News

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 15, 2017 – 2017 AT&T American Cup champions Ragan Smith of Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, and Yul Moldauer of Arvada, Colo./University of Oklahoma, are seeking their first U.S. titles at the 2017 P&G Gymnastics Championships Aug. 17-20 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. They are among the USA’s top gymnasts headed to Anaheim to compete in the four-day national championships that determines the men’s and women’s U.S. champions and the U.S. National Team for the junior and senior elite levels.

The roster for Anaheim also includes Smith’s fellow 2016 Olympic replacement athlete Ashton Locklear of Hamlet N.C./Everest Gymnastics; two-time Olympian and four-time defending U.S. men’s all-around champion Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif./U.S. Olympic Training Center; and 2016 Olympic pommel horse bronze-medalist Alex Naddour of Gilbert, Ariz./USA Youth Fitness Center.

The four-day competition schedule is: Aug. 17 – men’s gymnastics, juniors at 1 p.m. and seniors at 7 p.m.; Aug. 18 – women’s gymnastics, juniors at 1 p.m. and seniors at 7:30 p.m.; Aug. 19 –men’s gymnastics, juniors at 12 p.m. and seniors at 5 p.m.; and Aug. 20 – women’s gymnastics, juniors at 11 a.m. and seniors at 3:30 p.m. Times listed are Pacific.

For senior men and women, the championships serve as part of the selection process for the 2017 World Championships, Oct. 2-8, at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.

Single-session tickets range in price from $20 to $122 per ticket. Multi-session packages are also available: women’s first day of competition package – junior and senior women’s sessions, Aug. 18, $85-$150; women’s final day of competition package — junior and senior women’s sessions, Aug. 20, $99-$165; men’s package – all men’s sessions (junior and senior), Aug. 17 and 19, $85-$130; and senior finals package – senior men on Aug. 19 and senior women on Aug. 20, $95-$140. All-session tickets, which range in price from $159-$699, are also on sale. Tickets may be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745-3000. For group sales, contact Honda Center at 714-940-2859 or via email at groupsales@hondacenter.com.

Women’s gymnastics
With national titles and berths to the World Team Selection Camp on the line, 10 members of the women’s U.S. Senior National Team are expected to compete in Anaheim: 2017 Stuttgart World Cup all-around bronze-medalist Morgan Hurd of Middletown, Del./First State Gymnastics; Locklear; 2017 Jesolo Trophy all-around and balance beam champion Riley McCusker of Brielle, N.J./MG Elite; 2017 London World Cup all-around silver-medalist Victoria Nguyen of West Des Moines, Iowa/Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute; 2017 Jesolo Trophy floor titlist Abby Paulson of Coon Rapids, Minn./Twin City Twisters; 2017 U.S. Classic all-around champion Alyona Shchennikova of Evergreen, Colo./5280 Gymnastics; Smith; 2017 Jesolo Trophy team champion Trinity Thomas of York, Pa./Prestige Gymnastics; 2016 U.S. junior balance beam bronze-medalist Shania Adams of Plain City, Ohio/Buckeye Gymnastics; and 2016 Jesolo Trophy junior all-around champion Jordan Chiles of Vancouver, Wash./Naydenov Gymnastics.

The junior elite competition features six members of the U.S. Junior National Team: Maile O’Keefe of Las Vegas, Nev./Salcianu Elite Academy of Gymnastics, the defending U.S. junior all-around champion; Olivia Dunne of Hillsdale, N.J./Eastern National Academy of Paramus; Adeline Kenlin of Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa Gym-Nest; Sunisa Lee of Saint Paul, Minn./Midwest Gymnastics Center; Emma Malabuyo of Flower Mound, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics; and Gabby Perea of Geneva, Ill./Legacy Elite.

