June 23, 2014, is going to be a big day in downtown Pittsburgh. 2012 Olympic all-around champion Gabrielle Douglas will be on hand as Pittsburgh-area gymnasts gather to set a world record for most simultaneous cartwheels. Douglas, also a member of the Fierce Five® who won the Olympic team gold at the Olympic Games in London, is visiting Pittsburgh to promote the 2014 P&G Gymnastics Championships, scheduled for Aug. 21-24 at CONSOL Energy Center, and celebrate Olympic Day.
In addition to media opportunities, Douglas will participate in the festivities for Olympic Day and the world record attempt, scheduled for 12 noon on the Roberto Clemente Bridge. Approximately 500 participants performing simultaneous cartwheels are needed to break the official record of 482.
“We invite any and every one to come down to the bridge to celebrate Olympic Day and cheer on the gymnasts who are trying to set the world mark for the most number of cartwheels at one time,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “The combination of the world record attempt, Olympic Day and having Gabby in town makes this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
The world record attempt is one of more than 700 events taking place in more than 160 countries from June 14-30 to celebrate Olympic Day in 2014. Olympic Day, created in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games, focuses on the Olympic values and ideals of fair play, perseverance, respect and sportsmanship. In the United States, Olympic Day events range from small gatherings to large, city-wide events that are feature athlete appearances, family-friendly activities and interactive learning experiences.
“Absolutely everyone is welcome to witness history being made in Pittsburgh,” said Tim Hassett, general manager of CONSOL Energy Center. “Celebrating Olympic Day with Gabby and hopefully setting a world record promise to be a great experience for our citizens.”
For consideration by the Guinness Book of World Records, each participant must be registered, and participants will receive an Under Armour gift, personal items from P&G, and a complimentary ticket to the junior men’s gymnastics session on Aug. 24, which is the last competitive session of the 2014 P&G Gymnastics Championships. For more information on the day’s activities, visit PGChamps.com.
About the P&G Championships: Scheduled for Aug. 21-24, 2014, at CONSOL Energy Center, the four-day P&G Championships is USA Gymnastics’ national championships that features the country’s top male and female gymnasts competing in both the junior and senior divisions.
Single session tickets range in price from $20-$99. Ticket prices include facility fees and vary according to ticket location. Also available are: all-session tickets, which include all eight competitive sessions, $150-$500; men’s .package – all men's sessions (junior and senior), Aug. 22 and 24, $85-$135; women's first day of competition package – junior and senior women's sessions, Aug. 21, $70-$125; women's final day of competition package – junior and senior women's sessions, Aug. 23, $85-$135; and men's and women's finals package – senior women on Aug. 23 and senior men on Aug. 24, $80-$130. A limited number of platinum VIP all-session tickets, located in the first five rows, are still available and include a commemorative gift, autographed poster and a meet-and-greet with an Olympian.
Tickets may be purchased at the Dick's Sporting Goods Box Office at CONSOL Energy Center, Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets or charge by phone at 800-745-3000. For group (10+ people) sales information, please call Justin Leach at (412) 804-7904. Discounted tickets are also available through local gym clubs that are participating in the Club Ticket Sales Program.
The competition schedule for men's and women's gymnastics is: Thursday, Aug. 21 – women's gymnastics, juniors (1 p.m.) and seniors (7:30 p.m.); Friday, Aug. 22 – men's gymnastics, juniors (1 p.m.) and seniors (7 p.m.); Saturday, Aug. 23 – women's gymnastics, juniors (2 p.m.) and seniors (7:30 p.m.); and Sunday, Aug. 24 – men's gymnastics, seniors (1 p.m.) and juniors (7:30 p.m.).
Simone Biles, 2013 World all-around champion, and Sam Mikulak, a 2012 Olympian, are the defending men’s and women’s all-around champions. The roster of former U.S. all-around champions is a veritable who's who of gymnastics, including: women – Jordyn Wieber, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Carly Patterson, Courtney Kupets, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Kim Zmeskal and Mary Lou Retton; and men – John Orozco, Danell Leyva, Jonathan Horton, Paul Hamm, Blaine Wilson, John Roethlisberger, Mitch Gaylord, Peter Vidmar, Tim Daggett and Bart Conner.
2014 will be the first time the U.S. Championships have been held in Pennsylvania since 2001 and just the fourth since 1973. The U.S. Gymnastics Championships traces its history back to 1897 for the men and 1931 for the women.
The USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show will be held in conjunction with the 2014 P&G Gymnastics Championships at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The annual USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show is a three-day event open to the entire gymnastics community. Held in conjunction with the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, National Congress provides a unique opportunity for presentations, demonstrations and educational seminars on a variety of topics and a large exhibitor's hall with additional business opportunities.
In addition to VisitPittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Penguins, AEG and CONSOL Energy Center were instrumental in bringing the event to the city. The City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are also helping support the championships.
Background information
VisitPittsburgh. VisitPittsburgh is the official tourism promotion agency for Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to generating convention, trade show and leisure travel business for the Pittsburgh region.
CONSOL Energy Center. CONSOL Energy Center, operated by AEG Facilities, is Pittsburgh's premier indoor site for sports and entertainment. In addition to being home to the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, the arena hosted the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball second and third rounds as well as the 2013 NCAA Frozen Four and will host the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball second and third rounds.
David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Completed in 2003 and owned by the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County (SEA), the DLCC is located in downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District, within steps of theaters, museums, sport venues, galleries and restaurants. The dynamic architectural design is like no other – breath-taking views, open terraces and a suspended roof structure. As the first LEED Gold certified convention center under the LEED for New Construction rating system, some of the "green" features include: a natural ventilation system, abundant natural daylight, a water reclamation system, and an extensive recycling program. The DLCC continues to adhere to the slogan; "Built Green. Working Green. Every Day" and has now achieved LEED Platinum certification under the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance rating system. The DLCC is the first convention center to receive certification under both rating systems.
AEG Facilities. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, is the leading sports, entertainment and venue operator in the world. AEG Facilities, a stand-alone affiliate of AEG, owns, operates or consults with more than 100 of the industry's preeminent venues worldwide, across five continents, providing complete venue management, as well as specialized programs in operations, guest services, ticketing, booking, sales and marketing. AEG Facilities also provides resources and access to other AEG-affiliated entities, including live event producer, AEG Live, AEG Global Partnerships, AEG Development, AEG 1Earth, AEG Encore and AEG Creative to support the success of AEG venues across the globe. The Los Angeles-based organization owns, operates or provides services to the world's most elite venues, including STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, Calif.), The Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.), Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE (Los Angeles, Calif.), Sprint Center (Kansas City, Mo.), XL Center (Hartford, Conn.), KFC YUM! Center (Louisville, Ky.), AmericanAirlines Arena (Miami, Fla.), Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.), Target Center (Minneapolis, Minn.), BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston, Texas), O.co Coliseum and Oracle Arena (Oakland, Calif.), CONSOL Energy Center (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China), MasterCard Center (Beijing, China), The O2 Arena (London, England), O2 World (Berlin, Germany), O2 World Hamburg (Hamburg, Germany), Ahoy Arena (Rotterdam, Netherlands), Pernambuco Stadium (Recife, Brazil), Allphones Arena (Sydney, Australia), ULKER Sports Arena (Istanbul, Turkey), Ericsson Globe Arena (Stockholm, Sweden) and the Qatar National Convention Centre (Doha, Qatar). For more information, please visit www.aegworldwide.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 (known internationally as Gymnastics for All). For more information, log on to www.usagym.org.
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