This time last year my daughter was so excited because she was getting ready to wrap up her competitive gymnastics career and try out for her high school’s cheerleading teams. She made both the JV Football sideline squad and the competition squad and our cheerleading journey began.

Since we did not know any better, we just ordered the $40 shoes that the school had recommended to start with. By the second month of school, the shoes were already showing their wear and before the season was over, the shoes were already falling apart. This year we are a little more experienced and are taking a cue from some of the upperclassmen on the varsity squad – I just purchased Nfinity® Vengence cheer shoes for her.

The Nfinity® Cheer shoes are the “go to” shoe for so many of the girls. They are extremely lightweight and are constructed to give support whether the girls are tumbling, stunting or dancing. The other thing I really like about the Nfinity shoes is that they come with a case to put them in. When you are spending $90 on a pair of shoes that need to stay white and looking new week after week, having  a dedicated case to put them into is a nice feature.

Nfinity is also one of the few brands I have heard of that addressed the unique biomechanical needs of the female athlete when designing their products to enhance their athletic performance and possibly reduce the risk of injury.

Conditioning and basic stunt training has just begun for my daughter again, but she is so happy with her new shoes – and considering how much time she will be spending in the over the next few months, this is a good thing.

You will not find Nfinity shoes just anywhere. Your best bet is to look on Amazon, Eastbay, or the Nfinity site or cheer proshops. 

This was provide to me by Aries Apparel – for a larger version, visit http://www.ariesapparel.com/youthsports.asp

What do you think? Is that even possible?

Whether Gabby could really open the door with her foot through the cat door while in her splits is possible or not, I got a giggle out of the commercial – which is what everyone needs on a Friday!

After a lifetime of gymnastics, my daughter finished her competitive gymnastics career about 10 months ago. She did high school cheerleading over the summer and fall, then swam on the high school swim team this winter, but now it is spring and she misses the gym!  She recently went back to gymnastics – just for classes – but when I asked her what she needed most for workout, she said SHORTS. Luckily for her, I was given the opportunity to do a review of the most popular shorts from Motionwear – the v-waist team short. It is elastic free, has a flattering and very comfortable v-shaped waistband and a 2-3/4″ inseam.

So, what did she think? The Motionwear V-Waist shorts have quickly become her favorite! She says they are softer and more comfortable than the velvety ones she used to wear. They have been washed and worn numerous times since we got them and they have shown no signs of shrinking, pilling, or losing their shape.

When my daughter did gymnastics competitively, she had quite a few Motionwear leotards – and they always washed well, fit comfortably and best of all – they lasted. Motionwear has a wide range of gear for gymnastics, dance and cheer – from the basics to the highest quality competitive wear.

Here are a few photos my daughter’s friend took of her practicing in the Motionwear V-Waist shorts this week at the gym…

We have also been given the opportunity to give one lucky reader a $25 gift card to Motionwear!! If you haven’t tried Motionwear – this is the perfect opportunity and if you already love Motionwear, I am sure you have a wish list going.

What we are giving away:

• One $25 gift certificate good toward any purchase at Motionwear.com.

How To Enter

• Simply leave your response to the following questions in the comments on THIS site: Do you do cheer, dance or gymnastics and what Motionwear item would you most like to add to your workout wardrobe?
  
• Get bonus entries by letting your friends know about our giveaway. Get one extra entry for each of the following:
  • Post about it on your own blog, in a forum or share it with your friends on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter (we are @SportsGirlsPlay)
  • Like SportsGirlsPlay on Facebook
• Come back and leave a second comment telling us where you shared it.

Rules

• Leave your comment(s) no later than midnight April 24, 2013.
• You must use your first name and email address in the comment form below.  If you don’t we can’t contact in the event that you win.
• We will be using AndTheWinnerIs to select one (1) winner at random.

Disclosure: We received the Motionwear shorts for review purposes but all opinions are 100% our own. Additionally, this post does contain affiliate links.

Luckily, one of her favorite brands, Motionwear, has some fun, new styles and I am happy to be able to offer you a 20% off code on anything Motionwear carries for dance, cheer and gymnastics. Use Code SGP20 to get 20% Off Purchase Of $100+. Personally, I like these practice leotards:

The Banded Tank leotard is my favorite ($37) – she has had quite a few leotards over the years that had the banded trim and they were some of the most comfortable leotards she wore.

