International field brings talent to 2016 Pacific Rim Championships presented by Hershey’s

From World champions, Olympians and multiple medal winners to the new up-and-comers, U.S. athletes will compete alongside a deep international field for the 2016 Pacific Rim Championships, presented by Hershey’s, April 8-10, at the XFINITY Arena at Everett (Wash).

March 24, 2016

PacRim2016.com

INDIANAPOLIS, March 24, 2016 – From World champions, Olympians and multiple medal winners to the new up-and-comers, U.S. athletes will compete alongside a deep international field for the 2016 Pacific Rim Championships, presented by Hershey’s, April 8-10, at the XFINITY Arena at Everett (Wash).

Headlining the international field for the women are Australia’s 2012 Olympian Emily Little, a three-time World team member, Commonwealth Games gold medalist and two-time medalist at the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships; her Olympic teammate Larrissa Miller, a four-time World team member and Commonwealth Games silver medalist; and Pacific Rim Championship bronze-medalist Georgia-Rose Brown, also a two-time World team member and Commonwealth Games silver medalist.

Also set to challenge for a medal is 2012 Olympic vault finalist Brittany Rogers of Canada, a two-time world team member, placed third on vault and uneven bars at the 2008 Pacific Rim Championships. Canadians Megan Roberts, Rose-Kaying Woo, and Shallon Olsen earned the team silver at the 2014 Pacific Rim Championships. Additionally, Olsen won vault at the 2016 Elite Canada.

For the men, 2012 Olympic high bar finalist Jossimar Calvo Moreno of Colombia is a top contender along with his veteran teammate three-time Olympian Jorge Giraldo. A five-time World team member, Calvo earned three individual gold medals at the 2015 Pan American Games in addition to the all-around bronze. Also set to contend for a spot on the podium is China’s Weifeng Cai, 2014 Pac Rim pommel horse silver medalist, and teammate Jingyuan Zou, 2014 Pac Rim still rings silver and parallel bars bronze medalist.

World team champions Sergei Azarian and Mikhail Melnik of Russia highlight the men’s international field for trampoline while teammate Anna Kornetskaya, a 2015 World team bronze medalist, headlines the women’s field.

A talented international rhythmic field includes 2014 Pac Rim silver medalists Cindy Huh and Katherine Uchida of Canada, along with China’s Yili Wang, a 2014 Pac Rim team bronze medalist. Danielle Prince, a Commonwealth Games gold medalist and four-time Australian national champion, is another podium contender.

The international field for the 2016 Pacific Rim Championships is as follows.

Women’s gymnastics

Senior

Junior
Colombia: Paula Arevalo, Ximena Quintana, Juliana Villa
Costa Rica: Luciana Alvarado Reid, Camila Montoya Jimenez, Franciny Morales Barquero
Hong Kong: Cheuk Lam Chan, Ho Yat Cheung
Japan: Natsumi Hanashima, Soyoka Hanawa, Kiko Kuwajima, Mana Oguchi
Mexico: Paulina Aranda, Louise Lopez, Jimena Moreno, Jazibe Sandoval
New Zealand: Stella Ashcroft, Estella Mathewson
Singapore: Celeste Pei Lu Tong
Chinese Taipei: Ko Ching Fang, Pin Ju Lai

Men’s gymnastics

Senior

Junior
Chile: Francisco Perez, Ignacio Varas
Colombia: Manuel Martinez, David Toro, Michael Vargas
Costa Rica: Francisco Antonio Acuña Flaqué
Hong Kong: O Long Andrew Fung, Feng Julian Mui, Ka Ki Ng, Chun Hei Vincent Wong
Japan: Kanta Amano, Ryosuke Doi, Ryuto Sako, Kosuke Wakasa
New Zealand: Ethan Dick
Philippines: Mathew Vergara, Carlos Edriel Yulo
Chinese Taipei: Ashih-Yen Fang, Yo-Jan Shiao

Rhythmic gymnastics

Senior

Junior
Australia: Alexandra Eedle, Audrey Freeman, Lidiia Lakovleva
Canada: Alexandra Chtrevenskii, Sophie Crane, Natalie Garcia
Chile: Emilia Bugueiro, Kassandra Guzman and Maria Fernanda Labra
China: Yajing Liu, Ran Yu, Yating Zhao
Hong Kong: Sun Yi Ali, Darynne Qingyan Lee, Ka Kei Wan, Hilda Yeung
Malaysia: Nur Naieme Zainul Ariffin
New Zealand: Stella Ebert, Grace Shroder, Anna Taylor

