaters.

This pic is from last year. I have shorts on here, but now I wear pants and like the same tank tops, I have no pics in pants ...

Ok, you look like everyone under the age of 18 at my rink...something else has to be going on.

A lot of kids around here, too, dress like that. Doesn't look out of line to me at all.

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Looks pretty much like what everone at my rink wears, too! You look fine. I've seen skating dresses that are lots skimpier that what you're wearing. Hope your club gets over whatever snit they're in!

You look good!, there's nothing wrong with your shape or how you look, sorry for all the questions before. (our midget hockey players would call you a "ballerina girl" ) I think it's as JP1andonly said, it's something else and the skating club board should be made aware of the petition and deal with it. I don't even want to ask, what's the politics like on the skating board if stuff like this is happening.

I agree, you look like the teenagers at our rink, too (and the more petite adults!)

Where do you skate? That rink looks somehow familiar...

From what I can see, there are girls behind you wearing not much different!
Definitely sounds like there are other motives for this petition...

I've worn similar as well--not the tanks, because I get chilly, but pants or shorts over tights. And I would wear tanks if I didn't freeze in them.

It's one of two things--either someone wants everyone on the ice to wear dresses (I've heard of it happening--someone thinks it's 'classier' or something--no matter that it's a sport, and for sport you should dress for movement, not looks), or someone's peeved at you specifically, and this seems to be the easiest way to target you.

Good luck with fighting it!

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I belong to a very conservative club with all kinds of rules, and the attire you described is perfectly acceptable. Moreover, go to a practice session at any major competition and you'll see the big guns in the same type of outfits. I distinctly remember both Kwan and Carolina Kostner at Worlds skating in pants/leggings and a tank top. I've seen pictures of Sasha in the same type of rig as well.