Ooh, I love the colors in the Raglan Front tank ($39.50) – and it is a very flattering style as well.

This simple and spirited, USA Tank Leo is available in blue, red and berry – ($36)

Motionwear apparel is made in the USA, too! Whether you are looking for dancewear, competition or practice cheer and gymnastics wear or everyday fitness wear, take a look at Motionwear!

PS – Don’t forget to use code SGP20 to get 20% Off  your purchase of $100 or more at Motionwear. 

PSS – Yes, the links to Motionwear are affiliate links, which means I do make a small commission on sales – however, Motionwear is a brand I am very familiar with and my daughters have worn their leotards for years. You can use the coupon code whether you use my affiliate links or not – it’s all good

Two more of our favorite athletes will be competing on the popular Dancing With The Stars (Season 16) TV show beginning March 28! Olympic gymnast, Aly Raisman and Olympic ice skating legend, Dorothy Hammil will be taking their talents to the ballroom.

From the USA Gymnastics press release:

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 26, 2013 – Two-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman of Needham, Mass., will appear on the new season of ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ which is set to premiere March 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Raisman will be partnered with Mark Ballas, who performed with 2008 Olympic balance beam champion Shawn Johnson on an earlier season.

Joining Raisman is fellow Olympic champion Dorothy Hamill, as well as Super Bowl XLVII champion Jacoby Jones of the Baltimore Ravens and country music legend Wynonna Judd.

ABC announced 11 of 12 total cast members this morning. Below is the cast, along with their professional dance partner.

• Wynonna Judd and Tony Dovolani
• D.L. Hughley and Cheryl Burke
• Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff
• Lisa Vanderpump and new dancer Gleb Savchenko
• Andy Dick and another new dancer Sharna Burgess
• Victor Ortiz and yet another new dancer Lindsay Arnold
• Zendaya Coleman and Val Chmerkovskiy
• Aly Raisman and Mark Ballas
• Ingo Rademache and Kym Johnson
• Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough
• Dorothy Hamill and Tristan MacManus

What do you think? Do you think Aly Raisman will flourish? 

From left to right:

Luminous Mesh Detail Tank Top – the way they placed the pink and orange vertical stripes is so fresh!  Danskin wide racer back women’s Training tank top in a moisture wicking fabric. Features aero-mesh details at the upper back and sweetheart neckline, plus an inner comfort bra for added support.

Revival Empire A-Line Drape Tank Top - Danskin Women’s Training empire A-line tank top with a gentle draped fit. Features empire seam detail, contrast coverstitching at the forward side seams for clean shaping, plus an inner comfort bra for added support.

Shimmer Effect T-Shirt - Danskin women’s Training shimmer tee shirt. Features tonal shimmer accents around the neckline and at the raglan sleeve inserts.

Shop New Spring Training Collection at Danskin.com now!

In addition to her weekly countdown, Aly will also be introducing her audience to some of the most amazing up and coming athletes from around the world, highlighting those hard to forget bloopers, and spanning the entire world of sports.

Viewers can vote for who they think should win a gold medal by going to Facebook.com/awesomenesstv. The winner will be announced the following week on the next Flippin’ Awesome.

Catch new episodes of Flippin’ Awesome every Sunday in the “Girl Power” programming lineup alongside the new action-packed reality show Cheerleaders.

About AwesomenessTV:

AwesomenessTV is a new video destination for teens on YouTube featuring a broad cross section of series built around pop musicians, A-list athletes, TV personalities and YouTube stars.  From talk shows to sketch comedy, plus scripted and reality, AwesomenessTV allows fans to experience their favorite celebrities in new ways, only on YouTube.  Varsity Pictures, the production entity behind AwesomenessTV, is headed by Brian Robbins (Sonny With A Chance, Smallville, So Random, FRED) and Joe Davola (In Living Color, Smallville, MTV Networks). Robbins’ interest in the YouTube and web video space resulted from the massive success of FRED: THE MOVIE, based on the YouTube sensation Fred Figglhorn (900 million views). After building out the franchise on Nickelodeon (FRED 2: Night of the Living Fred, FRED: THE SHOW, and FRED 3: CAMP FRED), Robbins turned his attention to YouTube and the result is AwesomenessTV, one of the first channels ideated in the YouTube Original Programming initiative.

