CINCINNATI, June 19, 2017 – For the first time, the 2017 USA Gymnastics for All National Championships and GymFest will be hosted by the USA Wheel Gymnastics Federation (USAWGF) and held in conjunction with USA Wheel Gymnastics’ own National Championships and series of workshops. The combined event will take place June 28 – July 1 at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Coaches, officials, friends, family members, and more than 430 competitors will gather in the University’s Harrington Center Gym where Gymnastics for All (GfA) athletes will participate in five events: National GymFest, Power TeamGym, Team Acrobatics and Tumbling, USA Gym for Life Challenge, and Rhythmic Xpress. The University will also be home to a series of educational workshops and performances associated with both national championships.

The event kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on June 28 with the Opening Ceremony on the Purple People Bridge at Newport on the Levee. The ceremony will feature performances from both GfA and USAWGF athletes, a performance by all the participants, and introductions from gymnastics officials.

The remainder of the championships and GymFest will be broken into various competitions, presentations, and workshops. The schedule is listed below.

Thursday, June 29
9 a.m. – Power TeamGym, Levels 1 and 2 11:30 a.m – Power TeamGym, Level 3
12 p.m. – Rhythmic Xpress
2 p.m. – Power TeamGym, Level 4
3: 45 p.m. – Team Acro and Tumbling Seeding 6:30 p.m. – GymFest

Friday, June 30
9:30 a.m. – Power TeamGym, Levels 7 and 8 1 p.m. – Gym for Life Challenge

Saturday, July 1
9:30 a.m. – Power TeamGym, Level 5 and 6 11:45 a.m. – Team Acro and Tumbling Final 3 p.m. – Gala Showcase

GfA and USAWGF athletes will have the opportunity to showcase their routines in the USAWGF’s City Performances at Newport on the Levee Plaza. City Performances are Thursday-Saturday, 12 p.m. The best City Performances will be selected to perform in the Gala Showcase on Saturday afternoon. City Performances are open and free to the public while tickets to the Gala Showcase are $10 each.

Following the Gala Showcase, the busy event will come to a festive close Saturday evening at Devou Park Amphitheatre in Park Hills, Ky. Athletes, family, and friends are welcome to join in for an evening of music with refreshments provided by food trucks.

Spectator tickets for the GfA and USAWGF Championships are available at the event ticket counter on the day of events or online. Individual day passes are $15 per person, while a discounted price of $30 is offered for an All-Event Pass for all three days of events.

Gymnastics for All is one of the six gymnastics disciplines of USA Gymnastics. This diverse sport program provides opportunities and activities for all ages and levels of abilities.

Gymnastics for All activities contribute to the development of general sport skills, fitness, health, important movement patterns and daily life skills. Learn more about GfA at https://usagym.org/gfa.

Power TeamGym consists of team jump routines of tumbling, vaulting, mini-trampoline and team floor exercise. Levels 1-8 will be represented in Cincinnati. TeamGym is a competitive version of group gymnastics where squads of athletes perform together in two events — group floor exercise and group jump. There are 10 graded difficulty levels.

Team Acro and Tumbling is a head-to-head competition with athletes competing in compulsory pyramid, toss, acro and tumbling, combined with a group team event. Team Acro and Tumbling is the developmental program for the varsity team sport and administered by university athletic departments through the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA).

Rhythmic Xpress is an achievement-based program for individuals and groups. Anyone can participate and receive a gold, silver, bronze or copper award based on their score. This program is meant to introduce a wider audience to Rhythmic Gymnastics.

GymFest is designed for the enjoyment of the participants and audience rather than competitive purposes and is the national equivalent of World Gymnaestrada. The Gym for Life Challenge is also a performance-based event where groups have their routines evaluated for a bronze, silver or gold award. Multiple teams can achieve each status.

Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. Its disciplines include men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics and Gymnastics for All (formerly known as group gymnastics). For more complete information, go to usagym.org.

The USA Wheel Gymnastics Team is coached by the eight-time World Wheel Champion, Wolfgang Bientzle. Information about USA Wheel Gymnastics Federation can be found at usawheelgymnastics.com.

Mount St. Joseph University is a Catholic university and sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati that provides an interdisciplinary liberal arts and professional curriculum with undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs emphasizing values, service and social responsibility. The NCAA Division III Mount Lions are part of the HCAC (Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference). Find out more about “the Mount” at msj.edu.