USA Gymnastics Awards 2015 USA Gymnastics Championships to Greensboro

Greensboro, N.C., will host the 2015 USA Gymnastics Championships, which showcases more than 1,600 of the country’s best gymnasts in acrobatic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and trampoline and tumbling.  Scheduled for June 24-28, the five-day competition, which includes both Junior Olympic and elite levels, will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. This will be the second major gymnastics event to come to Greensboro, which played host to the AT&T American Cup, the premier international event held in the United States, and the Nastia Liukin Cup earlier this year.

“The facilities at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex make Greensboro the perfect East Coast location for this event,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics.  “The USA Gymnastics Championships has something for everyone, from the beauty of rhythmic gymnastics to the amazing feats of strength and balance in acrobatic gymnastics to the highflying excitement of the trampoline and tumbling events, all under one roof.  We knew Greensboro would be a great setting for this event based on the excellent job they did with the 2014 AT&T American Cup.”

The local hosts for the event are the Greensboro Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, Tournament Hosts of Greensboro, Greensboro Sports Commission and Sports & Properties, Inc.

“We are thrilled to be selected to host one of USA Gymnastics’ premier events for the second consecutive year,” said Greensboro Coliseum Complex Managing Director Matt Brown. “The success we had in hosting the 2014 AT&T American Cup, recording its highest attendance total in a non-Olympic year since 2000, as well as the all-time attendance record for the Nastia Liukin Cup, demonstrates that Greensboro is an outstanding market for elite gymnastics events. We are excited to build on those successes with the 2015 USA Gymnastics Championships.”

"Landing the USA Gymnastics Championships is a significant accomplishment for Greensboro, and this is a big event with more than 1,600 athletes expected to compete," said Hill Carrow, CEO of Sports & Properties, Inc.

 “We look forward to welcoming gymnastics fans from around the country to Greensboro,” said Greensboro Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO Henri Fourrier. “Our local tourism industry is eager to demonstrate our special brand of ‘southern hospitality’ to all the visitors coming to this exciting event.”

For the junior and senior elite levels for each discipline, the athletes will be vying for national titles. Performances will determine berths on the junior and senior U.S. National Teams for rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline and tumbling.  The Junior Olympic division has several different levels, and national titles will be awarded for each level and age group for each discipline.  The Junior Olympic levels for each of the disciplines are:  acrobatic gymnastics – Levels 6-10; rhythmic gymnastics – Levels 7-8; and trampoline and tumbling – Levels 8-10.

Tickets for the event, which was first held in 2014 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., will go on sale in 2015.  For more information on the USA Gymnastics Championships, please go to usagymchamps.com.

The schedule, outlined below, has the junior and senior elites compete June 25-27, with Junior Olympic sessions running all five days. NOTE:  Level refers to the Junior Olympic competition level.

Tuesday, June 23

Special Events Center

1:30-4:30 p.m.    Rhythmic gymnastics, Level 7

6-9 p.m.             Rhythmic gymnastics, Level 7; Synchronized trampoline, prelims and finals

Wednesday, June 24

Special Events Center

9 a.m.-12 p.m.    Acrobatic gymnastics, Level 7; Rhythmic gymnastics, Level 7; Trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline, Levels 9-10/Youth Elite and Open Elite

1:30-4:30 p.m.    Acrobatic gymnastics, Level 8; Rhythmic gymnastics, Level 7; Trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline, Levels 9-10/Youth Elite and Open Elite

6-9 p.m.             Acrobatic gymnastics, Level 7; Trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline, Levels 9-10/Youth Elite and Open Elite

Thursday, June 25

Special Events Center

9 a.m.-12 p.m.    Acrobatic gymnastics, Level 8; Trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline, Levels 9-10/Youth Elite and Open Elite

1:30-4:30 p.m.    Rhythmic gymnastics, Level 8

Greensboro Coliseum

9 a.m.-12 p.m.    Rhythmic gymnastics, junior and senior elite preliminaries

1:30-4:30 p.m.    Trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline, junior elite preliminaries

6-9 p.m.             Acrobatic gymnastics, junior and senior elite preliminaries/event final; Rhythmic gymnastics, senior elite preliminaries/event final; Tumbling and double mini-trampoline, senior elite preliminaries

Friday, June 26

Special Events Center

9 a.m.-12 p.m.    Acrobatic gymnastics, Level 6; Trampoline and tumbling, Level 9 and Open Elite finals

1:30-4:30 p.m.    Acrobatic gymnastics, Levels 9-10; Rhythmic gymnastics, Level 8; Trampoline and tumbling, Level 10 and Youth Elite finals

