Frederick Richard using his uniform to try and make gymnastics 'cool'

The charismatic 21-year-old Olympic bronze medalist switched out the stirrup pants that have long been a staple of the men’s uniform for shorts with compression leggings at the U.S. Championships this weekend, firm in his belief that the three-tenths (0.3) deduction he receives every day of competition that he breaks the rules is worth it if it makes his sport more accessible.

Even when those tenths add up. Richard edged Fuzzy Benas by less than a quarter of a point for second place behind two-time national champion Asher Hong. If Richard had worn the traditional uniform, his margin over Benas could have been a little more comfortable.

Yet asked if the statement he is trying to make — that it’s time for men’s gymnastics to modernize its uniforms — is worth the risk to his potential placement during a given meet, he didn’t hesitate.

“It’s 1,000% worth it,” Richard said. “If you look at these kids in the crowd, I’m thinking about them and I’m thinking about when I was younger.”

Finding an alternative

While Richard quickly fell in love with gymnastics as a kid growing up in the Boston area, the stirrup pants worn by the guys on pommel horse, still rings, parallel bars, and high bar were another matter.

“If I left the gym to go to the gas station, I didn’t want anybody to see me in my pommel horse pants,” Richard said. “Kids would say, ‘Do you do gymnastics?’ I’d say ‘Yeah.’ But I didn’t want them to search ‘gymnast’ and see the uniform. I didn’t feel like it was cool.”

His solution was to design an alternative. With the help of the apparel company Turn, Richard debuted the look earlier this year and “refined” it ahead of nationals.

During the opening night of competition on Thursday, the rising Michigan junior wore maize-and-blue colored zebra-patterned leggings with (almost) matching blue shorts. On Saturday, Richard swapped the maize and blue for gray.

Both times, there was a “ND -0.3” next to Richard’s score on the first event in which the traditional pants were required. Yet Richard wasn’t as focused on the ribbon board where his score was posted, but on the young boys in the stands below them.

“(I want them to) see this, and they’re like, ‘This is cool. I want to wear this. This kid is trying to make the sport cool, he looks cool,’” Richard said. “And that’s the stuff that gets kids into the sport, that’s stuff that keeps kids in the sport.”

Even if it’s a largely American conversation.

Fighting for relevance

While the popularity of men’s gymnastics in the U.S. has declined for decades (though there is optimism that the bronze medal Richard and his teammates captured at the 2024 Olympics could help stem the tide), there are no such issues overseas.

They’re not talking about stirrup pants in China. Or Japan. Or Russia. Places with dominant programs whose stars become champions and national heroes in the process.

The challenges men’s gymnastics faces in the U.S. are many. The number of Division I programs that offer it as a scholarship sport is a fraction of what it was decades ago. And the impact of the recent House settlement could make opportunities at a level that has long served as a feeder system to the U.S. national team even scarcer.

At the Olympic level, the men have long competed in the shadow of the star-studded (and highly successful) women’s program.

Richard has long understood this. He’s seen the attrition firsthand. While the uniform didn’t stop him from pressing on, he believes he might be the exception, not the rule.

Countless young boys dabble in multiple sports growing up, gymnastics included. Richard thinks tweaking the uniform requirements into something he considers more modern could remove what he thinks might be a roadblock to sticking with it for some.

“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?” he said.

The rules do allow for a little latitude. Some German female gymnasts opted for full-body unitards at each of the last two Olympics, though the design does not run afoul of FIG regulations.

What Richard is doing does.

Pushing the limits

And while he stressed he would never wear his outlawed uniform in a team competition — he wore regulation pants while helping lead Michigan to the NCAA championship this spring — that might not be the case the next time he competes internationally.

“We’ll see about the world stage,” Richard said. “We’ll have to talk and see what they allow, but I want to keep pushing it. I’m having fun. I feel more free.”

He’ll have some time to think about it. When the six-man roster for the 2025 World Championships was announced late Saturday night, Richard’s name wasn’t on it. The decision had nothing to do with Richard’s uniform but the uniqueness of this year’s world meet, which does not include a team event and is largely designed for event specialists.

At his best, Richard is one of the top all-arounders on the planet. Yet even he admitted he was at about “80%” at nationals following a whirlwind stretch that included traveling to places like Uganda. Richard is partnering with the African nation to open a facility for boys there interested in acrobatics.

The joy he felt during the trip was palpable. So has the criticism he’s received back home for his uniform choice, with some telling him if he wants to look like a basketball player, maybe he should go play basketball.

While Richard’s modified look wouldn’t look out of place on the court, pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik — who won a pair of bronze medals in Paris and became a breakout star in the process (all while wearing stirrup pants) last summer — agrees with his Olympic teammate that there “should be a certain level of flexibility” when it comes to uniforms, though he also pointed out that having everyone wear identical outfits is designed to help the judges do their jobs.

“So like, you can’t wear like super baggy clothes, obviously,” Nedoroscik said. “But I do like there should be maybe a little bit of wiggle room.”

That’s all Richard says he is asking for, though it seems highly unlikely the FIG would eliminate the deduction for a uniform violation anytime soon. That is not going to stop Richard from pressing on.

“I’ll wear it for the next 10 years if I have to,” he said. “So eventually, if I keep succeeding and winning, and eventually on the international stage do the same thing and keep winning, (the FIG) will see how people like it (and) the younger kids will start wearing it ... and the trend is going to grow.”