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LOUISVILLE, Ky., July 29, 2013 – Six U.S. elite acrobatic gymnastics all-around titles were decided today as elite competition came to a close at the 2013 U.S. Acrobatic Championships, held at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky.
Kylie Boynton and Ryan Ward, both of Riverside, Calif./Realis Gymnastics Academy, claimed the senior mixed pair title with a combined score of 90.870.
In the senior women’s group competition, Emilia’s Acro Gymnastics’ Hannah Silverman, Christina Antoniades, and Julie Ruppert won the title, posting a three-event score of 77.595. All three reside in Columbia, Md. The trio of Mariah Cockshell, Kennedy Swanson, and Mallory Henthorn, all of Blue Springs, Mo./Acro Explosion, took second with a 72.940 total.
In the junior competition, Maren Merwarth of San Antonio, Texas/Acrobatic Gymnastics of San Antonio and Jessica Renteria, also of San Antonio, Texas/Acrobatic Gymnastics of San Antonio, claimed the women’s pair title. Merwarth and Renteria scored 81.400. The duo was followed by Aerial Tumbling & AcroGymnastics’ Samantha Servellon of San Jose, Calif., and Madeline Bones of San Jose, Calif., in second with 80.410 points.
Aerial Tumbling & AcroGymnastics’ Bryan Allen of and Brennan Atsatt, both of San Jose, Calif., won the junior men’s pair title, posting a combined score of 82.730.
Lydia Webb of Plano, Texas/WOGA, and Axel Osborne of Plano, Texas/WOGA, won the junior mixed pair U.S. title after earning a 80.000 total score. Realis’ Riley Browne and Micah Tuck, both of Riverside, Calif., won the silver medal with 79.800 points.
In the junior women’s group competition, Daphne Kirschner, Mackenzie Meyer and Belinda Watson, who are from Rockville, Md., and train at Xtreme Acro, finished first, scoring 79.600. Realis’ Tiffani Williams, Leslie Munoz, and Katelyn Recktenwald, all of Riverside, Calif., 76.780, and Central Coast’s Emily Rohach, Kristen Sanchez, and Catherin Mulder, who are all of San Luis Obispo, Calif., 74.260, finished second and third, respectively.
This national event features the best acrobatic gymnasts in the United States, representing gymnastics clubs from across the country. Athletes will qualify through state and regional competitions and will compete in women’s pair, men’s pair, mixed pair, women’s group and men’s group, Levels 5 through elite.
Acrobatic gymnastics combines the beauty of dance with the strength and agility of acrobatics. 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 exercise. An acrobatic gymnastics pair consists of a base and a top. A women’s group is comprised of three athletes – a base, middle and top partner – while a men’s group has four athletes, a base, two middle partners and one top partner.