This Leo Panel features four judges ranking every leo worn in a competition from our most to least favorite using our very scientific and very awesome Leotard Code of Points.
We take deductions from five categories (color, fabric, design, bling, and appearance on the gymnast, in order of how you’ll see them on our scoresheets). Each category is worth two points. We add the categories together to get each judge’s individual score, drop the highest and lowest scores, and average the remaining to get the final score.
This edition of the Leo Panel looks at the leotards worn by the gymnasts during the Secret U.S. Classic. Note- as “science-y” as we pretend to be, this is all just based on opinion – i.e. our personal tastes and favorites. It is by no means a definitive list of the best and worst! What leo was your favorite?
All photos are thanks to albums posted by USA Gymnastics and Christy Ann Linder Gymnastics Photography.
1. First State, 9.700
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Ryan | 2 | 1.7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9.7 |
| Lauren H. | 2 | 1.8 | 2 | 2 | 1.9 | 9.7 |
“This needed to become a national team leo yesterday. It’s near perfection.”
“Bury me wearing this.”
2. WOGA, 9.000
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 2 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 9.1 |
| Lauren H. | 2 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 8.9 |
“What’s this? A unique GK design? Sign me up.”
“In theory, it was nice, but when actually worn it seemed average.”
3. Twin City Twisters, 8.850
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 8.8 |
| Lauren S. | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 8.9 |
“Deja vu anyone? While I prefer the blue from last year, the design is so simple and lovely that I can’t be mad about the outfit repeat.”
“It was classy and not offensive.”
4. World Champions Centre, 8.550
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 8.4 |
| Lauren H. | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 8.7 |
“The color is pretty, but I’m not connecting with the design.”
“If Beyonce was a leo, she would be this one.”
5. Texas Dreams, 8.500
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Lauren H. | 2 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 8.9 |
| Lauren S. | 1.4 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 8.1 |
“I highly suggest KZB finds a new hobby for her gymnasts besides having paint fights in their leos.”
“I actually adore this?”
“Love the early 90s throwback. KZB paying tribute to herself is all I care about.”
6. Georgia Elite, 8.400
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 8.2 |
| Lauren H. | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 8.6 |
“Oh hey, it’s the WOGA leo again, and yes, I still love the design.”
“This is the nicer version of McKayla’s leo from 2011 Nationals.”
7T. Gym-Max, 8.250
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Ryan | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 8.1 |
| Lauren H. | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 8.4 |
“Bless Kyla and her no mesh leo. See? You can have a pretty leo without it!”
“This is like the cheaper version of WCC’s.”
7T. Buckeye Juniors, 8.250
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 8.4 |
| Lauren H. | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 8.1 |
“I really love the ombre on this leo.”
“The ombre? Yes. The black thing growing on the bodice? No.”
“It didn’t overly offend me.”
9. Salcianu, 8.200
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Lauren H. | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 8.2 |
| Lauren S. | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 8.2 |
“This color blue is what dreams are made of. Adorably age-appropriate and a classic design.”
10. Prestige, 8.000
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 8.0 |
| Lauren H. | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 8.0 |
“Subtle, but I do think the design would stand out more with a little color tweaking.”
“It irritates me for no reason.”
“I love it. The open zipper sleeves are super cool and I love the whole midnight sky feel to it.”
11. Naydenov, 7.900
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 8.7 |
| Lauren S. | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 7.1 |
“Girl knows how to rock a white leo.”
“It reminds me of a sheep.”
12. MG Elite, 7.850
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Ryan | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2 | 1.5 | 8 |
| Lauren H. | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 7.7 |
“Change the nude mesh to white and I’m on board. I love the simple design.”
“Not crazy about the blue and nude but it isn’t bad and it looked good on.”
13. Cincinnati, 7.750
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Ryan | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 7.7 |
| Lauren S. | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 7.8 |
“Besides the flames at the top, I like it!”
“The rhinestones actually make it nicer? What?”
14. All Olympia, 7.700
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 7.0 |
| Lauren H. | 2 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 8.4 |
“Only McKayla can pull this leo off. Anyone else wearing it is just not okay.”
“Yup. The use of this leo was completely unnecessary and literally caused me pain.”
“Was this designed by Hello Kitty?”
15. TIGAR, 7.650
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Lauren H. | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 8.3 |
| Lauren S. | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 7.0 |
“I apparently hate red leos more than pink ones.”
“Throwback to 2013 Worlds qualifications?”
“I actually think I like this version better than the 2013 one!”
16T. Everest, 7.600
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 8.0 |
| Lauren H. | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 7.2 |
“This is a rare moment that I suggest mesh. That black/blue looks harsh with that fabric.”
“It’s just a boring version of WOGA’s leo.”
16T. Gabby Douglas / Buckeye, 7.600
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Ryan | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 1 | 1.3 | 6.8 |
| Lauren H. | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 8.4 |
“I feel like this leo would’ve been cute in like 2006.”
“Honestly, based on Gabby’s previous leo designs, I was pleasantly surprised. The simple accents on the bodice give it flair without being distracting.”
“This is like a ham sandwich. Plain and reliable, but not exciting.”
