INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Feb. 22, 2010 – 2010 Winter Cup Challenge champion Chris Brooks of Houston will join former University of Oklahoma teammate and fellow Houston-native Jonathan Horton as the second American male competing in the 2010 Tyson American Cup, scheduled for March 6 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass.
Brooks and Horton, the 2008 Olympic horizontal bar silver-medalist and reigning U.S. all-around champion, join 2009 World all-around silver-medalist Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas, as U.S. gymnasts who have accepted invitations to compete at the 2010 Tyson American Cup. The remaining U.S. woman will be named on March 1. Brooks replaces 2009 World all-around seventh-place finisher Tim McNeill of Falls Church, Va., who withdrew due to insufficient recovery time to achieve competitive readiness.
Reigning Tyson American Cup champion and 2008 Olympic horizontal bar bronze-medalist Fabian Hambuechen of Germany highlights the international field at the Tyson American Cup that consists of seven 2008 Olympians and three 2009 World medalists, including 2009 World all-around silver-medalist Daniel Keatings of Great Britain, 2009 World vault silver-medalists Ariella Kaeslin of Switzerland and Flavius Koczi of Romania, 2009 World all-around fifth-place finisher Maxim Devyatovskiy of Russia, 2009 World vault-finalist Elsa Garcia of Mexico, and World Cup floor exercise bronze-medalist Elisabeth Seitz of Germany.
Other changes in the line-up include the withdrawals of Claudia Voicu of Romania and 2008 Olympic all-around bronze-medalist Benoit Caranobe of France due to injury. 2008 Olympian Jessica Lopez of Venezuela will take the place of Voicu. Caranobe will not be replaced. The entire field, representing 11 countries, is listed below.
Women
Canada, Dominique Pegg
Germany, Elisabeth Seitz
Japan, Yuko Shintake
Mexico, Elsa Garcia
Switzerland, Ariella Kaeslin
Venezuela, Jessica Lopez
United States, Rebecca Bross
United States, TBD
Men
Colombia, Jorge Hugo Giraldo Lopez
Germany, Fabian Hambuechen
Great Britain, Daniel Keatings
Japan, Koji Yamamuro
Romania, Flavius Koczi
Russia, Maxim Devyatovskiy
United States, Chris Brooks
United States, Jonathan Horton
Tickets, which range from $35-125, are on sale now and may be purchased through Ticketmaster by phone at 800-745-3000; online at www.ticketmaster.com; at all Ticketmaster outlets; through participating gym clubs; or at the DCU Center Ticket Office. Visa is the preferred method of payment.
On March 5, the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup will feature 36 rising young gymnasts, who were chosen to participate from the 15 invitationals participating in the Nastia Liukin Cup Series. Tickets may be purchased in conjunction with the Tyson American Cup.
Background information
Tyson American Cup: The United States’ most prestigious all-around international invitational, the 2010 Tyson American Cup will be held March 6 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. The event will feature some of the world’s top gymnasts in an all-around format. The USA’s Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich., and Germany’s Fabian Hambuechen won the all-around titles at the 2009 Tyson American Cup. The list of former champions comprises some of the sport’s best-known names, including Bart Conner, Paul Hamm, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Shannon Miller, Carly Patterson, Mary Lou Retton and Peter Vidmar.
Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup: A competitive opportunity for 36 of the top Junior Olympic female gymnasts, the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup will be held on March 5 in conjunction with the Tyson American Cup. The one-night event – a joint venture between Warner Bros. Consumer Products, USA Gymnastics and the 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas – and the accompanying Nastia Liukin Cup Series provide a unique competitive opportunity for the country’s rising female gymnasts. Tickets for the event are available with proceeds going to the Nastia Liukin Fund, a charitable fund within the National Gymnastics Foundation.
DCU Center: A multi-purpose arena and convention center uniquely designed to accommodate the needs of any size group from 15 to 15,000, the DCU Center is owned by the City of Worcester and managed by SMG, the world’s leading private management and developing firm for public assembly facilities. Headquartered in Philadelphia, SMG provides management services to over 200 public assembly facilities internationally and also offers food and beverage operations through SAVOR… Catering by SMG. For more information, please visit www.dcucenter.com.
Tyson Foods, Inc.: Founded in 1935 with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, Tyson Foods, Inc. is the world’s largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef and pork, the second-largest food production company in the Fortune 500 and a member of the S&P 500. The company produces a wide variety of protein-based and prepared food products and is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves. Tyson provides products and service to customers throughout the United States and more than 90 countries. The company has approximately 107,000 Team Members employed at more than 300 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it.