Greensboro Coliseum

9 a.m.-12 p.m.    Rhythmic gymnastics, junior event/all-around finals and senior elite preliminaries/event final

6-9 p.m.             Acrobatic gymnastics, junior and senior elite preliminaries/event final; Rhythmic gymnastics, senior elite preliminaries/event final; Trampoline, senior elite preliminaries

Saturday, June 27

Special Events Center

9 a.m.-12 p.m.    Acrobatic gymnastics, Level 6; Trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline, Level 8

1:30-4:30 p.m.    Acrobatic gymnastics, Levels 9 and 10; Rhythmic gymnastics, Level 8

Greensboro Coliseum

9 a.m.-12 p.m.    Rhythmic gymnastics, senior elite all-around finals

1:30-4:30 p.m.    Trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline, junior elite finals

6-9 p.m.             Acrobatic gymnastics, junior and senior elite finals; Rhythmic gymnastics, senior elite all-around finals; Trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline, senior elite finals

Sunday, June 28

Special Events Center

9 a.m.-12 p.m.    Rhythmic gymnastics, Level 8; Trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline, Level 8

1:30-4:30 p.m.    Rhythmic gymnastics, Junior Olympic group; Trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline, Level 8

2014 U.S. senior men’s double mini-trampoline champion Stewart Pritchard of Tumblebees Ultimate Gym hails from Greensboro.  The other 2014 U.S. senior champions in the three disciplines are:  acrobatic gymnastics – Kiley Boynton/Ryan Ward of Realis Gymnastics Academy (mixed pairs), Hannah Silverman/Christina Antoniades/Emilie Ruppert Emilia’s Acro Gymnastics and Cheer (women’s group), and Ciera Wilson/Kailey Maurer of Empire Acrogymnastics  (women’s pair); rhythmic gymnastics – Rebecca Sereda of Isadora and Jazzy Kerber of North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center (co-champions); and trampoline and tumbling – Jeffrey Gluckstein of Elite Trampoline Academy (trampoline), Charlotte Drury of World Elite Gymnastics (trampoline),Logan Dooley of World Elite/Steven Gluckstein of ETA (synchro), Ivanna Antezana/Deanna Parris of Fairland Gymnastics (synchro), Austin Nacey of TwistStars Tumbling and Trampoline LTD. (tumbling), Yuliya Brown of Idaho Elite Gymnastics (tumbling), and Erin Jauch of Fox Valley Tumbling and Trampoline (double-mini).

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 - a base, middle and top partner – while a men's group has four athletes, a base, two middle partners and one top partner.

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

• Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. The Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is an independent, non-profit governmental authority whose mission is to aggressively market Greensboro's assets, maximizing economic impact while providing excellent visitor service. Guilford County ranks third in the state in travel and tourism expenditures, with over $1 billion generated in 2011 and more than 11,700 people employed in travel-related jobs. For more information: www.visitgreensboronc.com.
• Greensboro Sports Commission. The mission of the Greensboro Sports Commission is to foster economic development through coordinating and developing Greensboro's role as a leading site for sports events involving youth, collegiate, amateur and professional organizations. The Greensboro Sports Commission acts as a clearing house for sporting activities in the Greensboro area and assists organizations and promoters in making Greensboro the host city for sports events. For more information: www.greensborosports.org.
• Greensboro Coliseum Complex. The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is a multi-building facility designed to serve the citizens of Greensboro and the surrounding area through a broad range of activities, including athletic events, cultural arts, concerts, theater, educational activities, fairs, exhibits, and public and private events of all kinds including conventions, convocations and trade and consumer shows. The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is one of the most actively booked facilities in the country hosting more than 1,000 events on an annual basis. With its incredible versatility, the Complex has gained worldwide acclaim from promoters, producers, event planners and patrons. For more information; www.greensborocoliseum.com.
• Sports & Properties, Inc. SPI is a sports marketing and sports development firm concentrating in three primary areas of business: major sponsorships, including naming rights; sports tourism; and major events. SPI’s recent projects include the Africa Youth Games, new sports complexes for Seminole County, Florida; the USA Gymnastics AT&T American Cup and Nastia Liukin Cup; and the 2015 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships. SPI clients include Capitol Broadcasting Company, PIER 39, the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, Seminole County, Fla., and the United States Olympic Committee, among others. For more information on SPI, visit sportsproperties.com.
• 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 group gymnastics.  For more complete information, log on to www.usagym.org.