16T. Rochester, 7.600
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Ryan | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 2 | 7.8 |
| Lauren H. | 1.8 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 7.4 |
“Maybe if the white didn’t go onto the shoulder? It’s nice, but something needs to be tweaked in the design.”
“100% HERE FOR THIS.”
19. Kidsport, 7.550
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 7.1 |
| Lauren H. | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 8.0 |
“The pink design looks random and the blue would probably work better with a different fabric.”
“It shouldn’t have worked, but it did?”
20. Girls Co-Op, 7.400
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 7.3 |
| Ryan | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 7.5 |
“Maybe with different colors it’d be a little less blah.”
“It reminds me of the GB leo from 2013.”
“I would’ve totally dressed my American Girl doll in this.”
21T. Arete, 7.350
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Lauren H. | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 7.6 |
| Lauren S. | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 7.1 |
“I just really wanna see Deanna in something besides yellow and blue.”
“I second that.”
“She has her colors like she’s a one-woman NCAA program but I love that she always does something interesting and exciting with the design.”
21T. ENA Paramus, 7.350
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 6.7 |
| Lauren H. | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 8.0 |
“Well…you can’t say it isn’t unique. It was also extremely sparkly, so I am here for that.”
“I love how original it is? I wish she would’ve brought the blue thing down over the remainder of the leo and left the arms but it’s super cool.”
“You totally couldn’t see this detail in the arena…and I LOVE IT.”
23T. Iowa Gym-Nest, 7.300
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 7.4 |
| Lauren S. | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 7.2 |
“Why did I think of Nastia when I first saw this leo?”
“Lose some rhinestones, change the pink to red, and we have an early 2000s national team leo.”
“It’s just a bit too plain.”
23T. Zenith Elite, 7.300
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 7.4 |
| Lauren S. | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 7.2 |
“I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it either.”
“This leo makes me feel hopeless.”
“I actually love it. Minus the purple thing.”
25. Brestyan’s, 7.150
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 7.3 |
| Lauren S. | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 7.0 |
“Aly, I wanted to like this leo, I really did. But the zipper design on the front should have been left on your warmup. Also…it would have looked better in merlot.”
“Someone said that this leotard looked like an evil face… and now I can’t get that image out of my head.”
“Thanks Obama.”
26T. Brandy Johnson’s, 6.950
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 7.1 |
| Lauren H. | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 6.8 |
“I’m looking forward to the day when she stops wearing neon.”
“I don’t know, I think Sydney is in a league of her own with neon. She really pulls it off. But no one else should try.”
“I just really don’t like the black collar thing.”
“Why is there a weed on her leo?”
26T. GAGE, 6.950
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 7 |
| Ryan | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 1 | 1.4 | 6.9 |
“This leo is so 2011. Or maybe 2012, since that’s when GAGE first wore it.”
“I didn’t like it then and I didn’t like it now.”
“I am pretty anti-pink and black together. This is no exception.”
“It actually makes me miss the, ahem, unique designs we love from GAGE.”
28. Paramount Elite, 6.900
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 6.7 |
| Lauren S. | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 7.1 |
“The cold never bothered her anyway.”
“Rhythmic gymnastics is next door.”
29T. Legacy Elite Juniors, 6.800
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 7.2 |
| Lauren H. | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 6.4 |
“The colors mesh a little better on this one compared to the senior leo…”
“No. I hate this with a passion.”
29T. Metroplex, 6.800
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 6.9 |
| Lauren H. | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 6.7 |
“I really just can’t stand sequinz.”
“They went with a basic leo and slapped too many rhinestones on the front. It’s not working for me.”
“Well, it doesn’t make me want to beat my head in…”
“That’s a compliment.”
29T. Palm Beach, 6.800
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Lauren H. | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 6.7 |
| Lauren S. | 0.9 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 6.9 |
“Just change the purple to blue and she’s ready for Florida!”
“It looks like she got vomited on.”
“It’s basically the perfect Mardi Gras leo so I wouldn’t be surprised if she did get vomited on.”
32. Legacy Elite Seniors, 6.750
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.2 | 1 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 6.8 |
| Lauren S. | 1.0 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 6.7 |
“The blue fabric actually reminds me of an ’80s workout leotard. She could sweat with Richard Simmons any day.”
“It looks like they found a decent black leo and threw a bath bomb at it.”
“This is literally an outfit Lisa Turtle wore on Saved by the Bell. And therefore I love it.”
33. Twistars, 6.600
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 7.0 |
| Lauren S. | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 6.2 |
“I’m bored.”
“This leotard somehow makes me think of Shawn Johnson’s 2008 all-around final leotard…which makes me become depressed. So this leotard depresses me.”
“This never would’ve happened if Jordyn came back.”
“I actually kinda love it? Simple, classic, elegant, sporty.”
34. Hill’s, 6.450
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Rachel | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 7.2 |
| Ryan | 1.4 | 1 | 1 | 1.3 | 1 | 5.7 |
“It’s too dark for my tastes.”
“So close. Yet so far.”
“I loved this one…especially in the arena. She really stood out.”
