LONG BEACH, Calif., May 7, 2011 – Adrian De Los Angeles of Long Beach, Calif./SCATS, won the Level 10 16-18 all-around title at the 2011 U.S. Men’s Junior Olympic National Championships at the Long Beach (Calif.) Arena. The all-around competition concludes later today for Level 9 (12-13), with the Levels 9 and 10 individual event finals on May 8.
De Los Angeles scored a 176.150 to win the all-around title. He also qualified for three individual event finals – pommel horse, parallel bars and horizontal bar. In second place, Jake Martin of Oviedo, Fla./Orlando Metro, posted a 175.350. Martin advanced to three event finals, floor, vault and high bar, where he earned the top two-day total of 29.300. Rounding out the top three was Stacey Ervin of Taylor, Mich./Mills Gymnastics USA, at 173.150. Ervin posted the highest two-day score for the floor exercise at 30.600 to qualify for the finals, along with qualifying for the vault and parallel bars finals. The top 36 in the all-around prelims advanced to the finals and scores from both days counted equally for the all-around. Scores do not carry over to the individual event finals.
The levels are determined by age and skill level. Level 10 is split into two age groups, 14-15 years old and 16-18 years old, while Level 9 has only 12-13 years old. The Junior Olympic National Championships are a qualifier for Level 10 gymnasts to advance to the Visa Championships (Aug. 17-20 in Saint Paul, Minn.), where the national teams for both age groups are determined. The top gymnasts in Level 9 are named to the Junior Olympic National Team.
The competition schedule wraps up with the individual event finals for all levels on May 8 at 12 p.m.
Tickets may be purchased at the Long Beach Arena. Ticket prices are children 5-15, seniors (55+) and active military immediate family for $20, and adults for $25. All children aged four and under are admitted free. ID is required for age-specific and military rates. Tickets are cash or check only.
Azarian US Gymnastics Training Center is the host club for the Junior Olympic Championships. The meet co-directors are Tim and Melany Klempnauer and Roger and Debbie Baldwin.
The U.S. Junior Olympic National Championships is one of the national championships of USA Gymnastics, the sport’s national governing body in the United States. Many Junior Olympic champions have gone on to make the U.S. National Team and represent the United States in international competition and/or to compete in collegiate gymnastics. All of the members of the medal winning 2004 (silver) and 2008 (bronze) U.S. Olympic Teams are past Junior Olympic National Championships participants, including Paul Hamm, 2004 Olympic all-around champion, and Jonathan Horton, 2008 Olympic horizontal bar silver medalist and 2010 World all-around bronze medalist.