Tickets for both the 2017 Nastia Liukin Cup and the Elite Team Cup at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. ET. The Nastia Liukin Cup is slated for 7 p.m. ET on March 3 and showcases many of the country’s best Junior Olympic female gymnasts.
The 2017 Elite Team Cup is scheduled for 6 p.m. on March 4 and features top junior elite men from nine regions who are paired with a senior elite gymnast in a team competition. Both events are held in conjunction with the 2017 AT&T American Cup, an International Gymnastics Federation World Cup event that features some of the world’s biggest names in gymnastics, scheduled for March 4 at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Ticket pricing for both the Nastia Liukin Cup and the Elite Team Cup is the same. Tickets are $40 for reserved seating and $30 for general admission. For groups of 10+ people, tickets are half-price – $20 reserved or $15 for general admission. Groups also can purchase tickets for both events for $25 reserved or $20 general admission. All ticket prices are plus applicable fees. Tickets may be purchased through ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000, at all Ticketmaster outlets and at Prudential Center’s box office. For more information, go to nastialiukincup.com or usagym.org/events.
Nastia Liukin Cup: Held annually in conjunction with the AT&T American Cup, the Nastia Liukin Cup is named after Nastia Liukin, the 2008 Olympic all-around champion who has five Olympic and nine World medals to her credit. The annual event features 36 gymnasts who qualify through the Nastia Liukin Cup Series, which includes many of the country’s top invitationals held throughout January and February. A total of 18 junior and 18 senior gymnasts will advance to the Nastia Liukin Cup. Senior athletes must be 16 years of age or older, and junior athletes must be 15 or younger.
Gymnasts who compete in the Nastia Liukin Cup will receive a Nastia Liukin-designed leotard and a warm-up from GK Elite; two tickets to the Nastia Liukin Cup; and the opportunity to meet Liukin and participate in a team photo.
A portion of the proceeds from the Nastia Liukin Cup benefits the Nastia Liukin Fund, a charitable fund in partnership with the National Gymnastics Foundation (www.usagym.org/foundation).
The Nastia Liukin Cup was first held in 2010. Past sites for the Nastia Liukin Cup are: 2016, Newark, N.J.; 2015, Arlington, Texas; 2014, Greensboro, N.C.; 2013 and 2010, Worcester, Mass.; 2012, New York City; and 2011, Jacksonville, Fla.
Elite Team Cup: Formerly the Elite Regional Championships, first held in 2014, and now referred to as the Elite Team Cup, this premier event features nine men’s Regional Teams, each consisting of six junior elite gymnasts and one senior elite athlete. Team scores for the Elite Team Cup will be based on five athletes competing on each event with the top four scores on each event counting. In addition, there is prize money for the results in the Senior Elite All-Around (all six events counting). Finally, results will be kept for the junior-athlete-only Regional Elite Team results – based on the top three junior elite scores on each event - that will serve as the basis for the 2018 draft.
The senior men are vying for total of $6,000, which will be distributed to the top six finishers in the senior all-around standings: 1. $2,000; 2. $1,500; 3. $1,000; 4. $600; 5. $500; and 6. $400.
The nine senior gymnasts will be invited to compete based on the all-around results at the 2017 Winter Cup Challenge, Feb. 16-18, in Las Vegas, Nev. The senior gymnasts will be aligned with a regional squad via a draft. The lowest-ranked region based on the 2016 Elite Team Cup results will have the first pick and continue in reverse-rank order. Each region’s chairman will represent his region in the conference call draft.
The junior elite gymnasts must be between 13-18 years of age as of May 31, 2017, and will be selected from the Regional Elite Team Program. The Junior Elite gymnasts will follow the USA Gymnastics Level 10 Age Group Competition Program rules, with the senior gymnasts competing under the International Gymnastics Federation rules.
AT&T American Cup: Two-time Olympian Sam Mikulak of Newport Beach, Calif./U.S. Olympic Training Center, and 2016 Olympic replacement athlete Ragan Smith of Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams, have accepted invitations to represent the United States at the 2017 AT&T American Cup at Prudential Center at 11:30 a.m. on March 4. The USA will have an additional men’s and women’s athlete competing as wildcard entries, which will be announced at a later date. The field features nine gymnasts who participated in last summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, including gold medalists Ryohei Kato of Japan, who is the defending men’s American Cup champion, and 2016 Olympic parallel bars champion Oleg Verniaiev of Ukraine.
Tickets are available for the AT&T American Cup, the USA’s most prestigious international invitational and part of the International Gymnastics Federation’s all-around World Cup series. Tickets may be purchased through ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000, at all Ticketmaster outlets, as well as at Prudential Center’s box office. For group sales (10+ people) information, please call Prudential Center’s Group Sales department at 973-757-6250. For additional information, please go to americancup.com.
Background information
- Nastia Liukin: At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Liukin’s total of five medals tied the U.S. gymnastics record for most medals in one Olympic Games, held by Mary Lou Retton (1984) and Shannon Miller (1992). Liukin’s Olympic medals are: gold – all-around; silver – team, balance beam and uneven bars; and bronze – floor exercise. Liukin was the third of five U.S. women to win the Olympic all-around crown. She also won nine World medals in her career. Liukin has graced many magazine covers and appeared on various shows, including "Gossip Girl," "Make It or Break It," and the feature film, "Stick It." Liukin was a contestant in the 2015 spring edition of “Dancing with the Stars” and was the grand marshal for the 2015 Indianapolis 500. She currently serves as a gymnastics analyst for NBC Sports. Liukin was coached by her father, Valeri, who has four Olympic medals from 1988 including two gold.
- AT&T American Cup: The 2017 AT&T American Cup, a FIG World Cup event, is one of the most prestigious international invitational events and features an all-around format. The list of former champions comprises some of the sport's best-known names, including Simone Biles, Jordyn Wieber, Nastia Liukin, Jonathan Horton, Bart Conner, Paul Hamm, Shawn Johnson, Shannon Miller, Carly Patterson, Mary Lou Retton and Peter Vidmar. For more information go to americancup.com.
- Prudential Center: Prudential Center is a world-class sports and entertainment venue located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Opened in October 2007, the state-of-the-art arena is the home of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) three-time Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils, Seton Hall University’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball program, and more than 175 concerts, family shows and special events each year. Ranked in the Top 10 nationally by Pollstar, Billboard and Venue’s Today, Prudential Center is recognized as one of the premier venues in the United States, and welcomes more than 1.75 million guests annually. For more information about Prudential Center, visit PruCenter.com and Facebook, and follow @PruCenter on Twitter.
- USA Gymnastics: Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. Its disciplines include men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics and Gymnastics for All (formerly known as group gymnastics). For more complete information, log on to www.usagym.org
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