2017 Junior International Team Cup Coming to Texas

Five members of the men’s junior national team will represent the United States in international competition in January. 2016 Junior Olympic gold-medalists Justin Ah Chow of Miami/Universal Gymnastics (Junior Elite 13-14 Level 9 all-around), Garrett Braunton of Cypress, Texas/Cypress Academy of Gymnastics (Junior Elite 13-14 Level 9 still rings), and Paul Juda of Deerfield, Ill./Buffalo Grove Gymnastics Center (Junior Elite 13-14 Level 9 floor exercise - tied) are among the five men who will represent the USA at the 2017 RD761 Junior International Team Cup at the Leonard Merrell Center in Katy, Texas, Jan. 20-21, 2017.

The members of the U.S. squad along with the coaches for the event are:

U.S. Junior Team

Justin Ah Chow, Miami/Universal Gymnastics

Garrett Braunton, Cypress, Texas/Cypress Academy of Gymnastics

Brandon Briones, Gilbert, Ariz./USA Youth Fitness Center

Paul Juda, Deerfield, Ill./Buffalo Grove Gymnastics Center

Ian Lasic-Ellis, Dover, Mass./Massachusetts Elite Gymnastics Academy

Colt Walker, Cedar Park, Texas/Acro Tex Gymnastics

Coaches

Head coach:  Levon Karakhanyan, Massachusetts Elite Gymnastics

Assistant head coach:  Leo Krivitsky, Buffalo Grove Gymnastics Center

Teams from Canada, Colombia, Germany, Great Britain and Japan are currently confirmed for the international team competition.  Each country will have a five-man team, with four competing on each event and the top three scores counting for the team score.  The team and all-around competition are slated for Friday, Jan. 20, at 5 p.m., and the event finals are at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21.  The final rankings for the all-around are a maximum of two per country, and the top eight athletes, maximum two per country, on each event will advance to the event finals.  All athletes must be between 14-17 years of age, based on their age on their 2017 birthday.

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 information, visit www.usagym.org.