Dear reader,

My name is Olivia Rusek, I am 25 years old, from Chicago, USA, and I am a professional volleyball player in the Swiss LNA. I played for Geneve Volley last season and will be returning for the upcoming season. I enjoy playing in the Swiss league but I have one big concern- how come as players we are not given the option to wear short spandex or long leggings during matches?

Most girls wear leggings during training throughout the entire season, but every weekend when we play, we have no choice but to wear the spandex shorts. Granted, there will definitely be plenty of athletes who will choose to still wear short spandex during matches if it actually is a choice, but that's the beauty of it- having A CHOICE. It would all come down to wearing what makes each individual comfortable. Also it would just be as simple as wearing our "game approved" spandex over a pair of leggings. Alternatively, we could have one pair of game leggings and one pair of short spandex.

Volleyball can a highly sexualized sport for women's body's, and we don't all feel comfortable wearing small, tight clothing all the time. Imagine being 25 years old, having to perform your sport at the highest level possible, and then also having to worry about your body image and whether you feel comfortable with the clothes you are forced to wear. What makes me really laugh is the fact that I have seen pictures of the professional men's teams in the  Swiss LNA and they are able to choose to wear leggings and long sleeve shirts under their uniforms. Not only does it provide compression, but it reduces floor burns and allows sweat to dry off faster. It's very disappointing that women are reduced to wearing what we wear, and also we don't have any option for anything else. This year, the American professional league gave their players the choice right away whether they wanted to wear spandex or leggings during matches. No one was angry, no one raised any concerns- they were all just happy that finally someone gave them the CHOICE. There are European leagues as well like Finland, Sweden, etc that give their players the choice if they want to wear leggings. Personally, I think it would be a very progressive decision for Swiss Volley to allow us to wear what makes us comfortable. It would also pave a road in the future for other countries that want to be more caring for the needs of women in today's society. The world is always changing, and only the stubborn/close-minded people get left behind.

Not only is this a feminist issue, but a health issue for me as well. I have been diagnosed with Raynaud's syndrome, which means that I have poor blood circulation in my entire body and I am frequently cold. This does not help when I am playing in a match and my hands hurt from being so cold because the gym is not adequately heated. For example, this season we played a team where the head coach was wearing a full winter coat while standing on the sidelines and I was freezing in my little shorts. My hands, legs, ears, and even the tip of my nose went numb frequently during our matches from November-April. It would be a considerable advantage for me if I were able to at least wear longer pants while playing.

I have raised this issue with my club president, Patrick Tran, and he fully supports the idea to give us a choice. I have also reached out to other players in the Swiss league for their opinion and they would like to join the cause. I know it has been brought to the attention of the NUC coaches and they support this as well. To sum up, I hope the idea of women having a choice in clothing is not something radical, and that you will support this cause. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Sincerely, Olivia Rusek