RICHMOND, B.C., Canada, April 9, 2014 – The USA will face the top gymnasts from 14 countries at the 2014 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships at the Richmond (B.C., Canada) Olympic Oval. More than 250 gymnasts are expected to compete in the four-day event, April 9-13. The USA is competing in women’s gymnastics, men’s gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics. Fans will be able to follow all of the action via a live webstream available through usagym.org.

In addition to the United States, the countries participating are: Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Philippines and Singapore.

The competition schedule is as follows, and each of these sessions will have a live webstream, provided by ViaSport Productions in partnership with Gymnastics BC and Gymnastics Canada, that has a separate feed for each apparatus. ViaSport also plans to archive each participant’s routines. The legend for the abbreviations used is: WAG=women’s artistic gymnastics; MAG=men’s artistic gymnastics; RG-rhythmic gymnastics; TG=trampoline. Times below are Pacific time.

Wednesday, April 9

  • 12:30-2:30 p.m. – WAG: Group 1 team & all-around
  • 3:30-6:30 p.m. – WAG: Group 2 team & all-around
  • 7-9:30 p.m. – WAG: Group 3 team, all-around & awards (includes USA)

Thursday, April 10

  • 9-10:30 a.m. – RG: Junior group (includes USA), hoop and clubs awards
  • 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. – TG: Synchronized trampoline preliminaries, finals & awards
  • 1:30-4 p.m. – MAG: Group 1 team & all-around
  • 1:30.-4:30 p.m. – RG: team and AA, ball & hoop, subdivision 1
  • 5:30.-8 p.m. – MAG: Group 2 team, all-around & awards (includes USA)
  • 5:30-8:30 p.m. – RG: team and AA, ball & hoop, subdivision 2 (includes USA)

Friday, April 11

  • 9 a.m.-12 p.m. – RG: team and AA, ribbon & club, subdivision 1
  • 1-4:15 p.m. – RG: team and AA, ribbon & club, subdivision 2 (includes USA)
  • 6-9 p.m. – TG: Individual & team, team awards
  • 6-9:30 p.m. – MAG & WAG: Junior event finals & awards

Saturday, April 12

  • 9 a.m.-1 p.m. – RG: junior and senior event finals & awards
  • 2:30 p.m.-6 p.m. – MAG & WAG: senior event finals & awards; TG: finals & awards

 

For men’s and women’s gymnastics, each has a six-person team that is a combination of junior and senior level gymnasts. The team competition and all-around are held in the first session. The team competition is 6-5-4, which means all six may compete on each apparatus, with five designated on each event to compete for the team score and the four best scores of the five are used. The top eight for each apparatus, with two per country, will advance to the event finals. There is one team competition, but junior and senior awards for the all-around and event finals.

The women kick things off with the team and all-around competition, which serves as the qualification for the event finals. 2012 Olympic team gold medalist Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max, 2014 World Cup Series champion Elizabeth Price of Coopersburg, Pa., and Peyton Ernst of Coppell, Texas/Texas Dreams, are the women’s seniors. U.S. junior all-around champion Bailie Key of Montgomery, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, along with Nia Dennis of Westerville, Ohio/Buckeye Gymnastics, and Norah Flatley of Cumming, Iowa/Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance, complete the U.S. squad.

2014 Winter Cup all-around champion Chris Brooks of Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Gymnastics), 2012 Olympic alternate Alex Naddour of Gilbert, Ariz./Team Hilton Honors (USA Youth Fitness Center), and 2013 World parallel bars bronze medalist John Orozco of the Bronx, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors (U.S. Olympic Training Center), are the seniors on the team. Juniors Davis Grooms of Katy, Texas/Champions Gymnastics, Marty Strech of Fountain Valley, Calif./Azarian U.S. Gymnastics Training Center, and Alec Yoder of Indianapolis, Ind./InterActive Academy, recently won the team title at the recent Pan American Championships, where Strech won the all-around, Yoder earned three event titles (pommel horse, still rings and parallel bars), and Grooms claimed two event medals.

