Daytona Announces Availability of Seats at Stars & Stripes Cup

Tickets for the 2014 Junior Pan American Championships and Stars & Stripes Cup, May 8-11, at the Daytona Beach (Fla.) Ocean Center go on sale today.  The Junior Pan Am Championships is the Youth Olympic Games qualifier for both trampoline and rhythmic gymnastics for the Americas.  The Stars & Stripes Cup is an international competition for rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, synchronized trampoline, double mini-trampoline and tumbling. The two events are being held concurrently and represent a total of nearly 1,000 athletes, coaches and officials.

“The Junior Pan Am Championships and Stars & Stripes Cup provide a rare opportunity for central Florida residents to see some of the rising stars in trampoline and rhythmic gymnastics,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics.  “We hope families will take advantage of this fun opportunity for the athletes trying to secure a berth to the Youth Olympic Games for their countries.  ”

Both an all-session ticket, which includes all four days, and all-day passes are available.  The all-session ticket is $45 and the all-day pass is $20.  All tickets are general admission and include facility fees.  The all-session package and the all-day pass for May 10, the finals for the Junior Pan Am Championships, are available online through Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com or at the Ocean Center Box-office.  The daily all-day passes will be available onsite only.

“The Ocean Center and the Daytona Beach area are extremely proud to be hosting the 2014 Junior Pan Am Championships and Stars & Stripes Cup,” said Angela Daniels, director of sales and marketing for the Ocean Center. “These two events will bring close to 1,000 coaches, officials and competitors to our destination. We invite the community to support these events by enjoying the competitions of some of the best athletes in trampoline and tumbling, and rhythmic gymnastics.”

The competition schedule, which is subject to change, is listed below.

May 8
Stars & Stripes Cup
9 a.m. Rhythmic gymnastics, Level 5
1:30 p.m. Rhythmic gymnastics, Level 5

May 9
Junior Pan Am Championships
4:30 p.m. Rhythmic gymnastics, first day of the individual all-around (hoop and ball) and group (hoops), and trampoline preliminary round Stars & Stripes Cup
9 a.m. Trampoline and tumbling, and rhythmic gymnastics (Level 5)
1 p.m. Trampoline and tumbling, and rhythmic gymnastics (Level 5)

May 10
Junior Pan Am Championships
4:30 p.m. Rhythmic gymnastics, final day of the individual all-around (clubs and ribbon) group (clubs), and trampoline finals Stars & Stripes Cup
9 a.m. Trampoline and tumbling, and rhythmic gymnastics (Level 6)
1 p.m. Trampoline and tumbling, and rhythmic gymnastics (Level 6)

May 11
Junior Pan Am Championships
6 p.m. Rhythmic gymnastics event finals (individual and group) Stars & Stripes Cup
9 a.m. Trampoline and tumbling, and rhythmic gymnastics (Level 6)
1 p.m. Trampoline and tumbling, and rhythmic gymnastics (Level 6)

The Junior Pan Am Championships determine what countries will represent the Americas in the second Youth Olympic Games in individual and group rhythmic gymnastics and men's and women's trampoline. For rhythmic gymnastics, the athletes must be 15 years old, and trampoline athletes must be 16 or 17 in 2014.

The Stars & Stripes Cup features senior and age-group competition (11-12, 13-14, 15-16, and 17-18) in trampoline, tumbling, double-mini and synchronized trampoline, along with Levels 5-6 competition in individual rhythmic gymnastics.

The Junior Pan Am Championships is an event of the Pan American Gymnastics Union.

The local partners for these events include the Central Florida Sports Commission, the Ocean Center, Volusia County and the Daytona Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, and National Travel Systems is a partner for the World Championships and World Age Group Competition.

Daytona Beach has staged a number of gymnastics events, including the 2010 Senior Pan American Trampoline and Tumbling Championships and 2013 Stars & Stripes Cup (trampoline/tumbling). It also will host the 2015 Men's Junior Olympic National Championships, as well as the 2014 World Trampoline and Tumbling Championships and the World Trampoline and Tumbling Age Group Competition in November.

The World Trampoline and Tumbling Championships, held annually except in the Olympic year, determines the men's and women's World champions in four events: trampoline, synchronized trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline. The World Age Group Competition showcases the world's best boys and girls in those four events in four age groups: 11-12, 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18 years of age. The two events are expected to showcase more than 1,100 athletes.

About the disciplines

• Rhythmic gymnastics is characterized by grace, beauty and elegance combined with dance and acrobatic elements, while working with ribbons, balls, hoops, ropes and clubs in a choreographed routine to music. The choreography must cover the entire floor and contain a balance of jumps, leaps, pivots, balances and flexibility movements. Only four of the apparatus are competed each quad, and the four for 2016 are hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon. Each movement involves a high degree of athletic skill. Physical abilities needed by a rhythmic gymnast include strength, power, flexibility, agility, dexterity, endurance and hand-eye coordination.
• Trampoline events involve athletes using trampolines that can propel them up to 30 feet in the air, during which they can perform double and triple twisting somersaults. Tumbling utilizes elevated rod-floor runways that enable athletes to jump at heights more than 10 feet and execute a variety of acrobatic maneuvers. For the double-mini competition, the athlete makes a short run, leaps onto a small two-level trampoline, performs an aerial maneuver and dismounts onto a landing mat. Trampoline was added to the Olympic Games in 2000, and at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the USA had its first athlete in history advance to the finals.

Background information

• Central Florida Sports Commission. The Central Florida Sports Commission strategically solicits, creates and supports marquee sports-related events and businesses that enhance our community's economy. The Sports Commission represents the counties of Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia, as well as the City of Orlando. For more information, visit www.centralfloridasports.org.
• International Gymnastics Federation. The International Gymnastics Federation is the governing body for gymnastics worldwide. It is the oldest established international sports federation and has participated in the Olympic Games since their revival in 1896. The FIG governs seven disciplines: Gymnastics for All, Men's Artistic, Women's Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline, Aerobic and Acrobatic. It counts 135 national member federations and boasts a 27-person staff at its international seat in Lausanne (SUI), host city of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
• USA Gymnastics.  Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Its disciplines include men's and women's artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics and group gymnastics (Gymnastics for All). For more information, log on to www.usagym.org.