© Volker Minkus
GLASGOW, Scotland, Oct. 11, 2008 – Kristin Allen and Michael Rodrigues, both of Livermore, Calif./West Coast Training Center, advanced to the finals in mixed pairs at the 2008 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships, held at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland. The duo qualified for tomorrow’s finals in third place behind two mixed pairs from Russia.
Allen and Rodrigues posted scores of 28.601 and 28.751 for their dynamic and combined routines, respectively. With their balance routine score of 28.080 from the first day of competition, the duo moved into third place with a total score of 85.432. The Russian mixed pair of Olga Sviridova and Stanislav Babarykin is first with an 86.530, followed by Anastasia Gorbatyuk and Alexander Barleben in second with a 86.322.
Allen and Rodrigues will compete last in the finals, putting them in a good position to bring home a medal. The gymnasts only compete a combined routine in the finals, and scores from the qualification round do not carry forward.
The 2008 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships features competition in five events: men’s, women’s and mixed pairs (two gymnasts); women’s group (three gymnasts); and men’s group (four gymnasts). For complete results, click here.
Acrobatic gymnastics, previously referred to as sport acrobatics, combines the beauty of dance with the strength and agility of acrobatics. Gymnastics skills add excitement to the routines, while intense acrobatic balances show grace, strength and flexibility. Routines are choreographed to music and consist of dance, tumbling, and partner skills. At the elite level, each pair or group performs a balance, dynamic and combined routine. Pyramids and partner holds characterize the balance routine, while synchronized tumbling and intricate flight elements define the dynamic routine. The combined routine unites elements of balance and dynamic.
An acrobatic gymnastics pair consists of a base and a top. A women’s group is comprised of a base, middle and top partner, while a men’s group has a base, two middle partners and one top partner. Bases generally are older athletes who display strength and balance and top partners generally are younger athletes who display flexibility and agility. Middle partners often are required to show a combination of all attributes.