Defending Champions Sean Townsend and Tasha Schwikert Expected to Compete

Indianapolis- The roster is set for the 2002 U.S. Gymnastics Championships where nearly 200 of America’s best gymnasts will compete for the coveted national title, August 7-10 at Cleveland’s Gund Arena and the Public Hall.

Expected to compete in the men’s competition are 2001 parallel bars World Champion and defending national champion Sean Townsend (Houston, Texas), five-time national champion and two-time Olympian Blaine Wilson (Columbus, Ohio), 2000 Olympian twin brothers Morgan and Paul Hamm (Waukesha, Wis.), and 2001 World Championships silver medal winning team members Steve McCain (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Brett McClure (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and Guard Young (Norman, Okla.).
On the women’s side, defending women’s champion Tasha Schwikert (Las Vegas, Nev.) headlines the competition, along with 2001 runner-up Tabitha Yim (Irvine, Calif.), three-time junior national champion Kristal Uzelac (Johnstown, Pa.), who will join the senior ranks for the first time at this year’s competition, and recent U.S. Classic champion Annia Hatch (West Haven, Conn.).
The rhythmic competition will feature 2001 runner-up Olga Karmansky (Brooklyn, NY) and defending junior national champion Lisa Wang (Buffalo Grove, Ill.). Three-time reigning national champion Jessica Howard (Jacksonville, Fla.) will not be competing at the Championships due to injury.
2000 Olympian Jennifer Parilla (Lake Forest, Calif.) and Olympic alternate Ryan Weston (Chubbuck, Idaho) are expected to compete in the trampoline competition.
The U.S. Gymnastics Championships will crown national champions in both all-around and individual event finals for artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and trampoline & tumbling. The competition will name the 2002-2003 Senior and Junior National Teams who will represent the U.S. in international competition throughout the year. The Championships also serve as a qualifier to the 2002 Individual World Championships, which are November 20-24, in Debrecen, Hungary.
All-session and single-session tickets for the 2002 U.S. Gymnastics Championships are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone at 216-241-2121, online at ticketmaster.com, or at the Gund Arena Box Office. Please visit USA Gymnastics Ticket Info and the 2002 U.S. Championships website for more event information.
In conjunction with the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, the following athletes will be inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 10, in Cleveland: Olympians Trent Dimas, Jair Lynch, Betty Okino, Kerri Strug, trampoline and tumbling legends Dickie Browning, Bil Copp, and Alexandra Nicholson, legendary coach Nard Cazzell, and distinguished judge George Beckstead.