LONG BEACH, Calif., May 6, 2011 – Region 1 won the Level 10 team title for both the 14-15 and the 16-18 age divisions at the 2011 U.S. Men’s Junior Olympic National Championships, May 5-8, at the Long Beach (Calif.) Arena. The regional team competition concludes later today for Level 9, with the Levels 9 and 10 all-around and individual event finals on May 7-8, respectively.
Region 1, which includes gymnasts from Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada, won the 14-15 title with a total score of 417.200 and took top honors for the 16-18 division with a 425.150. In the 14-15 division, Region 8 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee) and Region 7 (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia) were second and third, respectively. Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio) finished second, followed by Region 8, in the team competition for 16-18. The overall club champion for Level 10 (14-18) is SCATS Gymnastics of Huntington Beach, Calif., and Buffalo Grove (Ill.) Gymnastics Center and Bartlett (Ill.) Gymnastics Center were second and third, respectively.
The top 36 after the all-around prelims advance to the finals on Saturday. The top three following the prelims for the 16-18 division, in rank order, are: Jesse Glenn of Northridge, Calif./SCATS Gymnastics, Jake Martin of Oviedo, Fla./Orlando Metro, and Adrian de los Angeles of Long Beach/SCATS. For the 14-15 division, Sean Melton of Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro, was first after prelims, followed by Akash Modi of Morganville, N.J./Monmouth Gymnastics Academy, and Yul Moldauer of Seoul, Korea/5280 Club.
The levels are determined by age and skill level. Level 10 is split into two age groups, 14-15 years old and 16-18 years old, while Level 9 has only 12-13 years old. The Junior Olympic National Championships are a qualifier for Level 10 gymnasts to advance to the Visa Championships (Aug. 17-20 in Saint Paul, Minn.), where the national teams for both age groups are determined. The top gymnasts in Level 9 are named to the Junior Olympic National Team.
The competition schedule is: May 6, Level 9 – 8:45 a.m. and 1:35 p.m., prelims, and 6:25 p.m., team finals; May 7, all-around finals and individual event semifinals – Level 10 (ages 14-15) at 10 a.m., Level 10 (ages 16-18) at 2:30 p.m. and Level 9 at 7:15 p.m. Concluding the Men’s Junior Olympic National Championships are the individual event finals for all levels on May 8 at 12 p.m.
Tickets may be purchased at the Long Beach Arena. Several different ticket options are available: all week passes – children 5-15, seniors (55+) and active military immediate family for $70, and adults for $80; opening ceremony (May 4) – children 5-15, seniors (55+) and active military immediate family for $15, and adults for $20; and competition days (May 5-8) – children 5-15, seniors (55+) and active military immediate family for $20, and adults for $25. All children ages four and under are admitted free. ID is required for age-specific and military rates. Tickets are cash or check only. Admission to training sessions on May 2-3 is free.
Azarian US Gymnastics Training Center is the host club for the Junior Olympic Championships. The meet co-directors are Tim and Melany Klempnauer and Roger and Debbie Baldwin.
The U.S. Junior Olympic National Championships is one of the national championships of USA Gymnastics, the sport’s national governing body in the United States. Many Junior Olympic champions have gone on to make the U.S. National Team and represent the United States in international competition and/or to compete in collegiate gymnastics. All of the members of the medal winning 2004 (silver) and 2008 (bronze) U.S. Olympic Teams are past Junior Olympic National Championships participants, including Paul Hamm, 2004 Olympic all-around champion, and Jonathan Horton, 2008 Olympic horizontal bar silver medalist and 2010 World all-around bronze medalist.