INDIANAPOLIS, July 26, 2019 – At the 2019 U.S. Gymnastics Championships at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 8-11, 2016 Olympic and 2018 World all-around champion Simone Biles of Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, is seeking to become the first woman in nearly 70 years to win six senior U.S. all-around titles. Biles and 11 of her U.S. Senior National Team teammates are among the 17 women competing in the senior division, and 29 women are competing as juniors.
Biles has the opportunity to tie with Clara Schroth Lomady, who won the women’s all-around from 1945-46 and 1949-52, as the only women to win six U.S. all-around titles. Along with Biles, the members of the senior national team in the field are: 2019 Gymnix International team gold-medalist Sloane Blakely of Frisco, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics; two-time World silver-medalist Jade Carey of Phoenix, Ariz./Arizona Sunrays; 2018 U.S. vault silver-medalist Jordan Chiles of Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre; 2018 World team gold-medalist Kara Eaker of Grain Valley, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express; 2019 Gymnix International vault champion Aleah Finnegan of Lee’s Summit, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express; 2017 World all-around champion Morgan Hurd of Middletown, Del./First State Gymnastics; 2019 Jesolo Trophy team gold-medalist Shilese Jones of Westerville, Ohio/Future Gymnastics Academy; 2019 Jesolo Trophy all-around champion Sunisa Lee of St. Paul, Minn./Midwest Gymnastics Center; 2018 World team gold-medalist Grace McCallum of Isanti, Minn./Twin City Twisters; 2018 World team gold-medalist Riley McCusker of Brielle, N.J./MG Elite; 2018 Pan Am Championships all-around silver-medalist Trinity Thomas of York, Pa./University of Florida Gymnastics; and 2019 American Cup champion Leanne Wong of Overland Park, Kansas/Great American Gymnastics Express.
The U.S. Junior National Team members in the field are: Ciena Alipio of San Jose, Calif./West Valley Gymnastics School; Sydney Barros of Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics; Skye Blakely of Frisco, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics; Sophia Butler of Houston, Texas/Discover Gymnastics; Kayla DiCello of Boyds, Md./Hill’s Gymnastics; Olivia Greaves of Staten Island, N.Y./MG Elite; Lilly Lippeatt of Mason, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics; Konnor McClain of Cross Lanes, W.Va./Revolution Gymnastics; and Kaylen Morgan of Huntersville, N.C./Everest Gymnastics.
A part of the Team USA Champions Series, the U.S. Championships determines the men’s and women’s U.S. champions and U.S. National Teams for the junior and senior elite levels. The U.S. Championships will serve as part of the selection process for the U.S. Team for the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, in October.
Single session and five multi-session packages are available. All ticket prices are plus applicable fees. Tickets may be purchased at sprintcenter.com.
- Women’s Day 1 sessions, Aug. 9: both junior and senior sessions, $85-$150
- Women’s Day 2 sessions, Aug. 11: both junior and senior sessions, $99-$165
- Men’s Day 1 and 2 sessions, Aug. 8 and 10: all men’s junior and senior sessions, $85-$130
- Senior men’s and women’s Day 2 sessions, Aug. 10/men and Aug. 11/women: both men’s and women’s sessions, $95-$140
- Single session tickets, Aug. 8-11: range in price from $27-$122, depending on the session and day
- All-session (all eight competitive sessions), Aug. 8-11: $200-$550. Platinum ticket package includes VIP seating, an Olympian meet-and-greet, and a USA Gymnastics gift.
The competition schedule, which is subject to change, for the four days is below. All times are Central.
- Thursday, August 8: Men’s gymnastics – 1 p.m., juniors, and 6:30 p.m., seniors
- Friday, August 9: Women’s gymnastics – 1 p.m., juniors, and 6:30 p.m., seniors
- Saturday, August 10: Men’s gymnastics – 1 p.m., juniors, and 6:30 p.m., seniors
- Sunday, August 11: Women’s gymnastics – 1 p.m., juniors, and 6:30 p.m., seniors
At the 2018 U.S. Championships, both Biles and two-time Olympian Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif./U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, won their fifth U.S. women’s and men’s all-around titles, respectively. Also in 2018, Biles won her fourth World all-around title, as well as the vault and floor gold, uneven bars silver and balance beam bronze medals. Biles also anchored the U.S. women’s Team that won the team title. Mikulak brought home his first individual World medal, the horizontal bar bronze.
USA Gymnastics is partnering with the Kansas City Sports Commission for the 2019 event, with support from Visit KC and Sprint Center. This is the first time the event has been in Kansas City since 1987.
The Team USA Champions Series showcases numerous Olympic sports throughout the season, highlighting the year-round quest of Team USA athletes to compete at the Olympic Games.
Sprint Center played host to both the 2012 and 2016 Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions. Kansas City has also staged other gymnastics events, including the final selection event for trampoline for the 2008 Olympic Games.
The roster of former U.S. all-around champions is a veritable who’s who of gymnastics, including: women – Jordyn Wieber, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Carly Patterson, Courtney Kupets, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Kim Zmeskal and Mary Lou Retton; and men –Jonathan Horton, Paul Hamm, Blaine Wilson, John Roethlisberger, Mitch Gaylord, Peter Vidmar and Bart Conner. The U.S. Gymnastics Championships traces its history back to 1897 for the men and 1931 for the women.
