INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 7, 2011 – With the addition of the six gymnasts from this past weekend, 22 of 36 gymnasts have qualified for the 2011 Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup. The six gymnasts claimed their spots this past weekend at three events in the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup Series. The Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup Series continues this weekend at the IGI Chicago Style Invitational in Chicago.


The six qualifying gymnasts are:

  • 2011 Rock-n-Roll Classic, Broadview Heights, Ohio – Jennie Laeng of West Middlesex, Pa./Olympic Dreams; and Kelsey Lawless of Lyndhurst, Ohio/Elite Gymnastics Academy.

  • Pikes Peak Cup, Colorado Springs, Colo. – Kiersten Wang of Monument, Colo./Colorado Aerials; and Mackenzie Brannan of Austin, Texas/Capital Gymnastics.
  • 37th Annual Fiesta Bowl, Chandler, Ariz. – Asi Peko of Henderson, Nev./Brown’s Gymnastics-Las Vegas; and Caitlin Mann of Tucson, Ariz./Tumbleweeds Gymnastics.

Wang competed in the inaugural Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup, finishing 15th.


Fourteen spots remain in the 36-gymnast field for the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup, The Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup Series features a total of 17 gymnastics invitationals held throughout the United States from Jan. 14 through Feb. 21. A minimum of two gymnasts from each invitational advance to the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup, scheduled for Friday, March 4, in conjunction with the AT&T American Cup in Jacksonville, Fla.


The remaining Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup Series schedule is as follows:

  • IGI Chicago Style, Chicago, Ill., Feb. 11-13
  • Buckeye Classic, Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 18-20
  • Presidential Classic, Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Feb. 18-20
  • Excalibur Cup, Virginia Beach, Va., Feb. 18-20
  • WOGA Classic, Frisco, Texas, Feb. 19-20
  • Arizona Sunrays Classic Rock Invitational, Glendale, Ariz., Feb. 19-21

The Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup is held the evening prior to the prestigious AT&T American Cup, using the event’s podium. This year’s Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup will be televised live on Universal Sports. For more information on qualifiers, results and photos from each invitational, go to www.nastialiukinsupergirlcup.com.


General admission tickets for the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup are $25 except for AT&T American Cup ticket holders, who may purchase them for $5 through participating gymnastics clubs. Regular-priced tickets may be purchased through Ticketmaster by phone at 800-745-3000; online at Supergirl-Cup-tickets/artist/1553860″>www.ticketmaster.com; at all Ticketmaster outlets; or at the Veterans Memorial Arena Box Office. For more information on tickets or to see the list of participating gym clubs, click here. Visa is the preferred method of payment. Proceeds from the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup benefit the Nastia Liukin Fund, which is part of the National Gymnastics Foundation.


The Supergirl S-shield is universally recognized as an unmatched symbol of strength, leadership and female empowerment, and uniquely embodies the ideals of the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup. This special event, which celebrates the accomplishments of young, rising stars, continues the Supergirl brand’s support of today’s action sports girl and builds on the spirit of the Supergirl Jam, the industry’s only large-scale, all-girls action sports competition.


Background information

  • Nastia Liukin: At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Liukin’s total of five medals tied the U.S. gymnastics record for most medals in one Olympic Games, held by Mary Lou Retton (1984) and Shannon Miller (1992). Liukin’s medals are: gold – all-around; silver – team, balance beam and uneven bars; and bronze – floor exercise. Liukin is just the third U.S. woman to win the Olympic all-around crown. Liukin has graced many magazine covers and appeared on various shows, including Gossip Girl, Make It or Break it and the feature film, Stick It. She was also chosen as one of 2009’s most influential women by MSN Lifestyle. Liukin is considering making a comeback for the 2012 London Olympics and would be coached by her father, Valeri, who has four Olympic medals from 1988 including two gold.

  • Warner Bros. Consumer Products: Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

  • Supergirl by Nastia: Supergirl by Nastia is the first-ever lifestyle merchandise line of its kind for girls available at a major retailer. Supergirl by Nastia features trend-right, affordable apparel that encourages a message of empowerment, creativity, strength, intelligence and independence-the symbolic attributes of the iconic Supergirl S-Shield. The collection, created for today’s 8-12-year-old girls, is available exclusively at JCPenney.

  • DC Entertainment: DC Entertainment, home to such iconic DC Comics properties as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, MAD Magazine, and Fables, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its superheroic characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing more than 1,000 comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Comics is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.

  • AT&T American Cup: The 2011 AT&T American Cup, an all-around FIG World Cup event, is one of the most prestigious international invitationals. The list of former champions comprises some of the sport’s best-known names, including Nastia Liukin, Bart Conner, Paul Hamm, Shawn Johnson, Shannon Miller, Carly Patterson, Mary Lou Retton and Peter Vidmar. For more information, go to ATTAmericanCup.com.