Men’s gymnastics
In addition to Mikulak, Moldauer and Naddour, the senior men’s field includes 2016 Olympic replacement athletes Akash Modi of Morganville, N.J./Stanford University, the 2017 NCAA all-around champion, and Donnell Whittenburg of Baltimore, Md./U.S. Olympic Training Center, the 2017 Koper World Challenge Cup parallel bars champion and London World Cup all-around silver medalist; 2017 Koper World Challenge Cup floor exercise gold-medalist Eddie Penev of Rochester, N.Y./U.S. Olympic Training Center; and 2016 U.S. pommel horse champion Donothan Bailey of Lake Forest, Calif./U.S. Olympic Training Center. Other senior national team members expected to compete are Allan Bower of Mesa, Ariz./University of Oklahoma; Sean Melton of Orlando, Fla./Ohio State University; and Kanji Oyama of Huntington Beach, Calif./University of Oklahoma.

Reigning junior all-around champions Shane Wiskus of Spring Park, Minn./University of Minnesota (15-16), and Matthew Wenske of Houston, Texas/University of Oklahoma (17-18), are scheduled to compete in the senior division. The six U.S. Junior National Team members in the junior field are: Max Andryushchenko of Arlington Heights, Ill./Ohio State University; Joshua Davis of Frisco, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics; Vitaliy Guimaraes of Arvada, Colo./5280 Gymnastics; Bennet Huang of Palo Alto, Calif./West Coast Olympic Gymnastics Academy; Griffin Kehler of Frisco, Texas/University of Nebraska; and Alexei Vernyi of Cypress, Texas/University of Oklahoma.

Fan Activities
The following is a quick overview of the fan activities available on the concourse on competition days. For the most up-to-date and complete information, go to pgchamps.com

• Hersheys. Visit the Hershey’s booth outside Section 224 to have your photo taken with the Hershey’s Kisses character and stop by on your way out for a sample of Hershey’s Cookie Layer Crunch bar.
• AT&T. Fans can come by the AT&T booth to record a 360 degree video, show their spirit with an augmented reality face paint opportunity, and see all the ways that AT&T is empowering gymnasts to accomplish their goals.
• Autograph sessions. The daily autograph schedule, which is subject to change, will be listed on PGChamps.com. Approximately 300 individuals will have the opportunity for an autograph during the allotted time for each opportunity.
  • Join KT Tape and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Kerri Strug who will sign autographs on the concourse Saturday, Aug. 19, at 4 p.m.
  • On Aug. 18, Olympic gold medalist Carly Patterson will be signing autographs from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the AT&T booth.
  • 2016 Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez will sign autographs at the AT&T booth prior to the start of Sunday’s senior women’s session beginning at 2:30 p.m.
• Merchandise. Fans can purchase everything gymnastics, including event-specific tees, Under Armour and GK leotards, and more, at merchandise booths on the concourse at Honda Center.

Following the final session of women’s gymnastics on Sunday, Aug. 20, USA Gymnastics will recognize the 2016 U.S. Men’s and Women’s Olympic Gymnastics Team. The members of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team are: women – Simone Biles of Spring, Texas, Gabby Douglas of Tarzana, Calif., Hernandez of Old Bridge, N.J., Madison Kocian of Dallas, and Aly Raisman of Needham, Mass., and replacement athletes Locklear, MyKayla Skinner of Gilbert, Ariz./Desert Light Gymnastics, and Smith; and men – Chris Brooks of Houston, Jake Dalton of Norman, Okla., Mikulak, Danell Leyva of Miami and Naddour, and replacement athletes Modi and Whittenburg. 2012 Olympian John Orozco of the Bronx, N.Y., who withdrew from the men’s 2016 Olympic team due to injury, will also participate.

Follow the action from Anaheim
Fans, whether they are in Anaheim or not, can enjoy coverage online, on television and on their favorite social media networks, as well as find event information at PGChamps.com. 2008 Olympic silver-medalist Samantha Peszek will host daily webcasts of the junior competitions, along side 2012 Olympic champion Jordyn Wieber and 2008 Olympic silver-medalist Jonathan Horton.

