INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 11, 2011 – The road to the 2011 Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup begins this weekend with the first four invitationals in the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup Series – CGA Parents Club Coaches Spectacular in Covington, Ky.; Folger’s New Year Invitational in Wichita, Kan.; Lady Luck Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev.; and Macready & Roethlisberger Flip Fest Invitational in Knoxville, Tenn. The Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup Series features 17 gymnastics invitationals held throughout the United States from January 14 through February 21. A minimum of two gymnasts from each invitational advance to the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup, scheduled for Friday, March 4, in conjunction with the AT&T American Cup in Jacksonville, Fla.
"I am very excited that the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup is entering its second year," said Liukin, the reigning Olympic all-around champion. "I love seeing these great young gymnasts following their dreams, very much like I did. I had so much fun getting to know the girls last year, and I can’t wait to meet this year’s qualifiers."
The 17 invitationals included in the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup Series are:
- CGA Parents Club Coaches Spectacular, Covington, Ky., Jan. 14-16
- Folger’s New Year Invitational, Wichita, Kan., Jan. 14-16
- Lady Luck Invitational, Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 14-16
- Flip Fest Invitational, Knoxville, Tenn., Jan. 14-17
- Circle of Stars, Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 21-23
- Wisconsin Dells Gymnastics Vacation Classic, Wisconsin Dells, Wis., Jan. 28-30
- Parkettes Invitational, Allentown, Pa., Jan. 28-30
- Metroplex Challenge, Fort Worth, Texas, Jan. 29-30
- 2011 Rock-n-Roll Classic, Broadview Heights, Ohio, Feb. 4-6
- Pikes Peak Cup, Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 4-6
- The 37th Annual Fiesta Bowl, Chandler, Ariz., Feb. 4-6
- IGI Chicago Style Meet, Chicago, Ill., Feb. 11-13
- Buckeye Classic, Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 18-20
- Presidential Classic, Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Feb. 18-20
- Excalibur Cup, Virginia Beach, Va., Feb. 18-20
- WOGA Classic, Frisco, Texas, Feb. 19-20
- Classic Rock Invitational, Glendale, Ariz., Feb. 19-21
The second annual Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup is held the evening prior to the prestigious AT&T American Cup, using the event’s podium. This year’s Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup will be televised live on Universal Sports. For more information on qualifiers, results and photos from each invitational, go to www.nastialiukinsupergirlcup.com.
Gymnasts who compete in the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup will receive a Nastia Liukin-designed leotard and a warm-up from GK Elite; two tickets to the AT&T American Cup and recognition during the event; and the opportunity to meet Liukin and participate in a team photo.
The Supergirl S-shield is universally recognized as an unmatched symbol of strength, leadership and female empowerment, and uniquely embodies the ideals of the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup. This special event, which celebrates the accomplishments of young, rising stars, continues the Supergirl brand’s support of today’s action sports girl and builds on the spirit of the Supergirl Jam, the industry’s only large-scale, all-girls action sports competition.
Background Information
Nastia Liukin: At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Liukin’s total of five medals tied the U.S. gymnastics record for most medals in one Olympic Games, held by Mary Lou Retton (1984) and Shannon Miller (1992). Liukin’s medals are: gold – all-around; silver – team, balance beam and uneven bars; and bronze – floor exercise. Liukin is just the third U.S. woman to win the Olympic all-around crown. Liukin has graced many magazine covers and appeared on various shows, including Gossip Girl, Make It or Break it and the feature film, Stick It. She was also chosen as one of 2009’s most influential women by MSN Lifestyle. Liukin is considering making a comeback for the 2012 London Olympics and would be coached by her father, Valeri, who has four Olympic medals from 1988 including two gold.
Warner Bros. Consumer Products: Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.
Supergirl by Nastia: Supergirl by Nastia is the first-ever lifestyle merchandise line of its kind for girls available at a major retailer. Supergirl by Nastia features trend-right, affordable apparel that encourages a message of empowerment, creativity, strength, intelligence and independence-the symbolic attributes of the iconic Supergirl S-Shield. The collection, created for today’s 8-12-year-old girls, is available exclusively at JCPenney.
DC Entertainment: DC Entertainment, home to such iconic DC Comics properties as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, MAD Magazine, and Fables, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its superheroic characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing more than 1,000 comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Comics is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.
AT&T American Cup: The 2011 AT&T American Cup, an all-around FIG World Cup event, is one of the most prestigious international invitationals. The list of former champions comprises some of the sport’s best-known names, including Nastia Liukin, Bart Conner, Paul Hamm, Shawn Johnson, Shannon Miller, Carly Patterson, Mary Lou Retton and Peter Vidmar. For more information, go to ATTAmericanCup.com.
Supergirl and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics.(s10)