KISSIMMEE, Fla., May 11, 2017 – Over 800 of the USA’s top Level 8, 9 and 10 male gymnasts will compete in the 2017 U.S. Men’s Junior Olympic National Championships, May 11-14, at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Fla. The event features competition in regional team, all-around and individual apparatus.
The levels are determined by age and skill level. Level 8 consists of athletes who are 11 and 12 years old; Level 9 athletes are 13 and 14 years old. At Level 10, there are two age divisions, 15-16 year olds and 17-18 year olds. Each level has two divisions – Junior Elite and Junior Olympic.
For Level 10 athletes competing in the Junior Elite Division, the Junior Olympic National Championships is a qualifier for the 2017 P&G Gymnastics Championships (Aug. 17-20 in Anaheim, Calif.), where the Level 10 Junior National Team will be determined.
The Level 8 and Level 9 Junior National team selection at the Junior Olympic National Championships will be selected on the rank order all-around results from the two days of competition in the Junior Elite Division as follows:
11 Years old, 1 athlete
12 Years old, 3 athletes
13 Years old, 3 athletes
14 Years old, 4 athletes
In addition, 3 athletes will be selected from among the Level 8 or 9 Junior Elite participants at the Junior Olympic National Championships or from approved petitions. The three athletes will be selected by a committee comprised of the High Performance Director, Junior Olympic Program Coordinator and three members of the Junior National Coaching Staff.
In the Junior Olympic division, the top 42 all-around athletes plus the top 6 on an individual event who are not already in the top 42 all-around, from each single age year will advance to Saturday’s Level 10 and Sunday’s Level 8/9 Junior Olympic Division all-around and individual event finals. The combined score from the preliminary session and the finals session will be used to determine the all-around and individual event final rankings.
On Saturday, Level 10 Junior Elite athletes from each age division compete to determine the Level 10 Junior Elite Division all-around and event champions. Level 8 and the Level 9 Junior Elite athletes compete on Sunday to determine the respective all-around and event champions.
Competition begins May 11 with three Level 10 preliminary sessions at 8:50 a.m., 1:10 p.m., and 5:45 p.m. (Junior Elite). The remaining schedule is: May 12 – three Level 8-9 preliminary sessions at 8:50 a.m., 1:10 p.m., and 5:20 p.m. (Junior Elite); May 13 – two sessions of Level 10 all-around and individual event finals, 9:20 a.m. (Junior Elite) and 3:40 p.m. (Junior Olympic): and May 14 – two Level 8-9 all-around and individual event finals, 8:45 a.m. (Junior Elite) and 1:50 p.m. (Junior Olympic).
To advance to the Junior Olympic National Championships, gymnasts competed in state and regional championships and qualified based on their all-around ranking or individual event placement.
The U.S. Junior Olympic National Championships is one of the national championships of USA Gymnastics, the sport’s national governing body in the United States. Many Junior Olympic champions have gone on to make the U.S. National Team and represent the United States in international competition and/or to compete in collegiate gymnastics. All of the members of the men’s medal-winning 2004 (silver) and 2008 (bronze) U.S. Olympic Teams, as well as the 2012 Olympic Team, are former Junior Olympic National Championships participants. Past participants include 2004 Olympic all-around champion Paul Hamm; Olympic and World medalists Jonathan Horton and Danell Leyva; and World medalists Jake Dalton and John Orozco.