DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Sept. 1, 2013 – Following the conclusion of the 2013 Stars and Stripes Cup at Daytona Beach’s (Fla.) Ocean Center, USA Gymnastics has named the U.S. Team for the 2013 World Trampoline and Tumbling Championships, scheduled for Nov. 7-10, in Sofia, Bulgaria.
2013 World Championships Team
- Trampoline
Men
Logan Dooley, Lake Forest, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics
Jeffrey Gluckstein, Atlantic Highlands, N.J./ETA
Steven Gluckstein, Atlantic Highlands, N.J./ETA
Neil Gulati, Irvine, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics
Alexi Shostak, Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express
Women
Hayley Butcher, St. John, Ind./Midwest Training and Ice Center
Charlotte Drury, Laguna Niguel, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics
Shaylee Dunavin, Amarillo, Texas/All-American
Deana Parris, Burtonsville, Md./Fairland Gymnastics
Savannah Vinsant, Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express
Tumbling
Men
Austin Nacey, Braidwood, Ill./TwistStars Tumbling and Trampoline LTD.
Alex Renkert, Indianapolis, Ind./Geist Sports Academy
Garret Waterstradt, Paxton, Ill./Irish’s Gymnastics
Women
Marina Moskalenko, St. Cloud, Fla./Stick It Gymnastics
Yuliya Stankevich-Brown, Idaho Falls, Idaho/Idaho Elite Gymnastics
Double mini-trampoline
Men
Austin Nacey, Braidwood, Ill./TwistStars Tumbling and Trampoline LTD.
Alex Renkert, Indianapolis, Ind./Geist Sports Academy
Ryan Roberts, Ramona, Calif./So Cal TTC
Austin White, Newport Coast, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics
Garret Waterstradt, Paxton, Ill./Irish’s Gymnastics
Women
Shelby Gill, Ladera Ranch, Calif./ Air Sports Unlimited
Erin Jauch, Crystal Lake, Ill./Fox Valley Tumbling and Trampoline
Kristle Lowell, Three Rivers, Mich./Branch Gymnastics
Sonia Shah, Indianapolis, Ind./Scamps Gymnastics
Tristan Van Natta, Pendleton, Ind./Geist Sports Academy
Kalon Ludvigson of Pocatello, Idaho/Team Revolution, automatically qualified for the men’s tumbling squad through the selection procedures, but he has relinquished his team berth due to his current circumstances.
The members of the World Championships Team were determined based on rankings in the World Championships Selection Points System. The first two senior women and two senior men in each event in the Points System rankings automatically qualified to the World Championships Team. Gymnasts earned points for the World Championships Selection Points System based on their highest finishes at two of the three events: U.S. Elite Challenge, U.S. Trampoline and Tumbling Championships, and Stars & Stripes Cup. To receive the points, the athlete’s routine must also meet specific criteria, which is outlined in the selection procedures. The Selection Committee named the remainder of the athletes, using the following criteria: hit percentage and scoring potential; degree of difficulty; time of flight; recent domestic and international performances; experience; ranking in the World Championships Selection Points System; etc.
The members of the Selection Committee were: Susan Jacobson, trampoline and tumbling program director; Megan Gearhart, Elite Program Committee chair; Justen Millerbernd, Elite Program Committee tumbling/double mini-trampoline coach’s representative; Dmitri Poliaroush, Elite Program Committee trampoline coach’s representative; and Karl Heger, athlete representative.
Trampoline events involve athletes using trampolines that can propel them up to 30 feet in the air, during which they can perform double and triple twisting somersaults. Tumbling utilizes elevated rod-floor runways that enable athletes to jump at heights more than 10 feet and execute a variety of acrobatic maneuvers. For the double-mini competition, the athlete makes a short run, leaps onto a small two-level trampoline, performs an aerial maneuver and dismounts onto a landing mat. Trampoline was added to the Olympic Games in 2000, and at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the USA had its first athlete in history advance to the finals.