USA Gymnastics Championships will return to Des Moines in 2022

The USA Gymnastics Championships will return to Des Moines’ Iowa Events Center in 2022. The competition will take place June 21-26 and will span the facility’s main events center, Wells Fargo Arena and Hy-Vee Hall. The annual event, which serves as the national championships across the developmental and elite levels for USA Gymnastics’ acrobatic, rhythmic, and trampoline and tumbling disciplines, was last held in the city in 2019.

“More than 1,500 athletes across our acro, rhythmic and T&T disciplines take part in this combined national championship event each year,” said USA Gymnastics’ Chief Programs Officers Stefanie Korepin. “The USA Gymnastics Championships provide an opportunity for athletes competing at the developmental levels of our sport to perform in the same space as Olympians and World champions. We can’t wait to welcome them back to Des Moines in 2022.”

In addition to deciding the 2022 national champions in the acro, rhythmic, and trampoline and tumbling disciplines, performances at the USA Gymnastics Championships will help to determine the composition of the U.S. National Team. The event will also serve as the final of three T&T competitions used for international selection in 2022.

“We are excited to once again welcome the USA Gymnastics Championships to Des Moines in 2022,” said Greg Edwards, president and CEO of Catch Des Moines. “We enjoy partnering with USA Gymnastics to provide top-notch facilities for some of the nation’s best athletes while showcasing the vibrant metro we have in greater Des Moines.”

The USA Gymnastics Championships were first held in 2014 at the KFC Yum! Center and the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky. Past sites include St. Louis’ The Dome at America’s Center (2021), Iowa Events Center (2019), Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum Complex (2015, 2018), Rhode Island Convention Center and Dunkin’ Donuts Center (2016), and Milwaukee’s BMO Harris Bradley Center and Wisconsin Center (2017). For more information on the USA Gymnastics Championships, please visit usagymchamps.com.

About the acrobatic, rhythmic, and trampoline and tumbling disciplines

Acrobatic gymnastics combines the beauty of dance with the strength and agility of acrobatics. Routines are choreographed to music and consist of dance, tumbling, and partner skills. At the elite level, each pair or group performs a balance, dynamic and combined routine. Pyramids and partner holds characterize the balance routine, while synchronized tumbling and intricate flight elements define the dynamic exercise. An acrobatic gymnastics pair consists of a base and a top. A women's group is comprised of three athletes assuming the base, middle and top positions, and a men's group has four athletes – a single base and top and two gymnasts occupying the middle position.

Rhythmic gymnastics is characterized by grace, beauty and elegance combined with dance and acrobatic elements, while working with the apparatus in a choreographed routine set to music. The five apparatus used in rhythmic gymnastics are rope, hoop, ball, clubs, and ribbon. Rhythmic gymnasts may compete individually or as a group. The choreography must cover the entire floor with intricate apparatus handling, dance combinations, jumps, leaps, rotations and balance difficulties. 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. The rhythmic gymnastics individual all-around competition was added to the Olympic program in 1984 with the group competition following in 1996.

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.

About USA Gymnastics

Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States, encompassing seven disciplines: women’s gymnastics, men’s gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, rhythmic gymnastics, acrobatic gymnastics, gymnastics for all (a.k.a. group gymnastics) and, most recently, parkour. USA Gymnastics sets the rules and policies that govern the sport of gymnastics, including supporting the U.S. Gymnastics Teams for the Olympics and World Championships; promoting and developing gymnastics on the grassroots and national levels, as well as a safe, empowered and positive training environment; and serving as a resource and educational center for the more than 200,000 members, clubs, fans and gymnasts throughout the United States. The organization is deeply committed to creating a culture that encourages and supports its athletes and focuses on its highest priority: the safety and well-being of athletes and our community.

About Catch Des Moines

Catch Des Moines is the official destination marketing organization promoting and representing Greater Des Moines to leisure travelers and meeting/sports planners. Our focus is to increase visitors to the metro and elevate the visitor experience to drive economic success and enhance the quality of life in the 15 local Greater Des Moines communities we represent. For more information, visit catchdesmoines.com.