Trampoline

Senior men

Junior men
Australia: Daniel Hancock
Canada: Zachary Blakely, Jérémy Chartier
Japan: Yamato Ishikawa, Hiroto Unno
Mexico: Adrian Martinez, Victor Rodriguez
Russia: Igor Baykov, Denis Smirnov

Senior women
Australia: Leanne Janse Van Rensburg, Kaitlyn Perkins
Canada: Samantha Sendel, Samantha Smith
Colombia: Katish Hernandez
Japan: Moeri Handa, Chiho Matsubara
Mexico: Karina Cantu, Samantha Chavez
Russia: Susana Kochesok, Anna Kornetskaya

Junior women
Australia: Cassandra Hoare, Kira Ward
Canada: Kalena Soehn
Japan: Oka Sugitani, Yumi Takagi
Mexico: Patricia Nunez, Carolina Peregrina
New Zealand: Madeline Davidson, Alexa Kennedy
Russia: Iana Lebedeva, Daria Trapizonova

The U.S. athletes competing at the Pac Rim Championships are listed below.

Women’s gymnastics

Rest of the team announced in near future

Men’s gymnastics
Jake Dalton of Reno, Nev./Team Hilton (University of Oklahoma)
Sam Mikulak of Newport Beach, Calif./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)
Alex Naddour of Gilbert, Ariz./Team Hilton (USA Youth Fitness Center)
John Orozco of the Bronx, N.Y./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)
Eddie Penev of Penfield, N.Y./U.S. Olympic Training Center
Donnell Whittenburg of Baltimore, Md./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)

Trampoline
Seniors
Charlotte Drury of Laguna Niguel, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics
Shaylee Dunavin of Amarillo, Texas/Trampoline and Tumbling Express
Jeffrey Gluckstein of Atlantic Highlands, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy
Steven Gluckstein of Atlantic Highlands, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy

Juniors
Tristan Ackerson of Florence, Ky./MJM Studios Inc.
Alyssa Oh, Rocklin, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics
Isaac Rowley, Allen, Texas/Eagles Wings Athletics
Jessica Stevens of Ellicott City, Md./Fairland Gymnastics

The three-day Pacific Rim Championships is expected to feature more than 200 gymnasts from more than 19 Pac Rim countries, competing in men’s and women’s gymnastics, trampoline and rhythmic gymnastics. The countries are Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, and the United States.

The various ticket packages for men’s and women’s gymnastics and trampoline at the XFINITY Arena are listed below. Ticket prices vary based on seat location. Tickets may be purchased at the XFINITY Arena Box Office charge by phone 1-866-332-8499 or xfinityarenaeverett.com. Click here for links to the different ticket options.

Men’s gymnastics team and all-around finals plus men’s and women’s trampoline team finals: includes both sessions (1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.) on April 8, with medals awarded following the 7 p.m. session; tickets range in price from $50-$100. The USA will compete in Subdivision 2 for men’s gymnastics.
Women’s gymnastics team and all-around finals plus men’s and women’s trampoline finals: includes both sessions (1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.) on April 9, with medals awarded following the 7 p.m. session; tickets range in price from $65-$125. The USA will compete in Subdivision 2 for women’s gymnastics.
Men’s and women’s gymnastics individual event finals: includes both sessions (12 p.m./juniors and 6 p.m./seniors) on April 10, with medals awarded at the conclusion of each session; tickets range in price from $60-$115.
Single session: men’s gymnastics team and all-around finals/men’s and women’s trampoline team finals, April 8, 1:30 p.m. – $25-$50 and 7 p.m. (USA session for men’s gymnastics) – $30-$65; women’s gymnastics team and all-around finals/men’s and women’s trampoline finals, April 9, 1:30 p.m. – $30-$65 and 7 p.m. (USA session for women’s gymnastics)– $37.50-$75; and men’s and women’s gymnastics event finals, April 10, 12 p.m. (juniors) – $25-$50 and 6 p.m. (seniors) – $39.50-$80.
All-session: includes all six sessions and ranges in price from $275-$125.

Tickets for rhythmic gymnastics, which will be held at the Walt Price Student Fitness Center at the Everett Community College, are general admission: $20 per day, April 8-9, and $25, April 10, plus any applicable fees. The rhythmic gymnastics competition schedule is: April 8-9, 2 p.m. – team and all-around finals (two events per day); and April 10, 1 p.m. – junior and senior individual event finals. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online at xfinityarenaeverett.com.

The competition schedule, which is subject to change, is listed below.

