INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – 2005 Pan American Championships and Visa Championships all-around champion Olga Karmansky of Brooklyn, N.Y., tops the eight-woman rhythmic gymnastics squad that will compete in the 2006 Pacific Alliance Championships, one of the world’s premier international events. Scheduled for April 13-15 in Honolulu, the Pacific Alliance Championships includes artistic gymnastics at the Neal Blaisdell Center, as well as rhythmic gymnastics and, for the first time, trampoline will be at the Hawaii Convention Center.

Rachel Marmer of Los Angeles, Calif./ Hollywood Academy, is returning to Honolulu to defend her junior 2004 Pacific Alliance all-around rhythmic gymnastics title. She also won the junior title for all four apparatus, rope, ball, clubs and ribbon.
The U.S. Rhythmic Gymnastics Team for the Pacific Alliance Championships includes: seniors – Aline Bakchajian of Woodland Hills, Calif./Hollywood Academy, Brenann Stacker of Lincolnshire, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic,; Julie Zetlin of Bethesda, Md./Rhythmflex and Karmansky, who trains at Nova; and juniors – Reba Daniels of Cochranville, Pa./Hollywood Academy, Delaney Lonergan of Venice, Calif./Los Angeles School of Gymnastics, Marlee Shape of Buffalo Grove, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic and Marmer.
At the 2005 Pan Am Championships, Karmansky, Bakchajian and Stacker were on the team that won the event’s team gold medal. Karmansky won the 2006 Rhythmic Challenge, with Zetlin, Stacker and Bakchajian finishing second, third and fourth, respectively. This is Zetlin’s first year on the senior level. At the 2004 Pacific Alliance Championships, the USA took second in team competition and both Karmansky and Stacker were on that team.
On the junior level, Marmer won her second straight U.S. junior title at the 2005 Visa Championships. At the 2006 Rhythmic Challenge, Marmer won the all-around for the junior division, followed by Shape, Daniels and Lonergan. The U.S. Junior Women’s Team was second in the team competition at the 2004 Pacific Alliance Championships.
Artistic and rhythmic gymnastics will have team, all-around and individual event competitions for both juniors and seniors. Individual trampoline will also have competition for both juniors and seniors.
In addition to the United States, China and Japan, athletes will represent Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines and Russia. The 2006 Pacific Alliance Championships is one of the first international events in the world to use the new scoring system for artistic gymnastics that allows gymnasts to earn scores above the traditional 10.0.
Tickets are $15 and $30 for artistic gymnastics, with all-session packages for $45 or $75. For rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline, tickets are $15. Tickets may be purchased at the Neal Blaisdell Center Box Office, ticketmaster.com or by calling 877-750-4400 (charge-by-phone). Applicable service fees may apply. NBC Sports is broadcasting action from the Pacific Alliance Championships on April 16 at 4 p.m. ET.
The 2004 Pacific Alliance Championships was held in Honolulu. The USA’s Mary Sanders won the all-around title for rhythmic gymnastics. Paul Hamm and Allyse Ishino won the all-around titles, with the U.S. Senior Men winning seven medals and the U.S. Senior Women sweeping the gold medals in the four event finals. China’s Lu Bo won the title in the parallel bars and still rings, while Taipei’s Lin Hsiang Wei won the pommel horse. In the team competition, Japan and China finished behind the USA for the men, while Australia and China finished second and third, respectively, behind the USA’s women. The USA led the total medal count, followed by China and Canada. In 2001, Honolulu’s Blaisdell Center hosted the Pontiac American Team Cup.
This year’s Pacific Alliance Championships is locally presented by Outrigger Hotels & Resorts and OHANA Hotels & Resorts and sponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Chevron and KHNL/Channel 8 News. A Tom Moffatt Production, Inc., is a promotional partner for the event.