Additionally, the USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show will be held at the Kansas City Convention Center, Aug. 8-11, in conjunction with the championships. The annual USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show provides a valuable opportunity for gymnastics professional around the country to attend educational presentations, as well as a number of live demonstrations, on a variety of topics, including coaching, judging, business, preschool, school-age/recreational, sports science, fitness and safe sport and more. Attendees also receive admittance to the trade show hall where they can visit vendor booths that provide specific goods and services to the gymnastics community.
Background information
- Sprint Center. Sprint Center is Kansas City’s home for live entertainment and sporting events. Anchor to more than $6 billion of reinvestment in a revitalized downtown Kansas City, the award winning venue has welcomed more than 11 million guests and generated more than $1.01 billion in economic activity since opening in 2007. Having exceeded attendance and financial projections in each year of operation, Sprint Center annually hosts more than 100 ticketed events and is a unique public/private partnership between AEG and the City of Kansas City, Mo.
- Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation. The mission of the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation is to drive Kansas City’s overall sports strategy, to enrich the quality of life, create economic impact and raise visibility for our region, with the vision of making a better Kansas City through Sports. For the latest on Kansas City Sports Commission news, follow on Twitter, Facebook Instagram and YouTube. Also, follow the Kansas City Marathon presented by Garmin on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. www.sportkc.org.
- Visit KC. Visit KC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to ignite global passion for visiting Kansas City. Through marketing, sales and service of the convention and tourism industries, Visit KC supports a vital and growing component of the local economy—generating nearly 48,000 jobs and $5.5 billion in economic impact annually. For more information about Kansas City, go to VisitKC.com.
- USA Gymnastics. Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. The organization is committed to creating a culture that encourages and supports its athletes and focuses on its highest priority, the safety and well-being of the athletes. USA Gymnastics has already taken specific, concrete steps to strengthen its safe sport policies and procedures. The organization’s disciplines include men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics and gymnastics for all (formerly known as group gymnastics). For more complete information, log on to usagym.org.
2019 U.S. Championships field for women’s gymnastics
Gymnasts are alphabetical by state.
Arizona
Jade Carey, Phoenix, Ariz./Arizona Sunrays, senior
MyKayla Skinner, Gilbert, Ariz./Desert Lights Gymnastics, senior
California
Ciena Alipio, San Jose, Calif./West Valley Gymnastics School, junior
Levi Jung-Ruivivar, Woodland Hills, Calif./Paramount Elite Gymnastics, junior
Emily Lee, Los Gatos, Calif./West Valley Gymnastics School, senior
Nola Matthews, Gilroy, Calif./Airborne Gymnastics Training Center, junior
Sophie Parenti, Menlo Park, Calif./San Mateo Gymnastics, junior
Delaware
Love Birt, Camden, Del./First State Gymnastics, junior
Morgan Hurd, Middletown, Del./First State Gymnastics, senior
Florida
Mya Witte, Greenacres, Fla./Genie’s Gymnastics, junior
Illinois
Gabby Perea, Geneva, Ill./Legacy Elite Gymnastics, senior
Kansas
Leanne Wong, Overland Park, Kansas/Great American Gymnastics Express, senior
Maryland
Kayla DiCello, Boyds, Md./Hill’s Gymnastics, junior
Sydney Morris, Bowie, Md./First State Gymnastics, junior
Anya Pilgrim, Germantown, Md./Hill’s Gymnastics, junior
Minnesota
Sunisa Lee, St. Paul, Minn./Midwest Gymnastics Center, senior
Grace McCallum, Isanti, Minn./Twin City Twisters, senior
Lyden Saltness, Forest Lake, Minn./Midwest Gymnastics Center, junior
Ella Zirbes, Stillwater, Minn./Flips Gymnastics, junior
Missouri
Kara Eaker, Grain Valley, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express, senior
Aleah Finnegan, Lee’s Summit, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express, senior
Nevada
Kailin Chio, Henderson, Nev./Gymcats Gymnastics, junior
Sienna Robinson, Las Vegas, Nev./Browns Gymnastics Las Vegas, junior
New Jersey
eMjae Frazier, Erial, N.J./Parkettes National Gymnastics Center, junior
Riley McCusker, Brielle, N.J./MG Elite, senior
Ariel Posen, Manalapan, N.J./MG Elite, junior
New York
Olivia Greaves, Staten Island, N.Y./MG Elite, junior
North Carolina
Lauren Little, Mooresville, N.C./Everest Gymnastics, junior
Kaylen Morgan, Huntersville, N.C./Everest Gymnastics, junior
Ohio
Shilese Jones, Westerville, Ohio/Future Gymnastics Academy, senior
Lilly Lippeatt, Mason, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics, junior
Pennsylvania
Addison Fatta, Wrightsville, Pa./Prestige Gymnastics, junior
Trinity Thomas, York, Pa./University of Florida Gymnastics, senior
Texas
Sydney Barros, Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, junior
Simone Biles, Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, senior
Skye Blakely, Frisco, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics, junior
Sloane Blakely, Frisco, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics, senior
Sophia Butler, Houston, Texas/Discover Gymnastics Inc., junior
Jordan Chiles, Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, senior
Karis German, Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, junior
Zoe Miller, Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, junior
Katelyn Rosen, Boerne, Texas/Mavericks Gymnastics, junior
Virginia
Jamison Sears, Yorktown, Va./World Class Gymnastics, junior
Ava Siegfeldt, Newport News, Va./World Class Gymnastics, junior
West Virginia
Konnor McClain, Cross Lanes, W.Va./Revolution Gymnastics, junior
Wisconsin
Faith Torrez, Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Legacy Elite Gymnastics, senior