Is Sparkle Athletic’s Sparkle Squad (Still) Worth It?

And I’m back! I first joined Sparkle Athletic’s Sparkle Squad in 2020, and while I felt the program had merit I’ve skipped the last couple of years. Yet here I stand confessing that for 2024 they convinced me to splurge again – not necessarily because of the Squad perks themselves, but because the limited edition skirt and visor print were SO. DARN. CUTE. I love a good rainbow!

It does beg the question, though: now that I’m a Squad member again, is it still worth it? Let’s discuss!

Before we start, a quick note: Sparkle Squad memberships are closed for this year. They historically open and close in June subject to a membership cap. A mini-membership is sometimes offered mid-year; keep an eye on the Sparkle Athletic’s Instagram feed if you’re interested.

WHAT’S THE SPARKLE SQUAD?

Sparkle Squad is the membership program of Sparkle Athletic, a running gear and accessories company catering largely – although not exclusively; all are welcome! – to women.

Sparkle Athletic is very popular in the runDisney community for their race costume-friendly products. The shiny, colorful, oft-patterned skirts are the flagship item, but they also offer arm warmers, t-shirts, hats, hair bows, body glitter, and more. Less a costume maker, more a costume component maker, if that makes sense. They’re in my Insta race photos a LOT.

The membership program is a way for Sparkle Athletic fans to connect, receive discounts, enjoy exclusive merch, and more. Cue the breakdown:

WHAT DO YOU GET WITH A 2024 SPARKLE SQUAD MEMBERSHIP?

I’m going to go ahead and steal it straight from the source:

What is it? #thesparklesquad is a members-only group offering exclusive products & benefits we’ve designed just for you. Everyone is welcome to join, but squad size is limited & membership will close on (or before) June 30th, 2024 (based on availability)! So make sure to tag a friend & share this post with your friends – the more the merrier. 😘

This year we have two levels of membership to choose from: SHINE ($150) and SHIMMER ($125).

Both memberships include following EXCLUSIVE Sparkle Squad products & additional benefits (which means it practically pays for itself 😉):

* Access to the exclusive, private Sparkle Squad Facebook group (beginning 7/1/24)
* Exclusive Sparkle Squad Running Skirt
* Exclusive Sparkle Squad Headsweats Visor
* Exclusive Squad Clear Front Travel Bag with chenille letters, filled with 10+ race day essentials (10.4” x 6.7” x 3.2”)
* Free Shipping on all US orders (USPS First Class)
* Exclusive Squad Die-Cut Sticker
* Exclusive Squad discounts codes throughout the year
* Early access to new and limited-edition Sparkle Athletic products
* Sneak peeks to new gear
* Access to exclusive Squad Shop with squad-only gear
* Access to exclusive giveaways, game nights, and squad events throughout the year
* Periodic Sparkle Squad newsletters

The SHINE Squad Membership ($150) includes everything in the SHIMMER membership, plus we are once again INCLUDING your choice of Exclusive Squad Tank, Muscle Tank, or T-shirt (brought back by popular demand).

Sparkle Squad Membership is limited and will close on (or before) June 30th, 2024 (based on availability). Sparkle Squad Kits (visor, top, skirt, & optional exclusive gear) will ship early-September 2024.

Interested in spreading out your payments? Checkout with PayPal & then click the “pay in 4 option” (under the Pay Later heading).

DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE ADD-ONS! You can find sweatshirts, towels, dog bandanas, etc in the Squad Shop:
https://sparkleathletic.com/collections/squad-shop

Ready to join?! We’d LOVE to have you!

The two package options are new compared to last time, when there was only one option. Speaking of which…

HOW DOES THIS COMPARE WITH THE 2020 SPARKLE SQUAD MEMBERSHIP?

And this time, I shall quote my original 2020 review:

Sparkle Squad is a kind of like Sparkle Athletic’s yearly membership program. [In 2020] the cost was $120, and in exchange for the signup fee squad members received:

• A running skirt

• A running top (choice of tank or tee; I went with the tank)

• A running visor

So that’s the hard product. In addition to the clothing, Sparkle Squad status also nets you:

• 10% off all year with personalized discount code

• Free shipping

• First dibs on sales

There are also social media aspects like Facebook and Strava groups, an Instagram hashtag, etc. if you’re looking to make new running friends.