Rhythmic gymnastics also features a team competition, as well as a junior and senior all-around and event finals. The U.S. team features: seniors – U.S. all-around bronze medalist Cindy Lu of Staten Island, N.Y./Isadora, Rhythmic Challenge all-around silver medalist Aliya Protto of Culver City, Calif./California Rhythms, and U.S. ball bronze medalist Valeriya Sharipova of Livingston, N.J./Independent; and juniors – U.S. junior ribbon champion Brigita Budginas of Agoura Hills, Calif./Platinum Gymnastics Academy, U.S. junior clubs champion Nastasya Generalova of Los Angeles, Calif./California Rhythms, and 2014 Rhythmic Challenge ribbon silver medalist Ekatherina Kapitonova of Staten Island, N.Y./Isadora.

The members of the U.S. Junior Group are: Yelyzaveta Merenzon of Buffalo Grove, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center; Elina Nikerina of Deerfield, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center; Sophia Popova of Minneapolis, Minn./Twin Cities Rhythmic; Emily Rakhnyansky of Brooklyn, N.Y./MatchPoint; Nicole Sladkov of Vernon Hills, Ill./M & N Rhythmic Academy; and Nicky Wojtana of Plano, Texas/Texas Rhythmic Academy.

The USA is hoping to build on its success from the 2012 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships, and several of the medalists are competing this year.

At the 2012 Pac Rim Championships, Ross won five medals, including the team and balance beam gold. She was second in the all-around and uneven bars, plus a bronze on floor. In all, the U.S. women captured 15 medals: gold – team, junior and senior all-around, junior vault, senior uneven bars, junior and senior balance beam, and junior and senior floor exercise; silver – junior and senior all-around, junior vault, and junior and senior uneven bars; and bronze – floor.

For the men, Brooks helped the USA win the team gold, as well as took top honors in the all-around, still rings and horizontal bar. He also earned the pommel horse silver. The men racked up 19 medals: gold – team, senior all-around, senior floor exercise, senior still rings, junior vault, junior parallel bars and senior horizontal bar; silver – senior all-around, junior floor exercise, senior pommel horse, junior and senior vault, and senior high bar; and bronze – junior all-around, junior floor, junior and senior pommel horse, junior still rings, and senior parallel bars.

In rhythmic gymnastics, the USA garnered 16 medals: gold – team, senior all-around, junior and senior hoop, junior and senior ball, and junior and senior ribbon; silver – senior and junior all-around, junior ball, junior and senior clubs; and bronze – junior all-around, junior clubs and junior ribbon.

The USA is not competing in trampoline in 2014.

Tickets are still available for the championships with some sessions sold-out or with limited availability. All tickets can be purchased on line at www.pacificrimchamps.eventbrite.com.

The 2014 Pacific Rim Championships are hosted by Gymnastics Canada and Gymnastics BC. The Pacific Rim Championships (known as the Pacific Alliance Championship until 2008) were last held in Canada in 2002 in Burnaby. Recent hosts include Honolulu in 2004 and 2006; San Jose, Calif., in 2008; Melbourne, Australia, in 2010; and Everett, Wash., in 2012. At the past four summer Olympics, Pacific Rim countries have combined for a total of 101 gymnastics Olympic medals including 37 gold. For more detailed information, go to www.pacificrimchamps.com.

The webstream is provided by ViaSport Productions. ViaSport Productions is the catalyst behind increasing the exposure, recognition and power of amateur-level sport across British Columbia. As the broadcast arm of ViaSport, the organization responsible for the growth and development of BC’s amateur sport sector, the goal driving ViaSport Productions is to bring a range of online sport programming – live-streamed event coverage, interviews, commentary and more – into every home across the province. Share your event with the world: apply to have your event live-streamed by ViaSport Productions. Visit www.viasport.ca/viasport-productions to learn more.