All three of my kids swim competitively – the youngest swims year round and the older two swim high school and summer league – so when it comes time to re-outfit them all, it can get expensive!  I do have a few tips for saving money on your kids’ swim gear though.

Shop the Sales

SwimOutlet is always my first stop when shopping for swim gear and I keep watch on SpeedoUSA.com, too, because they have very good sales as well (like Up to 60% Off Select Sale Styles Thru 12/31 at SpeedoUSA.com!). I got an email this morning from Swim Outlet letting me know about their after Christmas clearance sale and I would say I did pretty well. For $150 I was able to get two pair of jammers for my son, two pair of Speedo Vanquisher goggles (that were half price), and three girls suits (my girls wear the same size right now) plus free 1-2 day shipping. I would say that is a pretty successful haul for this swim mom!

Try Private Label

SwimOutlet has their own brand of suits called Sporti that my youngest daughter really loves. They are not the super high quality materials like Speedo, however, they are super comfortable, come in lots of fun designes and cost about $25 each. The Sporti suits tend to hold up to practice 3-4 days a week for about 3 months – after that, the material does start to break down and they become great drag suits. 

Go For The Grab Bag

Another money saving tip I have is to buy the grab bag suits. SwimOutlet and others use the grab bag option as a way to get rid of excess stock. You don’t know what color or print the suit might be, but based on the grab bag suits we have got in the past, we have always been pleasantly surprised at what cute suits we received.

Do you have any additional tips for saving money on your kid’s swim (or any sport for that matter) gear?

When we bought our tickets we were given our cool Cirque du Soleil 3D glasses complete with the “O” inspired overlays we could add to them.

Ready for the movie to begin!!

The basic premise of the movie is a young woman goes to a small town circus and becomes entranced by an Aerialist. She is encouraged by a silent clown to go watch the circus. The seemingly amateur show begins and the aerial act starring the object of the young woman’s fascination begins. As their eyes meet, he misses a catch and falls to the gound. As she runs to his side they fall down through the ground into a dreamlike world and become separated. As they try to find each other they travel through various tents of Cirque du Soleil where highlights from the main Cirque shows in Las Vegas are featured. The Cirque sampling is woven together through various Cirque clowns, characters and adventures.

You can watch the trailer here (or on YouTube):

 Now for my thoughts on the movie. 

Let’s start with what I LOVED:

• A $12 movie ticket is a lot less than the price of a ticket to a live Cirque show ($75+)
• Since the movie is basically a compilation of the various Vegas based Cirque shows, it is a quick way to decide which shows you might want to go see live (for example, I would love to see the Elvis and Beatles Cirque shows now and will most likely pass on KA)
• The camera work was outstanding! It was neat to see some of the acts and maneuvers done in slow motion – and from angles you would not see in the live performances.
• As always, the costumes, make up and sets for the performances were just phenomenal.
• The gymnastics aspect of the performance was technically flawless and gave me goosebumps on more than one occasion.

My favorite acts:

• The Chinese Contortionists
• The Trampoline act during the Elvis show segment
• The Flying Ship
• The Suspended Rope Ladders act

And now my not so favorite things about it:

• Unless you have a child who is Cirque crazy (like my girls) or who really gets into the gymnastics part of Cirque, I don’t recommend it for kids.
• The movie felt very long and dragged in places.
• The story line was definitely an afterthought and just a way to tie the various spotlights on the acts together.
• Parts of the movie were very dark and felt almost disjointed.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie as it was a relatively inexpensive way to get my Cirque du Soleil “fix” for the time being. I do not think that the average movie goer will “get it” or even like it, but those of us who can’t get enough of watching press handstands, breath taking releases, over arching backs and weight transfers will think it is worth it. If you do go see Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away, see it in 3D ! The 3D technology used today is just amazing and does not hurt your eyes – plus you get the cool 3-D glasses to keep. 

If you have seen the movie, I’d love to hear what you thought of it. While I’d rather watch a cohesive story like Alegria or Mystere on the big screen, Worlds Away is not a bad substitute.