Amelia Gibson is a goal keeper for the New Zealand International Hockey squad, hoping to compete at the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio. We are pleased to have her as an ambassador for Avokado and Ruun. Here’s Amelia’s story….
If you had told me at high school that one day I would be writing a blog about boobs I would have laughed at you. See I was that girl at school, the one with the big boobs, the one who felt insecure and couldn’t possibly talk openly about them. There was only ever a small percentage of us girls at school and not many were interested in sports. My school days were made up of two physical classes (I took dance and P.E as subjects in year 13) followed by hockey training after school. I was so self conscious about stripping off in front of my peers and team mates that I wore sports bras all day every day. There was even a time where I did not own a single bra that wasn’t a sports bra as I felt like no regular bra could give me the support I needed.
Fast forward seven years and I am now an international athlete and brand ambassador for a lingerie company!
In those seven years I changed in many ways, especially physically. In the year after leaving school and making the New Zealand Women’s Hockey Team I lost 15kg. Basically I got fit! One thing however did not change, and yes you guessed it, I still have big boobs. I do however now own regular bras for everyday wear- but sports bras have become even more important to me. I am also now wearing a very different bra size to the one I thought I was!
Last year I became a brand ambassador for Avokado, lingerie, swimwear and sports bra specialists based in Auckland. Meeting the team there was a huge eye opener. Not only are they a dynamic group of women who share the same, shall we say “assets” as myself, but their knowledge on how to size and the understanding of their product and sizes is something I have never experienced before. I walked into their store with the belief that I was a 14D.They only needed to take one look at me to know I was most definitely wearing the wrong size bra! After trying on multiple bras I walked out of the shop with the most supportive sports bras I have ever owned, one even having NO underwire. My size – 10FF. I knew I had big boobs, but FF seemed big! However, there are two ways to look at it – either you’re a “FF” or you’re a “10FF” meaning you just went down from a 14 to a 10! Winning!
Being in a sports team full of girls can be hard at times. I can often feel self conscious about my size. While others can wear pretty non underwired bras, I have never had that privilege (until now of course). Girls train in just their bra and think nothing of it, yet if I did that I would feel like the main attraction. As you can imagine, boob size it a topical conversation. Most wish for more than what they have, if only they could understand how hard it is to support the “girls” when they are on the larger side of life. This is an area where the team at Avokado and Ruun has also helped me out – wearing quality bras in the right size has made me feel more confident in this environment. I will never be that girl who flaunts herself, but I do feel more comfortable.
As a professional athlete I train six days a week, sometimes two to three times a day. I am faced with a variety of training including turf trainings, gym sessions, interval sessions, and yoga. For some girls a ‘one bra fits all’ approach would not be an issue, but for me all these sessions require different levels of support, and hence different sports bras.
Being a goal keeper, turf sessions don’t include running but they are made up of explosive movements which, although you might not be able to see my boobs bouncing, you will be able to see the stretch marks if I don’t support them properly. For this type of training I choose to wear the Panache Underwired Sports Bra as it gives me the support I need to leap and bound. It also gives the illusion that it is a non underwired bra. As this bra comes up fairly firm in the band, I wear this in a 12F.
As an alternative I also use the S015 Shock Absorber. Although this is a non underwired bra, it still gives me the same support as an underwired bra. As with the Panache, I also wear this one in a 12F. Both these bras I also use for my gym sessions. I don’t have to be too worried when lifting weights but I also do plyometrics in my sessions which, like my turf sessions, require support for bounding, leaping and jumping. I also need a bra that when I bend over does not offer an eye full to spectators. Sometimes sharing isn’t caring….
When it comes to interval sessions I need the best support that I can get. For this I rely on the Ultimate Run Bra by Shock Absorber. With a seamless inside, chaffing is not an issue. The clasp at the back which brings the bra into a muscle back cut means I am able to fit it well under all of my training tops. Because of this, I also wear this bra for any international games as our uniform is a muscle back cut and we cannot have our bras showing. I have never been able to find a bra with this cut which fits me like a glove, until now. The only downside with the Ultimate Run bra is that the sizing is very different to other bras so I actually wear this one in a 14DD- but the fitters at Avokado and Ruun will get you sorted if you’re not sure!
For yoga classes there is no need for high support but I also can’t get away with something that doesn’t offer any. I use the Triumph Energise 2 Pack as it is a more relaxed style and fit but still keeps me in place. The last thing you want when doing a downward dog is to be knocked out by your boobs. The soft fabric is easy to move in while feeling comfortable at the same time. This set is not cup sized but I wear this in a 14.
It’s pretty clear now, with the help from the team at Avokado, that I have this big boob situation down pat. We have been on a journey together to get to here and I have learnt a lot along the way. My biggest learning curve has been to support what our Mamma’s have given us. Knowing your true size will give you a sense of freedom and stop you from holding yourself back. With the right bra size you have no excuses. Something else to always remember, most women would love to have bigger boobs than what they have, some will even pay to make it happen, so let’s look after our assets with the respect they deserve.
Amelia x
Bits 'n Boobs 