Changing Trends in Women Sports Wear

The recent times have witnessed the growing participation of women sportsperson in all kinds of sports. In fact, there is hardly any sport that has not been played and won by sportswomen today. Therefore, it is imperative that with the rising interest of women in sports, the requirement for women's sportswear is also on the rise. Besides, there has also been a huge transformation from the type of clothes that women were asked to wear previously and the kind of sports-wear that they are exhibiting now. Gone is the era when women sportspersons were worn in unfashionable full clothes and the aware and independent sportswomen of the current times choose to wear clothes that facilitates freedom of movement required in playing all sorts of games.

Women Sports Wear Creates Fashion Statement

In keeping with the women's demand for fashionable attire, the sportswomen also have established the trend of sporting fashionable sportswear as previously done by their male counterparts. Businessmen also have decided to cash on the opportunity and have launched a diverse range of women sportswear. This range of women sportswear is available in exotic shades, prints and patterns. The fashionable sportswear has become quite popular among the modern youth who want to create a style statement and want to look their best.

Types Of Women Sports Wear

The range of women sportswear includes T-shirts, shorts, tracksuits, sweat pants and jerseys. The trendy and innovative designs in fashion sportswear has also enticed the youth to wear them as casuals. The use cutting-edge technology has also assisted in the manufacture of an exclusive range of sophisticated women's sportswear.

Women Sports Wear, A Necessity

The advantage of this variety of sportswear light in the light weight features that do not hamper free body movement of the player. These are entirely designed for complete flexibility and freedom to play. For instance, the sportswear designed for judo and karate women players is fabricated to suit the structure of a woman's body. In the same vein, an athlete, badminton player or a table tennis sport player would demand for a comfortable and light weighted sports wear clothes to give full concentration on the game only. Cloistering attire on the other hand, would only result in distraction and inconvenience.

Moreover, the internet has become a hub for acquiring women sportswear of all varieties. The modern sports wear clothes has revolutionized the complete outlook of the appearance of the sportswomen. They no longer have to deny their feminism in a bid for gaining the respect of their peers in a previously male-dominated sports world. Now the sports women look equally stunning and appealing as any other top celebrity while they play.

by Ahmed Minhas

Cleaning Sports Clothes

I've got one in my household. If you're reading this, you probably have one, too. My son is a sports enthusiast and quite regularly comes home with his sports uniforms covered in mud stains and grass stains. He hasn't come home with any bloodstains yet, but as he is quite an aggressive rugby player, this is bound to happen one day. And it's not just his rugby gear that comes home filthy - he manages to get his cricket gear grubby as well.

I'm probably not the only mother (or partner - husbands/lovers come home grubby after sports as well) who has to deal with this. If you have the luxury of being able to use a drop-off and pick-up laundry service, you may not have to deal with this very often. But sometimes, these services just aren't available, or you need the sports gear two days running and you don't have spares. In this case, you will have to get rid of the stains yourself.

First of all, check for the type of stains that you are dealing with. If you have bloodstains, then you must not use hot water on the garment or else you will set the stain permanently. In this case, soak in cold or lukewarm water with a good dollop of washing powder. If, however, you do not have to deal with bloodstains, then you can soak the garment in hot water and washing powder. A biological powder is the most effective, but normal washing powder will work just as well. Whether you use hot or cold water, you will need to agitate (stir) the garments while they are soaking. Soak garments for at least an hour.

If you are dealing with white sports clothes (cricket uniforms or white rugby shorts), then you can use commercial cleaning product like bleach to deal with any stains. Chlorine bleach deals with grass stains quite effectively with no need for further treatment. However, do not use chlorine bleach on a uniform that has a coloured trim or stripes along with the white. Darker colours are much more forgiving, while paler ones (yellow, pale blue) are the worst, as they show all stains but cannot be bleached.

After an hour or so of soaking (overnight is best, but if you have to get the uniform washed and dried by the next day, this is not always possible), squeeze the excess water out and inspect the clothing. Some types of material, particularly cottons, are quite susceptible to grass stains, and these will need further treatment (synthetics, however, do not seem to "take" the stains as readily; my husband's old synthetic cricket trousers were able to be washed in a normal cold cycle to remove grass "stains"). A proprietary stain remover should be used to spot-treat the stained area, or else methylated spirits. Whatever you use to spot-treat the grass stain, leave it to work for a few minutes before putting the clothes into the washing machine and washing on a heavy-duty cycle.

Dry the clothes as normal. In fact, I have noticed that sometimes, sunshine can give a final "bleach" to grass stains. If you have the misfortune to have no tumble drier and less-than-ideal drying conditions, but still need the uniform by the next morning, drying in front of a radiator or log fire or (as a last resort)with an iron is your best option. Synthetics, once again, dry more easily than cottons.