Depending on which 2024 package you select, the cost has increased either by $5 or $30, with the difference in price accounted for fully by an additional shirt. You lose the shirt in the cheaper package, but both gain the Squad bag and the assorted goodies contained inside.

Most of the incidentals – sneak peeks, newsletters, the Facebook group, etc. – remain the same. You also keep free shipping, but lose the 10% discount, which is a bit of a bummer. It even worked on sales items, which was nice. But 10% is not a massive discount to begin with. The free shipping could arguably be more valuable, especially during sales. It all depends on how large your orders tend to be.

CAN I SEE YOUR SQUAD STUFF?

Of course! Here’s what’s in the Sparkle Squad SHINE membership.

You’ve got your skirt and your visor:

Plus your squad travel bag with “race day essentials,” which is not a product Sparkle Athletic sells. The colorful chenille SQUAD letters on the outside are darned cute.

Contents include lip balm, throwaway gloves (nice), bandaids, aspirin, a headband, safety pins, candy, and similar.

The one item that gave me pause was a Doterra packet of muscle rub. Doterra, if you are not familiar, is an essential oil multi-level marketing company, or to put it another way, thisclose to a pyramid scheme.

To be fair, we don’t know how this product was acquired. Maybe somebody escaped the pyramid and threw the last of their samples into the bag to get rid of them ethically. We simply can’t be sure. Still, a minor bummer associating a legit, woman-owned business with an MLM. (Oh, and if you’re also into anti-MLM content or want to know more, Hannah Alonzo is my favorite anti-MLM creator – check her out!)

SHOULD I JOIN THE SPARKLE SQUAD NEXT TIME?

Ah, yes, time for my favorite part of any review – the bit where I write “value is subjective!” on a piece of paper, fold it into a paper airplane, and hurl it at your eyeballs.

Let’s start with the market value. A patterned Sparkle Athletic skirt like the one you get in a Squad membership normally runs $40. The visor, $30. That puts us definitely at $70 in monetary worth. I’ve going to be generous and estimate the value of the race essentials kit at $15; the body glitter alone shakes out to around $3 in price by my estimate.

Okay, so in terms of hard product, we’re at $85. The only other Squad item with a quantifiable cost is free shipping. Normally you have to spend $75 for free shipping, which is a minimum of $5 depending on what and how much you buy and where you’re shipping it. You’d have to make up to eight under-$75 orders to reach the $125 break even point that way.

Your other potential path would be through Squad-exclusive discount codes, but since there’s no way to know when they’ll drop, how many will drop, or how deep they’ll be, it’s tough to estimate how much that moves the needle.

And while the value is amorphous, if you do buy a LOT of Sparkle Athletic or find your size sells out quickly, first dibs on new product drops may make a difference to you. Similarly, the Squad Shop may or may not matter to you. Both, however, will add to your total expenditures.

BUT WHAT IF I DON’T BUY THAT MUCH?

Then we turn to the non-product items, which is where the subjectivity comes in. Should you place a great deal of value on or if you’re in search of community, a Sparkle Squad membership may still be worth it for you.

There’s a Squad-members-only Facebook group full of friendly, positive people who are ready to Hype You Up, on your running journey, your fitness journey, and in life. Membership also includes events and game nights, although it’s unclear if those are virtual, in-person, or some combination thereof.

These membership elements are entirely dependent on YOU for their value. They could be priceless; they could be worthless. Only you can decide.

IN CONCLUSION

I hope the above breakdown is helpful as you consider whether a Sparkle Athletic Sparkle Squad membership makes sense to you. And if a template helps, I’ll tell you why I joined this year: a) I liked the pattern on the skirt; and b) I’m raring to unleash free shipping on some smaller, less expensive items during sale periods.

So ponder what you value, check the contents of your wallet, and follow your heart! (And flower… and rainbow… and smiley face… and butterflies…)

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!