LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., June 16, 2011 – Shelby Kisiel of Houston and Jazzy Kerber of Highland Park, Ill., won the senior and junior all-around titles, respectively, at the 2011 U.S. Rhythmic Classic, held June 11-12 at the HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in suburban Orlando, Fla. In total, the United States won 23 medals – 10 gold, 12 silver and one bronze. The U.S. Rhythmic Classic was part of the inaugural ESPN RISE Girls Showcase.

In the senior division, Kisiel, who trains at North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, won every available gold medal – all-around, 101.875; hoop, 26.100; ball, 25.700; clubs, 24.700; and ribbon, 24.525. New York City’s Alexis Page, who trains at Aviator Sports and Recreation, also won five medals: silver – hoop, 23.650; ball, 23.925; clubs, 24.650; and ribbon, 24.450; and bronze – all-around, 93.175.

In addition to her junior all-around gold, Kerber, who trains at North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics, claimed the silver medal for all four individual events. Kerber’s scores were: all-around, 98.075; hoop, 24.350; ball, 23.450; clubs, 23.400; and ribbon, 23.175. Rebecca Sereda of Staten Island, N.Y./Isadora, won the four event gold medals and was second in the all-around: all-around, 96.400; hoop, 24.525; ball, 26.000; clubs, 25.175; and ribbon, 24.525.

In addition to the four rhythmic gymnasts representing the USA, four additional gymnasts participated in the all-around to gain experience, but were not included in the official results: senior – Polina Kozitskiy of Fountainville, Pa. (95.800), and Olga Pavlenko of Brooklyn, N.Y. (98.075); and junior – Cindy Lu (87.325) and Serena Lu (86.150), both of Blaine, Minn.

The USA’s group finished second in all three events – all-around, ball (five) and ribbon (3)/hoop (2). Spain won the three gold medals, with Venezuela in third.

The members of the U.S. group, which trains at North Shore Rhythmics in Deerfield, Ill., are: Rachel Anderson, Jessica Bogdanov, Megan Frohlich, Aimee Gupta, Michelle Przybylo, Sofya Roytburg and Sydney Sachs.

The countries competing were Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Moldova, Philippines, Spain, United States and Venezuela. The international two-day event featured competition in the all-around and individual events for both juniors and seniors in individual rhythmic gymnastics and senior group.

The ESPN RISE Showcase is a three-week sports festival celebrating female sports that will involve nearly 15,000 elite and recreational female athletes competing in basketball, gymnastics, softball, taekwondo and volleyball June 2-22. The U.S. Open Championships and the Junior Olympic Rhythmic Gymnastics Optional Championships and Invitational were included in the ESPN RISE Showcase.

Background information

  • ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which hosts more than 300 events a year, is the leading multi-sport venue for amateur and professional sports in the United States, accommodating 70 different sports and athletes from more than 70 countries. Designed to take youth sports to the next level, the 230-acre facility features the ESPN Innovation Lab, a real-world testing ground for the ESPN Emerging Technology Group to develop ground-breaking on-air products like Ball Track and ESPN Snap Zoom, as well as development of its new 3-D television channel. In addition, the complex features 56 high-definition cameras (42 robotic, 10 hand-held and four studio) and 40 high-definition video screens, including three jumbo screens, that can capture and display footage from any event taking place at the complex. The camera and video screens, as well as a 20-zone audio system, are controlled through the state-of-the-art HD and 3-D Broadcast Center that features eight edit bays and links to ESPN facilities in Bristol, Conn., New York and Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.wdwnews.com for press releases, photos and videos. Follow us on Twitter at @DisneySports.

  • ESPN RISE. ESPN RISE represents ESPN’s commitment to engage and elevate high school student-athletes by providing them with recognition, resources, information and inspiration to improve their skills and achieve their goals. ESPN RISE assets include ESPN RISE Guy and Girl magazines, with special issues for football, basketball, track and recruiting; ESPNRISE.com; mobile and social media products (Facebook.com/ESPNRISE and Twitter @ESPNRISE); and more than 160 high school events including Elite 11, Elite 24, ESPN RISE Games, ESPN RISE National High School Invitational, Area Code Baseball, ESPN RISE Girls Showcase, and ESPN RISE Nike Football Combines/Nike Football Training Camps. ESPN RISE is uniquely positioned to provide high school student-athletes and the company’s core fans with compelling high school sports content across multiple ESPN platforms. To follow ESPN RISE Girls on Facebook, please visit www.Facebook.com/espnrisegirl.