INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Chellsie Memmel of West Allis., Wis., the all-around champion at the 2005 Pan Am Championships, is one of six women participating in the T.J. Maxx U.S. Women’s Team Selection Camp for the 2005 World Championships, Nov. 22-27, in Melbourne, Australia. The four-woman squad will be announced on Nov. 14; selection is based on performances during the camp, Nov. 9-13.

The six women are: Jana Bieger, Coconut Creek, Fla./Twisters Gymnastics Academy; Annie DiLuzio, Folsom, Calif./Byers Gymnastics Center; Nastia Liukin, Plano, Texas/World Olympic Gymnastics Academy; Kassi Price, Plantation, Fla./Orlando Metro; Alicia Sacramone, Winchester, Mass./Brestyan’s American Gymnastics; and Memmel, who trains at M&M Gymnastics.
At the 2005 Visa Championships, Liukin won the all-around, uneven bars and balance beam titles, as well as finishing second on the floor exercise. Sacramone claimed the vault and floor exercise titles and was third on the balance beam. Memmel was second in the all-around, uneven bars and balance beam, with a third in the floor exercise. Bieger was third in the all-around at the Visa Championships, followed by Sacramone and Price in fourth and fifth, respectively. Bieger was also third in the vault and uneven bars, while DiLuzio was second on vault.
Since the Visa Championships, Memmel, Sacramone, Price and Bieger have had success internationally. At last month’s Pan Am Championships, Memmel and Sacramone split the available gold medals, with Memmel topping in the all-around, uneven bars and balance beam and Sacramone winning on the vault and floor exercise. Bieger claimed the vault silver and the floor exercise bronze at the Pan Am Championships. At the Massilia Cup, Price won the all-around, uneven bars and floor exercise gold medals, as well as the silver medal on vault.
Held at Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park, this year’s World Championships features all-around and individual event competition. Qualification rounds determine advancement to the all-around and apparatus finals. The top 24 compete in the all-around finals on Nov. 24-25. For individual events, the top eight on each apparatus from the qualification rounds advance to the finals (Nov. 26-27).
The U.S. Men’s Team for the World Championships is comprised of: Jason Gatson of Mesa, Ariz./Team Chevron; Sean Golden of Houston/Houston Gymnastics Academy/GymMasters; Justin Spring of Burke, Va./University of Illinois; Kevin Tan of Fremont, Calif./Penn State University; Todd Thornton of Pearland, Texas/Team Chevron; and Yewki Tomita of Tucson, Ariz./Team Chevron. David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill., who competes for Stanford University, is the alternate.