Top six all-around finishers at the 2008 Winter Cup Challenge
© Max Morse

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Feb. 27, 2008— Amid the bright lights and 24-7 activity and excitement of Vegas, the country’s top U.S. men began moving toward achieving their Olympic dreams with the first event of the year, the 2008 Winter Cup Challenge. “Behind the Team” takes fans inside the U.S. men’s annual trek to Las Vegas in the newest episode of “USA Gymnastics: Behind the Team,” the online series available only on the AT&T blue room Team USA site (www.attblueroom.com/teamusa).

The Winter Cup Challenge kicks off every year for the U.S. Men and becomes even more important in an Olympic year. Raj Bhavsar of Houston, Sean Golden of Camden, N.J., David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill., and Blaine Wilson of Columbus, Ohio, are among the athletes who talk about balancing what Las Vegas has to offer and making a statement for the rest of the year through their performances. Fans also get an inside look at the senior men’s national team training camp that precedes the Winter Cup. Alexander Artemev of Lakewood, Colo., David Durante of Garwood, N.J., and Jonathan Horton of Houston give insight into the benefits of national team camps, including building friendships and team camaraderie and checking their progress against the USA’s other top gymnasts.

“USA Gymnastics: Behind the Team” is a joint initiative of USA Gymnastics and AT&T.

Visitors to the AT&T blue room Team USA site can sign up to receive e-mail alerts when new “Behind the Team” episodes are launched. Visitors can also download a free, customizable USA Gymnastics Desktop Communicator. The Communicator includes an RSS news feed, alerts users to breaking gymnastics news, runs a countdown to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, displays weather information for selected ZIP codes and showcases special promotions and offers.

The AT&T blue room Team USA site gives sports fans intimate access to U.S. Olympic Team hopefuls across a range of sports. AT&T is an official partner of USA Gymnastics.