35. Parkettes, 6.100
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Lauren H. | 1.3 | 1 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 6.4 |
| Lauren S. | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 5.8 |
“I just don’t think hologram fabric looks that great on colored fabric.”
“The sleeves look like fruit roll-ups. But I actually love the colors.”
36T. Desert Lights, 6.050
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Lauren H. | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 6.7 |
| Lauren S. | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 5.4 |
“I can’t decide if I like it. All I can think about is how badly I want a piece of bubblegum.”
“Between this one and the Gliders leo, I think it’s pretty safe to say this squad does not stand for bubblegum pink.”
36T. Gliders, 6.050
| Judge | Color | Fabric | Design | Bling | Appearance | Total |
| Lauren H. | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 6.2 |
| Lauren S. | 0.7 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 5.9 |
“#StopPinkLeos2015”
“They have a thing for monochromatic leos. I might go for it if it weren’t 110% pink.”
“Nastia would be so proud.”
The Leo Panel is Rachel Bachman, Lauren Hopkins, Ryan O’Connell, and Lauren Stevens.
Special thanks to Lauren Stevens for compiling the photos and doing the math!
The Gymternet 
Great stuff. Very entertaining as usual. But whoever keeps ending his/her sentences with a question mark for no reason should really stop.
LikeLike
Hilarious!
LikeLike
Thank you for not being being mean
LikeLike
Thanks for recognizing! We realize that we’re probably a little older than many of the gymnasts here so our tastes are different so we’re definitely not going to like everything but don’t want to be rude about it!
LikeLike
Wait, aren’t Morgan and Ashton wearing the same leo in different colors/fabrics? Why did those leos get such different ratings in design and bling? I thought this was “science”!
P.S. Love the leo panel and admire y’all’s dedication in ranking THIRTY-SEVEN leos, holy cow.
P.P.S. Agree 1000% with solid pink leos at the bottom of the list. #neveragain
LikeLike
Hahaha! I think ‘design’ has a lot to do with color and how the design is utilized…the same design might look absolutely different with colors used, so while ‘color’ is kind of on its own and how different colors complement one another, design kind of takes all of that in…the actual design itself but then also how the colors work with that design.
LikeLike
And it’s also the same as Maggie mussleman! Colors really do change the whole appearance of the leo lol
LikeLike
Oh yeah, so it is! I think that design is great in all three colorways, personally.
That totally makes sense, Lauren. Sorry if I sounded judgy, I just thought it was funny! I looooove how much thought y’all put into this — let me know when you publish the Leo CoP for this quad so I can read up on the official rules. =P
LikeLike
I found myself incredibly bothered by the MG Elite leos. I am surprised it was scored as high as it was. I feel like it was terribly unflattering for this adorable group of girls, and also think the nude was a serious error akin to a fall off beam.
LikeLike
I will say that it looked a lot better in person but yeah not very flattering and the nude mesh is terrible.
LikeLike
Whhhat?! I LOVED Aly’s leo! Also am I the only person who doesn’t get the “Thanks Obama” comment? I agree with Bmc about the MG Elite leos – I love those girls, but I thought the leos looked almost baggy at times (?) didn’t do them justice in my mind.
Differences aside, I really enjoyed this – thanks for the laughs!
LikeLike
I must be old, because when I see anything teal, EVER, I always think of Jasmine from “Aladdin” instead of anything remotely frozen related (ie the MG Elite or Paramount leos this year.)
LikeLike
I feel like some of the things you say are a little harsh. I realize that these are personal opinions and respect that, but we don’t know that the gymnasts aren’t seeing these. I’m not saying that Gabby reads the leo panel (although she well might – we’ll never know) but we did see from her and Kyla that many of the girls are aware of the comments that we as gym fans make. Maybe seeing McKayla’s old leo did cause the viewers pain, but to outright say that these younger girls should not be wearing it and that it looks as if it were designed by Hello Kitty was unnecessary and could quite possibly be hurtful to them if they were to see this. Again, I respect that these are your opinions (I have quite a few opinions of my own) and I do believe that it is okay to express them, but I ask that in future editions you would consider how you would feel if you were a gymnast reading these comments and try to choose your words more carefully.
Thank you for putting the time into making articles like this for readers to enjoy. Despite my feelings on the wording of some comments, I always look forward to the next leo panel and enjoy hearing your opinions. I really appreciate all that you do for the gymternet 🙂
LikeLike
The McKayla leo comments are all jokes – no one is actually in pain because they have to see McKayla’s leo on another person.
LikeLike
We also state that we are older than these gymnasts and don’t share the same tastes so we understand that something we love, someone else might not, or something we don’t love someone else might love.
LikeLike
Bleeeeerghhh the solid hot pinks. I did really love the orange and purple though!! And “thanks Obama” hahahahaha love this website X
LikeLike
Will you to another leo panel for this year’s secret classic and/or P&G’s 🙂 I love to hear your opinions again!!
LikeLike
I just discovered thegymternet a few weeks ago and am reading old posts. So sad the pictures seem to have disappeared from this post!
LikeLike
Oh noooo!!! I’ll check out the links and see if I can revive them!
LikeLike