INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 22, 2013 – Gabrielle Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance, and Aly Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan’s American Gymnastics, both members of the Fierce FiveSM that won the Olympic team gold medal, will watch the action at both the 2013 Nastia Liukin Cup and the AT&T American Cup at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass., on March 1 and 2, respectively. Each will have an autograph-signing session on the concourse at the DCU Center.
On March 1 at the Nastia Liukin Cup, Douglas will sign autographs at the Kellogg’s Fitness and Nutrition Zone from 6-7 p.m. On March 2, Raisman will sign autographs on the concourse from 10:15-11:15 a.m. Due to expected interest, organizers indicate that approximately the first 300 per session will have an opportunity for autographs. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for the Nastia Liukin Cup and 10:00 a.m. for the AT&T American Cup.
The Nastia Liukin Cup features some of the country’s top Junior Olympic gymnasts, and the AT&T American Cup, an International Gymnastics Federation World Cup event, showcases many of the world’s best gymnasts. Both events have an all-around format.
In addition to the team gold, Douglas and Raisman each earned individual medals. Douglas became the Olympic all-around champion, just the fourth U.S. woman to attain that honor. Raisman, captain of the Fierce Five, claimed three Olympic medals at 2012 Olympic Games, the most for a U.S. gymnast. She became the USA’s first Olympic floor exercise champion, as well as won the balance beam bronze medal.
Tickets for the Nastia Liukin Cup and AT&T American Cup may be purchased by phone at 800-745-3000; online at www.ticketmaster.com (Nastia Liukin Cup, AT&T American Cup; at all Ticketmaster outlets; through participating gym clubs; or at the DCU Center Ticket Office. Tickets for the Nastia Liukin Cup are $30, and AT&T American Cup tickets range in price from $39.50-$150. Ticket prices include facility fees and taxes but do not include convenience fees.
The City of Worcester and the SMG-managed DCU Center, in conjunction with Destination Worcester, worked together to attract the AT&T American Cup and the Nastia Liukin Cup to central Massachusetts.
Nastia Liukin Cup
Last year’s champion Charity Jones of Miami, Okla./Dynamo Gymnastics, headlines the 34-gymnast field for the third annual Nastia Liukin Cup, which showcases some of the USA’s top Junior Olympic gymnasts. The participants for the Nastia Liukin Cup qualified through 19 of the country’s top invitationals that are included in the Nastia Liukin Cup Series, which ran from January through February. The Nastia Liukin Cup is held the night before the AT&T American Cup, and its proceeds benefit the Nastia Liukin Fund, a charitable fund within the National Gymnastics Foundation.
AT&T American Cup
2012 Olympic medalists Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max, Danell Leyva of Miami/Team Hilton HHonors (Universal Gymnastics), and Marcel Nguyen of Germany headline the AT&T American Cup field. An additional U.S. woman will be early next week. Currently, the field is as follows: women – Vanessa Ferrari of Italy, Gabrielle Jupp of Great Britain, Victoria Moors of Canada, Elisabeth Seitz of Germany, Asuka Teramoto of Japan, Koko Tsurumi of Japan, and Ross; and men — Hiroki Ishikawa of Japan, Jorge Hugo Giraldo Lopez of Colombia, Marcel Nguyen of Germany, Sergio Sasaki of Brazil, Kristian Thomas of Great Britain, Oleg Verniaiev of Ukraine, Dalton and Leyva.
The AT&T American Cup, one of the most prestigious international invitationals, features many of the world’s top all-around gymnasts. The reigning champions are Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts’ Twistars USA, who was a member of The Fierce Five (2012 Olympic team champion), and Leyva. The American Cup was held in Worcester in 2010 when Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas/WOGA, won the women’s title and Russia’s Maxim Devyatovskiy took top honors for the men.
The list of former champions comprises some of the sport’s best-known names, including Bart Conner, Paul Hamm, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Shannon Miller, Carly Patterson, Mary Lou Retton, Peter Vidmar, Leyva and Wieber.
Past sites for the American Cup include: New York City (1976-80, 1982-84, 2004, 2008, 2012); Ft. Worth Texas (1981, 1996-98); Indianapolis, Ind. (1985); Fairfax, Va. (1986-90, 2003); Orlando, Fla. (1991-94, 2000-02); Seattle, Wash. (1995); St. Petersburg, Fla. (1999); Uniondale, N.Y. (2005); Philadelphia (2006); Jacksonville, Fla. (2007, 2011); Hoffman Estates, Ill. (2009); and Worcester, Mass. (2010, 2013).
Background Information
-
DCU Center. A multi-purpose arena and convention center uniquely designed to accommodate the needs of any size group from 15 to 15,000, the DCU Center is owned by the City of Worcester and managed by SMG, the world’s leading private management and developing firm for public assembly facilities. Headquartered in Philadelphia, SMG provides management services to over 200 public assembly facilities internationally and also offers food and beverage operations through SAVOR… Catering by SMG. For more information, please visit www.dcucenter.com.
-
Destination Worcester. Destination Worcester is a destination marketing organization whose primary focus is on selling the City of Worcester as a destination to meeting and convention planners, and event and sports organizers. Acting as a single point of contact, Destination Worcester provides enhanced communications and a streamlined process for booking events in Worcester.
-
International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). The International Gymnastics Federation is the governing body for gymnastics worldwide. It is the oldest established international sports federation and has participated in the Olympic Games since their revival in 1896. The FIG governs seven disciplines: gymnastics for all, men’s artistic, women’s artistic, rhythmic, trampoline, aerobic and acrobatic. It counts 133 national member federations and boasts a 27-person staff at its international seat in Lausanne, Switzerland, host city of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).