RICHMOND, B.C., Canada, April 9, 2014 – After winning the team and both all-around titles, as well as both all-around silvers, five U.S. women advanced to compete in the individual event finals at the 2014 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships at the Richmond (B.C., Canada) Olympic Oval. The junior event finals are on Friday, with the seniors on Saturday. Competition continues later today with the men’s team and all-around finals and the first day of individual rhythmic gymnastics. Fans can follow all of the action via a live webstream available through usagym.org.
Elizabeth Price of Coopersburg, Pa., and Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max, will both compete in the finals for the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. Bailie Key of Montgomery, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, will compete in all four junior event finals. Nia Dennis of Westerville, Ohio/Buckeye Gymnastics, will compete in the vault and floor junior finals, and Norah Flatley of Cumming, Iowa/Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance, earned a trip to the uneven bars and balance beam finals. The senior women did not have anyone vie for a berth to the vault finals.
Earlier today, the U.S. Junior Rhythmic Gymnastics Group won the silver all-around and 10 clubs medals, along with the five hoop bronze.
The remaining competition schedule is listed below, and each of these sessions will have a live webstream, provided by ViaSport Productions in partnership with Gymnastics BC and Gymnastics Canada, that has a separate feed for each apparatus. ViaSport also plans to archive each participant’s routines. The legend for the abbreviations used below is: WAG=women’s artistic gymnastics; MAG=men’s artistic gymnastics; RG-rhythmic gymnastics; TG=trampoline. The USA is competing in women’s gymnastics, men’s gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics.
Thursday, April 10
- 1:30-4 p.m. – MAG: Group 1 team & all-around
- 1:30.-4:30 p.m. – RG: team and AA, ball & hoop, subdivision 1
- 5:30.-8 p.m. – MAG: Group 2 team, all-around & awards (includes USA)
- 5:30-8:30 p.m. – RG: team and AA, ball & hoop, subdivision 2 (includes USA)
Friday, April 11
- 9 a.m.-12 p.m. – RG: team and AA, ribbon & club, subdivision 1
- 1-4:15 p.m. – RG: team and AA, ribbon & club, subdivision 2 (includes USA)
- 6-9 p.m. – TG: Individual & team, team awards
- 6-9:30 p.m. – MAG & WAG: Junior event finals & awards
Saturday, April 12
- 9 a.m.-1 p.m. – RG: junior and senior event finals & awards
- 2:30 p.m.-6 p.m. – MAG & WAG: senior event finals & awards; TG: finals & awards
2014 Winter Cup all-around champion Chris Brooks of Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Gymnastics), 2012 Olympic alternate Alex Naddour of Gilbert, Ariz./Team Hilton Honors (USA Youth Fitness Center), and 2013 World parallel bars bronze medalist John Orozco of the Bronx, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors (U.S. Olympic Training Center), are the seniors on the team. Juniors Davis Grooms of Katy, Texas/Champions Gymnastics, Marty Strech of Fountain Valley, Calif./Azarian U.S. Gymnastics Training Center, and Alec Yoder of Indianapolis, Ind./InterActive Academy, recently won the team title at the recent Pan American Championships, where Strech won the all-around, Yoder earned three event titles (pommel horse, still rings and parallel bars), and Grooms claimed two event medals.
For men’s and women’s gymnastics, each has a six-person team that is a combination of junior and senior level gymnasts. The team competition and all-around are held in the first session. The team competition is 6-5-4, which means all six may compete on each apparatus, with five designated on each event to compete for the team score and the four best scores of the five are used. The top eight for each apparatus, with two per country, will advance to the event finals. There is one team competition, but junior and senior awards for the all-around and event finals.
Rhythmic gymnastics also features a team competition, as well as a junior and senior all-around and event finals. The U.S. team features: seniors – U.S. all-around bronze medalist Cindy Lu of Staten Island, N.Y./Isadora, Rhythmic Challenge all-around silver medalist Aliya Protto of Culver City, Calif./California Rhythms, and U.S. ball bronze medalist Valeriya Sharipova of Livingston, N.J./Independent; and juniors – U.S. junior ribbon champion Brigita Budginas of Agoura Hills, Calif./Platinum Gymnastics Academy, U.S. junior clubs champion Nastasya Generalova of Los Angeles, Calif./California Rhythms, and 2014 Rhythmic Challenge ribbon silver medalist Ekatherina Kapitonova of Staten Island, N.Y./Isadora.
In addition to the United States, the countries participating are: Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Philippines and Singapore.
Tickets are still available for the championships with some sessions sold-out or with limited availability. All tickets can be purchased on line at www.pacificrimchamps.eventbrite.com.
The 2014 Pacific Rim Championships are hosted by Gymnastics Canada and Gymnastics BC. The Pacific Rim Championships (known as the Pacific Alliance Championship until 2008) were last held in Canada in 2002 in Burnaby. Recent hosts include Honolulu in 2004 and 2006; San Jose, Calif., in 2008; Melbourne, Australia, in 2010; and Everett, Wash., in 2012. At the past four summer Olympics, Pacific Rim countries have combined for a total of 101 gymnastics Olympic medals including 37 gold. For more detailed information, go to www.pacificrimchamps.com.
The webstream is provided by ViaSport Productions. ViaSport Productions is the catalyst behind increasing the exposure, recognition and power of amateur-level sport across British Columbia. As the broadcast arm of ViaSport, the organization responsible for the growth and development of BC’s amateur sport sector, the goal driving ViaSport Productions is to bring a range of online sport programming – live-streamed event coverage, interviews, commentary and more – into every home across the province. Share your event with the world: apply to have your event live-streamed by ViaSport Productions. Visit www.viasport.ca/viasport-productions to learn more.