INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 31, 2016 – 2004 Olympic all-around champion Carly Patterson paid visits to two cities playing host to USA Gymnastics premier events in 2016: Hartford, Conn., for the upcoming P&G Men’s Gymnastics Championships and Secret U.S. Classic; and St. Louis, Mo., for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Gymnastics and the P&G Women’s Gymnastics Championships. Patterson signed autographs, met fans and spoke with local media at the American Invitational and a Hartford Wolf Pack game in Hartford and then visited Barron’s Gymnastics, All-American Gymnastics and St. Louis Gym Centre.

P&G Men’s Gymnastics Championships and Secret U.S. Classic
Scheduled for June 3-5, Hartford is the site for the two-day P&G Championships, the national championships for senior men’s gymnastics, and the one-day Secret U.S. Classic, the final women’s qualifier for the P&G Women’s Gymnastics Championships.

The 2016 P&G Championships will determine the men’s senior national champions and national team, as well as the men who will advance to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials – Men’s Gymnastics in St. Louis, June 23 and 25. The Secret U.S. Classic, which has athletes competing on the junior and senior levels, serves as the last opportunity for female gymnasts to qualify for the P&G Women’s Championships in St. Louis (June 24 and 26), as well as a tune-up for many of the country’s top women leading into their national championships.

All-session ticket packages include tickets for all five sessions and range in price from $105-$275. Tickets can be purchased online at XLCenter.com, by phone at 877-522-8499 or at the XL Center Box Office. For Group Sales information, please contact groupsales@xlcenter.com or call 860-548-2000. For more information, go to hartford2016.com.

The competition schedule is: P&G Championships – June 3 at 7 p.m. and June 5 at 1 p.m.; and U.S. Secret Classic – June 4 at 1 p.m. for juniors and 7 p.m. for seniors. The Hopes Championships, which features young, aspiring female gymnasts, is held in conjunction with the Secret U.S. Classic and is scheduled for June 3 at 2:30 p.m.

Held in conjunction with the men’s Olympic Trials, the P&G Women’s Gymnastics Championships will determine the junior and senior champions and national teams, in addition to determining the senior women who will advance to the U.S. Olympic Trials – Women’s Gymnastics, July 8 and 10 in San Jose, Calif. The national championships for junior men will also be held in conjunction with the men’s Trials. For more information on USA Gymnastics’ premier events, go to usagym2016.com.

The Hopes Championships has two age groups, 10-11 year-old and the 12-13 year-old. The Hopes classification is just below the elite level, and the Hopes Championships, previously known as the U.S. Challenge, is the culmination of the Hopes athletes’ season.

The XL Center staged the national men’s and women’s gymnastics championships in both 2010 and 2013, but the Secret U.S. Classic is making its first visit to Hartford.

U.S. Olympic Trials – Men’s Gymnastics and P&G Championships (women/jr. men)
Scheduled for June 23-26, both the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials – Men’s Gymnastics and P&G Gymnastics Championships for women’s and junior men’s gymnastics will be held at Saint Louis University’s Chaifetz Arena, which hosted the 2012 men’s and women’s national championships.

All-session tickets include tickets for all eight competition sessions and range in price from $150-$495 (plus applicable fees), depending on seat location. The platinum package ($495 plus fees) comes with a reserved seat in the first five rows, pre-event hospitality, an Olympian meet-and-greet, a special USA Gymnastics gift, and an Olympian Chalk Talk. The gold package ($395 plus fees) features a special USA Gymnastics gift and an Olympian Chalk Talk. Tickets may be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, Ticketmaster outlets, and at the Chaifetz Arena Box Office. For more information, go to stlouis2016.com.
The June 23-26 competition schedule is listed below; all times are in the Central time zone.

U.S. Olympic Trials – Men’s Gymnastics
Thursday, June 23 – 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 25 – 7 p.m.
P&G Gymnastics Championships
Thursday, June 23, junior men – 1 p.m.
Friday, June 24, women – 1 p.m., juniors, and 7:30 p.m., seniors
Saturday, June 25, junior men – 1 p.m.
Sunday, June 26, women – 1 p.m., juniors, and 7:30 p.m., seniors

The U.S. Olympic Men’s Gymnastics Team will be announced in St. Louis per the approved selection procedures and pending approval of the United States Olympic Committee. The P&G Championships will determine the women who will compete in the women’s trials, as well as the national champions and national teams for junior and senior women and junior men. Both days of competition count equally for each of the events. The St. Louis Sports Commission is the local partner.
Background
The trials and nationals for men’s and women’s gymnastics are being held separately to accommodate the differences in scheduling needed to properly identify and prepare athletes for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The last time the men’s and women’s national championships were at different times and locations was in 2008. The last time the men’s and women’s trials were held separately was in 1976.

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for all sports are a collaborative undertaking between the U.S. Olympic Committee, the national governing bodies and the local organizing committees.

Background information

  • XL Center. Spectra by Comcast Spectacor is the expert in hosting and entertainment, partnering with over 300 clients at 400 global properties to create memorable experiences for millions of visitors every year. Spectra’s expertise is embodied within three divisions: Venue Management (formerly Global Spectrum), Food Services & Hospitality (formerly Ovations Food Services), and Ticketing & Fan Engagement (formerly Paciolan). Learn more at SpectraExperiences.com. Comcast Spectacor is part of Comcast Corporation, a Fortune 50 media and technology company that operates Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, in addition to Spectra, Comcast Spectacor owns and operates the National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center venue. Visit us at ComcastSpectacor.com, PhiladelphiaFlyers.com, and WellsFargoCenterPhilly.com for more information.

  • Chaifetz Arena at the Saint Louis University. Chaifetz Arena (TheChaifetzArena.com) is a 10,600-seat multipurpose venue on the campus of Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. Spectra Venue Management, operators of Chaifetz Arena, is the industry leader across a full range of services that impact the bottom-line success of public assembly venues, including marketing and sales, corporate partnerships, event booking, ticket services and box office management, customer service, operations and engineering, and finance and administration. Spectra by Comcast Spectacor is the expert in hosting and entertainment, partnering with over 300 clients at 400 global properties to create memorable experiences for millions of visitors every year. Spectra’s expertise is embodied within three divisions: Venue Management (formerly Global Spectrum), Food Services & Hospitality (formerly Ovations Food Services), and Ticketing & Fan Engagement (formerly Paciolan). Learn more at SpectraExperiences.com.

  • St. Louis Sports Commission. The St. Louis Sports Commission is the privately-funded nonprofit organization that grows, strengthens and moves St. Louis forward through sports. The organization uses the power of sports to enhance the area’s quality of life and generate economic and social benefit for the St. Louis region.