INDIANAPOLIS, March 27, 2013 – Approximately 300 trampoline and tumbling athletes will converge on Daytona Beach, Fla., for the 2013 Stars and Stripes Cup, Aug. 29-Sept. 1. The three-day event at the Ocean Center showcases the USA’s best in men’s and women’s trampoline, tumbling, synchronized trampoline and double mini-trampoline and will serve as the final selection event for this year’s World Championships and World Age Group Competition.
"Our trampoline and tumbling athletes are looking forward to returning to Daytona Beach," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. "Our national team athletes enjoyed both the city and competitive success when the 2010 Pan American Championships were held there. The Stars and Stripes Cup features our top trampoline and tumbling gymnasts, and sports fans in the area will have the perfect opportunity to see these athletes as they vie for spots on the 2013 World Championships Team, the first stop on the journey to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil."
The local organizations assisting with the hosting and staging of the Stars and Stripes Cup are the Central Florida Sports Commission, the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Daytona Beach Ocean Center.
"We are delighted to welcome this unique event and their talented athletes to Central Florida" said John Bisignano, president of the Central Florida Sports Commission. "This event is important to our longstanding relationship with USA Gymnastics and Volusia County, as we serve our mission to drive economic development through sports. We expect that the Stars and Stripes Cup will bring 1,100 visitors into market, generating nearly 1,200 room nights and more than $620,000 of economic impact for the region."
"Everyone at the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitor Bureau is very excited and honored to have the opportunity to host the 2013 Stars and Stripes Cup," said Jeffrey Hentz, president of the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. "I’m confident our world-class destination will provide the ideal backdrop for this outstanding event and one that our entire community will embrace and welcome all participants with the warmest hospitality."
"The Ocean Center is proud to be the host venue for this prestigious event." said Angela Daniels, director of sales and marketing for the Ocean Center. "The competition will be a wonderful addition to the Ocean Center’s event schedule and added family activity for the area."
In addition to the junior and senior elite levels, the Stars and Stripes Cup also includes athletes in Levels 8-10 and the Olympic Development Program. The senior elite level will have preliminary, semifinal and final rounds. The Olympic Development Team will be named after the conclusion of the Stars and Stripes Cup.
The World Championships are scheduled for Nov. 7-10, 2013, in Sofia, Bulgaria, and the World Age Group Competition is staged following Worlds from Nov. 13-17.
Trampoline events involve athletes using trampolines that can propel them up to 30 feet in the air, during which they can perform double and triple twisting somersaults. Tumbling utilizes elevated rod-floor runways that enable athletes to jump at heights more than 10 feet and execute a variety of acrobatic maneuvers. For the double-mini competition, the athlete makes a short run, leaps onto a small two-level trampoline, performs an aerial maneuver and dismounts onto a landing mat. Trampoline was added to the Olympic Games in 2000, and at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the USA had its first athlete in history advance to the finals.