SEATTLE, Wash., Feb. 12, 2016 –Olympic balance beam gold medalist Shawn Johnson was in the Seattle area visiting local gymnastics clubs and attending the Seattle Star Sports Awards to build awareness of the 2016 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships at the XFINITY Arena at Everett (Wash.), April 8-10. Her visit came one week after 2004 Olympic all-around champion Carly Patterson appeared at the Charity Choice Invitational in Tacoma to promote the upcoming three-day international event, which is expected to feature approximately 300 gymnasts from more than 14 Pac Rim countries, competing in men’s and women’s gymnastics, trampoline and rhythmic gymnastics.



Johnson spoke with young gymnasts, signed autographs and posed for photos at Seattle Gymnastics Academy, Leading Edge Gymnastics in Everett, and Gymnastics East in Bellevue.

The various ticket packages for men’s and women’s gymnastics and trampoline at the XFINITY Arena are listed below. Ticket prices vary based on seat location. Tickets may be purchased at the XFINITY Arena Box Office charge by phone 1-866-332-8499 or xfinityarenaeverett.com.

  • Men’s gymnastics team and all-around finals plus men’s and women’s trampoline team finals: includes both sessions (1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.) on April 8, with medals awarded following the 7 p.m. session; tickets range in price from $50-$100. The USA will compete in Subdivision 2 for men’s gymnastics.
  • Women’s gymnastics team and all-around finals plus men’s and women’s trampoline finals: includes both sessions (1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.) on April 9, with medals awarded following the 7 p.m. session; tickets range in price from $65-$125. The USA will compete in Subdivision 2 for women’s gymnastics.
  • Men’s and women’s gymnastics individual event finals: includes both sessions (12 p.m./juniors and 6 p.m./seniors) on April 10, with medals awarded at the conclusion of each session; tickets range in price from $60-$115.
  • Single session: men’s gymnastics team and all-around finals/men’s and women’s trampoline team finals, April 8, 1:30 p.m. – $25-$50 and 7 p.m. (USA session for men’s gymnastics) – $30-$65; women’s gymnastics team and all-around finals/men’s and women’s trampoline finals, April 9, 1:30 p.m. – $30-$65 and 7 p.m. (USA session for women’s gymnastics)– $37.50-$75; and men’s and women’s gymnastics event finals, April 10, 12 p.m. (juniors) – $25-$50 and 6 p.m. (seniors) – $39.50-$80.
  • All-session: includes all six sessions and ranges in price from $275-$125.

Tickets for rhythmic gymnastics, which will be held at the Walt Price Student Fitness Center at the Everett Community College, are general admission: $20 per day, April 8-9, and $25, April 10, plus any applicable fees. The rhythmic gymnastics competition schedule is: April 8-9, 2 p.m. – team and all-around finals (two events per day); and April 10, 1 p.m. – junior and senior individual event finals. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online at xfinityarenaeverett.com.

The competition schedule, which is subject to change, is listed below.

April 8

  • 1:30 p.m. – Subdivision 1: Men’s gymnastics team and all-around finals, and women’s trampoline team finals and individual preliminaries; XFINITY Arena
  • 2 p.m. – Rhythmic gymnastics team and all-around finals (two events), Walt Price Student Fitness Center, Everett Community College
  • 7 p.m. – Subdivision 2: Men’s team and all-around finals, and men’s trampoline team finals and individual preliminaries; XFINITY Arena

April 9

  • 1:30 p.m. – Subdivision 1: Women’s gymnastics team and all-around finals, and junior men’s and women’s trampoline finals; XFINITY Arena
  • 2 p.m. – Rhythmic gymnastics team and all-around finals (two events), Walt Price Student Fitness Center, Everett Community College
  • 7 p.m. – Subdivision 2: Women’s gymnastics team and all-around finals, and senior men’s and women’s trampoline finals; XFINITY Arena

April 10

  • 12 p.m. – Junior men’s and women’s gymnastics individual event finals; XFINITY Arena
  • 1 p.m. – Rhythmic gymnastics junior and senior individual event finals, Walt Price Student Fitness Center, Everett Community College
  • 6 p.m. – Senior men’s and women’s gymnastics individual event finals; XFINITY Arena

For more information on the Pac Rim Championships, go to pacrim2016.com.

