T&T: USA women qualify for final rounds at World Cup event in Germany

SALZGITTER, Germany, Sept. 1, 2006 – Four U.S. women have advanced to the final rounds of trampoline and tumbling’s World Cup event in Salzgitter, Germany. Yuliya Hall of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Leanne Seitzinger of, Stafford, Va., will compete in tumbling’s final round, while Amanda Bailey of Levelland, Texas, and Erin Blanchard of Lafayette, La., advanced to synchronized trampoline’s final round….

September 2, 2006

SALZGITTER, Germany, Sept. 1, 2006 – Four U.S. women have advanced to the final rounds of trampoline and tumbling’s World Cup event in Salzgitter, Germany. Yuliya Hall of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Leanne Seitzinger of, Stafford, Va., will compete in tumbling’s final round, while Amanda Bailey of Levelland, Texas, and Erin Blanchard of Lafayette, La., advanced to synchronized trampoline’s final round. In addition to these two event finals, the World Cup schedule for Sept. 2 also includes the preliminary and final rounds for individual trampoline.

In tumbling, Hall was fifth with a score of 63.10 and Seitzinger was seventh at 59.20 in the prelims. Britain’s Samantha Palmer is leading in women’s tumbling after the preliminary round with her 66.40. Hall already has accumulated enough points over the two-year World Cup series to earn a spot in the 2006 World Cup Final, Nov. 23-25, in London. For the men, Kalon Ludvigson of Plano, Texas, and Chris Adair of Lubbock, Texas, finished 15th and 16th, respectively.

In women’s synchronized trampoline, the duo of Bailey and Blanchard were eighth (81.20) after the preliminary round, which allowed them to advance to finals. Canada’s pair had the highest score in the preliminary round. The U.S. men’s pair of Chris Estrada of Lafayette, La., and Ryan Weston, Chubbuck, Idaho, finished ninth, just missing a trip to the finals by 0.20 of a point. Japan posted the highest score in the men’s prelims.

The USA has five gymnasts who will compete in individual trampoline: Kevin Strickland of Middletown, N.J., Estrada and Weston for the men, Blanchard and Bailey for the women.

For each of the disciplines, the top eight finishers advance to the final round, however scores are not carried forward. Individual trampoline preliminaries will be held Saturday morning, followed by finals in all events.