2016 GfA Championships and GymFest site finalized

INDIANAPOLIS, June 19, 2015 — The USA Gymnastics for All National Championships are returning to the Globe Theater at Universal Studios in Hollywood, Calif. June 25-29. The four-day event showcases nearly 500 athletes participating in Power TeamGym, GymFest, GfA Challenge, and Team Acro and Tumbling. In 2016, the Gymnastics for All National Championships and GymFest are heading to the Sevierville (Tenn.) Convention Center. The 2015 GfA season concludes at the World Gymnaestrada, which is scheduled for July 10-19 in Helsinki, Finland.

 
For the 2015 GfA National Championships, the opening ceremonies will be staged at the Special Effects Theater, with competition at the Globe Theater. The national championships’ various events include Power TeamGym, Team Acro and Tumbling, GfA Challenge and GymFest performances.
 
There are 12 groups participating in GymFest, which is designed for the enjoyment of the participants and audience rather than competitive purposes and is the national equivalent of the World Gymnaestrada.
 
There are five groups participating in the GfA Challenge, which is the equivalent of the World Gym for Life Challenge. Based on performance, the evaluators may award performance groups gold, silver or bronze status. Multiple teams can achieve each status.
 
Forty squads are competing in Power TeamGym, which consists of team jump routines of tumbling, vaulting, mini-trampoline and team floor exercise. Levels 1-8, as well as ADSN (special needs), will be represented in Hollywood. TeamGym is a competitive version of group gymnastics where squads of athletes perform together in two events — group floor exercise and group jump. There are 10 graded difficulty levels.
 
For the second straight year, the national championships feature Team Acro and Tumbling, which is a head-to-head competition with athletes competing in compulsory pyramid, toss, acro and tumbling, combined with a group team event. Team A&T is the developmental program for the varsity team sport and administered by university athletic departments through the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA).
 
Background
Gymnastics for All, which is open to both genders, also includes programs for athletes with disabilities and special needs. For more information on GfA and/or team acrobatics and tumbling, please go to usagym.org/gfa. For more information on NCATA, go to thencata.org.