The team competition format for all disciplines is a mixture of junior and senior level athletes. The medalists for both team and the all-around, as well as qualifiers for event finals, for men’s, women’s and rhythmic gymnastics are determined during the team competition. For trampoline, the first day of competition determines which athletes advance to the finals. The top eight in the rankings advance to the finals, and a maximum of two athletes per country are eligible to advance to the individual event finals.

In 2014, the USA won both the men’s and women’s gymnastics team titles, as well as the rhythmic gymnastics team title.

Elizabeth Price of Coopersburg, Pa./Parkettes, and Bailie Key of Montgomery, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, won the 2014 senior and junior women’s all-around titles. John Orozco of the Bronx, N.Y./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center), won the senior all-around gold medal, and Marty Strech of Fountain Valley, Calif./Azarian U.S. Gymnastics Training Center, and Alec Yoder of Indianapolis, Ind./InterActive Academy, tied for second in the junior all-around. Key took top honors for both the vault and the floor exercise, along with a silver for both the uneven bars and balance beam. Norah Flatley of Cumming, Iowa/Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance, captured the balance beam gold, and Yoder garnered the pommel horse gold, along with the still rings bronze. Nia Dennis of Westerville, Ohio/Buckeye Gymnastics, earned the vault silver. Strech claimed the vault silver and floor exercise bronze medal. Davis Grooms of Katy, Texas/Champions Gymnastics, earned the pommel horse silver and the parallel bars bronze. Price captured the uneven bars and floor exercise titles, and Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max, nabbed the balance beam crown. Orozco’s two golds came on the parallel bars and horizontal bar.

Aliya Protto of Culver City, Calif./California Rhythms, and Cindy Lu of Staten Island, N.Y./Isadora, captured the silver and bronze medals in the senior all-around, with Nastasya Generalova of Los Angeles/California Rhythms, and Ekatherina Kapitonova of Staten Island, N.Y./Isadora, finishing second and third in the junior all-around. The junior U.S. rhythmic group won the all-around and 10 clubs silver medal, plus the five hoop bronze. The individual event gold medalists were: Kapitonova (hoop, ball, ribbon); Protto (hoop); Lu (ball); and Generalova (clubs).

In Everett, the 2012 Pac Rim medalists included several Olympic medalists: Gabrielle Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Buckeye Gymnastics, Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max, and Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Geddert’s Twistars, 2012 gold medalists in women’s gymnastics; and Rosannagh Maclennan, 2012 gold, and Karen Cockburn, 2008 silver, both of Canada, in trampoline. Olympians who medaled at the Pac Rim Championships in 2012 include: Jake Dalton of Reno, Nev./Team Hilton HHonors (University of Oklahoma), Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif./Team Hilton HHonors (University of Michigan), men’s gymnastics; Julie Zetlin of the USA and Janine Murray of Australia, rhythmic gymnastics; and Steven Gluckstein and Savannah Vinsant of the USA, Jason Burnett of Canada, Blake Gaudry of Australia, and Victoria Voronina of Russia, trampoline.

In addition to the 2012 and 2016 Pacific Rim Championships, the Seattle area has held three other major gymnastics events: the gymnastics competition at the 1990 Goodwill Games was staged in Tacoma, and Seattle was the site for the 1995 American Cup and 1973 women’s national championships.

Held every two years, the Pacific Rim Championships traditionally feature gymnasts from Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore and the United States. NBC Sports will televise action from the Pacific Rim Championships. Past sites include: 2014, Richmond, B.C., Canada; 2012, Everett, Wash.; 2010, Melbourne, Australia; 2008, San Jose, Calif.; and 2006, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Background information

  • XFINITY Arena at Everett. The XFINITY Arena at Everett, recipient of the International Association of Venue Manager’s (IAVM) prestigious Venue Excellence Award 2010, was developed by the Everett Public Facilities District. The 10,000-seat venue hosts a myriad of events including concerts, ice skating and family shows. The facility is also home to the Everett Silvertips, a Western Hockey League franchise, and the venue accommodates other sporting events such as basketball, volleyball and international skating competitions. Spectra is a major provider of sports and entertainment hospitality services in Washington.

  • Spectra by Comcast Spectacor. 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.