April 8

1:30 p.m. – Subdivision 1: Men’s gymnastics team and all-around finals, and women’s trampoline team finals and individual preliminaries; XFINITY Arena
2 p.m. – Rhythmic gymnastics team and all-around finals (two events), Walt Price Student Fitness Center, Everett Community College
7 p.m. – Subdivision 2: Men’s team and all-around finals, and men’s trampoline team finals and individual preliminaries; XFINITY Arena

April 9

1:30 p.m. – Subdivision 1: Women’s gymnastics team and all-around finals, and junior men’s and women’s trampoline finals; XFINITY Arena
2 p.m. – Rhythmic gymnastics team and all-around finals (two events), Walt Price Student Fitness Center, Everett Community College
7 p.m. – Subdivision 2: Women’s gymnastics team and all-around finals, and senior men’s and women’s trampoline finals; XFINITY Arena

April 10

12 p.m. – Junior men’s and women’s gymnastics individual event finals; XFINITY Arena
1 p.m. – Rhythmic gymnastics junior and senior individual event finals, Walt Price Student Fitness Center, Everett Community College
6 p.m. – Senior men’s and women’s gymnastics individual event finals; XFINITY Arena

The team competition format for all disciplines is a mixture of junior and senior level athletes. The medalists for both team and the all-around, as well as qualifiers for event finals, for men’s, women’s and rhythmic gymnastics are determined during the team competition. For trampoline, the first day of competition determines which athletes advance to the finals. The top eight in the rankings advance to the finals, and a maximum of two athletes per country are eligible to advance to the individual event finals.

For more information on the Pac Rim Championships, go to pacrim2016.com.

In addition to the 2012 and 2016 Pacific Rim Championships, the Seattle area has held three other major gymnastics events: the gymnastics competition at the 1990 Goodwill Games was staged in Tacoma, and Seattle was the site for the 1995 American Cup and 1973 women’s national championships.

Held every two years, the Pacific Rim Championships traditionally feature gymnasts from Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore and the United States. NBC Sports will televise action from the Pacific Rim Championships. Past sites include: 2014, Richmond, B.C., Canada; 2012, Everett, Wash.; 2010, Melbourne, Australia; 2008, San Jose, Calif.; and 2006, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Background information

XFINITY Arena at Everett. The XFINITY Arena at Everett, recipient of the International Association of Venue Manager’s (IAVM) prestigious Venue Excellence Award 2010, was developed by the Everett Public Facilities District. The 10,000-seat venue hosts a myriad of events including concerts, ice skating and family shows. The facility is also home to the Everett Silvertips, a Western Hockey League franchise, and the venue accommodates other sporting events such as basketball, volleyball and international skating competitions. Spectra is a major provider of sports and entertainment hospitality services in Washington. One or more of the divisions is at work supporting 15 Washington venues and events, including Washington State University and Gonzaga.
Spectra by Comcast Spectacor. Spectra by Comcast Spectacor is the expert in hosting and entertainment, partnering with over 300 clients at 400 global properties to create memorable experiences for millions of visitors every year. Spectra’s expertise is embodied within three divisions: Venue Management (formerly Global Spectrum), Food Services & Hospitality (formerly Ovations Food Services), and Ticketing & Fan Engagement (formerly Paciolan). Learn more at SpectraExperiences.com. Comcast Spectacor is part of Comcast Corporation, a Fortune 50 media and technology company that operates Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, in addition to Spectra, Comcast Spectacor owns and operates the National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center venue. Visit us at ComcastSpectacor.com, Philadelphia Flyers.com, and WellsFargoCenterPhilly.com for more information.
The Hershey Company. The Hershey Company, headquartered in Hershey, Pa., is a global confectionery leader known for bringing goodness to the world through its chocolate, sweets, mints and other great-tasting snacks. Hershey has approximately 21,000 employees around the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality products. The company has more than 80 brands around the world that drive more than $7.4 billion in annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Jolly Rancher, Ice Breakers and Brookside. Building on its core business, Hershey is expanding its portfolio to include a broader range of delicious snacks. The company remains focused on growing its presence in key international markets while continuing to extend its competitive advantage in North America. At Hershey, goodness has always been about more than delicious products. For more than 120 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created the Milton Hershey School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on giving underserved children the skills and support they need to be successful. Today, the company continues this social purpose through ‘Nourishing Minds,’ a global initiative that provides basic nutrition to help children learn and grow. From neighborhoods across the United States to the streets of Shanghai and Mumbai and villages of West Africa, our goal is to nourish one million minds by 2020. Visit: www.thehersheycompany.com