INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., March 2, 2010 – Alexandra Raisman of Needham, Mass., is the final U.S. woman to accept an invitation to compete in the 2010 Tyson American Cup. Raisman, who trains at Brestyan’s American Gymnastics, joins 2009 World all-around silver-medalist Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas; 2010 Winter Cup Challenge all-around champion Chris Brooks of Houston; and 2008 Olympic horizontal bar silver-medalist, 2009 U.S. all-around champion and two-time Tyson American Cup champion Jonathan Horton of Houston, Texas, in representing the USA on March 6 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass.
Raisman, who moved to the senior level this year, won the vault and floor exercise titles at the 2009 Junior Pan American Championships and finished third in the all-around; she also helped the U.S. win the team gold medal. She was third in the junior all-around at the 2009 Visa Championships, where she placed second on the balance beam.
The Tyson American Cup features a mix of the world’s top gymnasts and rising stars. Reigning Tyson American Cup champion and 2008 Olympic horizontal bar bronze-medalist Fabian Hambuechen of Germany highlights the international field at the Tyson American Cup that consists of seven 2008 Olympians and three 2009 World medalists, including 2009 World all-around silver-medalist Daniel Keatings of Great Britain, 2009 World vault silver-medalists Ariella Kaeslin of Switzerland and Flavius Koczi of Romania, 2009 World all-around fifth-place finisher Maxim Devyatovsky of Russia, 2009 World vault-finalist Elsa Garcia of Mexico, and World Cup floor exercise bronze-medalist Elisabeth Seitz of Germany. Two U.S. alternates have also been named: 2009 World horizontal bar fourth-place finisher Danell Leyva of Miami, and 2009 U.S. floor exercise bronze-medalist Kytra Hunter of San Antonio, Texas.
The entire field, representing 11 countries, is listed below.
Women
Canada, Dominique Pegg
Germany, Elisabeth Seitz
Japan, Yuko Shintake
Mexico, Elsa Garcia
Switzerland, Ariella Kaeslin
Venezuela, Jessica Lopez
United States, Rebecca Bross
United States, Alexandra Raisman
Alt. United States, Kytra Hunter
Men
Colombia, Jorge Hugo Giraldo Lopez
Germany, Fabian Hambuechen
Great Britain, Daniel Keatings
Japan, Koji Yamamuro
Romania, Flavius Koczi
Russia, Maxim Devyatovsky
United States, Chris Brooks
United States, Jonathan Horton
Alt. United States, Danell Leyva
Tickets, which range from $35-125, are still on sale and can be purchased through Ticketmaster by phone at 800-745-3000; online at www.ticketmas ter.com; at all Ticketmaster outlets; or at the DCU Center Ticket Office. Visa is the preferred method of payment.
Watch the Tyson American Cup and the inaugural Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup live on television and the web. Universal Sports will broadcast the early rotations of the Tyson American Cup from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, and NBC Sports will continue the broadcast live from 1-3 p.m. ET. Fans can also get up to the minute event information on their phones using USA Gymnastics’ new mobile site www.tysonamericancup.com. The Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup will air live on Universal Sports from 7-9 p.m. ET Friday. Universalsports.com will carry live simulcasts of both events.
Background information
Tyson American Cup: The United States’ most prestigious all-around international invitational, the 2010 Tyson American Cup will be held March 6 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. The event will feature some of the world’s top gymnasts in an all-around format. The USA’s Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich., and Germany’s Fabian Hambuechen won the all-around titles at the 2009 Tyson American Cup. The list of former champions comprises some of the sport’s best-known names, including Bart Conner, Paul Hamm, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Shannon Miller, Carly Patterson, Mary Lou Retton and Peter Vidmar.
Past sites for the American Cup include: New York City (1976-80, 1982-84, 2004, 2008); 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); New York, N.Y. (2008); and Hoffman Estates, Ill. (2009).
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.
Tyson Foods, Inc.: Founded in 1935 with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, Tyson Foods, Inc. is the world’s largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef and pork, the second-largest food production company in the Fortune 500 and a member of the S&P 500. The company produces a wide variety of protein-based and prepared food products and is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves. Tyson provides products and service to customers throughout the United States and more than 90 countries. The company has approximately 107,000 Team Members employed at more than 300 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it.