Television, webcast and YouTube coverage

• Competition coverage.
  • Television. NBC will air the second day of both men’s (delayed) and women’s (live) senior competition sessions. In addition, the Olympic Channel and NBC Sports Network will televise the first three days live. The schedule is listed below.
    • Aug. 17 – Men – 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT – Olympic Channel, live
    • Aug. 18 – Women – 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT – NBC Sports Network, live
    • Aug. 19 – Men – 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT – NBC Sports Network, live
    • Aug. 20 – Men – 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT – NBC, delayed
    • Aug. 20 – Women- 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT – NBC, live
  • Webcast.
    Juniors. With Peszek as host, USA Gymnastics will provide live webcast coverage of all four junior competitive sessions. Wieber (women) and Horton (men) will join Peszek to provide analysis. The webcasts will be available free worldwide on PGChamps.com.
    • Aug. 17 – junior men, 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
    • Aug. 18 – junior women, 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
    • Aug. 19 – junior men, 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT
    • Aug. 20 – junior women, 2 p.m. ET/ 11 a.m. PT

    Seniors. All four senior sessions will be available through a live simulcast on NBC Live Extra on iOS and Android devices or online at nbcsports.com/live-extra.

    • Aug. 17 – senior men, 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT
    • Aug. 18 – senior women, 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT
    • Aug. 19 – senior men, 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
    • Aug. 20 – senior women, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
  • Podium Training. There will be a live web stream of both junior (12-2:30 p.m. ET) and senior (2:30-5 p.m. ET) men’s podium training from the P&G Gymnastics Championships on Wednesday, Aug. 16. Women’s podium training will also stream live with junior training scheduled for 5:30-8 p.m. ET and seniors from 8-10:30 p.m. ET. The stream will be available on PGChamps.com/live.
• USA Gymnastics on YouTube. USA Gymnastics will post coverage of the P&G Championships, including nearly every competition routine, after the conclusion of the event, interviews from media day and post-competition, and clips from podium training.

Ways to follow

• Online. The P&G Gymnastics Championships is easier than ever to follow online. Schedules, general event information, start lists, live scoring and more are available at PGChamps.com, which is easily viewable on smart phones and other digital devices.
• Social Media. USA Gymnastics is providing live updates and exclusive content, including videos and photos, from the P&G Championships on Facebook (facebook.com/USAGymnastics) and Twitter (@USAGym). Gymnastics fans can follow the action easily and join the conversation on Twitter by using the official hashtag of the 2015 P&G Championships, #PGChamps.
• myusagym iOS app. Fans can follow the scores from the 2017 P&G Championships live using the myusagym app for iOS devices available in the iTunes store. Those without iOS devices, can follow the scores at myusagym.com with any mobile device or desktop computer.

In addition to several post-Olympic gymnastics tour events, Honda Center also has played host to the 2003 World Gymnastics Championships and the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics. Honda Center and Visit Anaheim are working with USA Gymnastics to stage the championships.

In addition to Biles and Mikulak, the roster of former U.S. all-around champions is a veritable who’s who of gymnastics, including: women –Wieber, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Carly Patterson, Courtney Kupets, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Kim Zmeskal and Mary Lou Retton; and men – Horton, Paul Hamm, Blaine Wilson, John Roethlisberger, Mitch Gaylord, Peter Vidmar and Bart Conner. The U.S. Gymnastics Championships traces its history back to 1897 for the men and 1931 for the women. This is the first time the event will be held in Anaheim, Calif.

Background information

• Honda Center. Honda Center is the premier entertainment and sports venue in Southern California. Owned by the City of Anaheim and operated by Anaheim Arena Management, LLC, the arena opened in June of 1993. The National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks have called the arena home since their inaugural season in the fall of 1993. In addition to Ducks games, Honda Center hosts a variety of world class acts such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Professional Bull Riders and more. For more information, visit www.hondacenter.com.
• Visit Anaheim. Founded in 1961, Visit Anaheim is a 501 (c)(6) nonprofit destination marketing organization. Visit Anaheim’s mission is to develop, market and sell Anaheim benefiting the economic vitality of our communities. Follow Visit Anaheim on Facebook (Facebook.com/VisitAnaheim) Twitter (@Visit_Anaheim), Instagram (Instagram.com/VisitAnaheim) and LinkedIn (VisitAnaheim)
• 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, visit usagym.org.