Four-Time National Champion Blaine Wilson and
1999 Rhythmic National Champion Jessica Howard to Lead U.S.

Indianapolis, Ind. – USA Gymnastics is sending top Olympic hopefuls to the 2000 Senior Pacific Alliance Championships, April 20-25 in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Men’s Team

1996 Olympian and four-time national champion Blaine Wilson (Columbus, Ohio) leads the charge for the U.S. men. Joining Wilson on the Senior Pacific Alliance team are two-time Olympian John Roethlisberger (Falcon Heights, Minn.) and 1999 World Championships Team Members Stephen McCain (Houston, Texas), Yewki Tomita (Tucson, Ariz.) and Sean Townsend (Dallas, Texas). The head coach of the men’s Senior Pacific Alliance team is 2000 Olympic Games coach Peter Kormann (Columbus, Ohio).
“The Senior Pacific Alliance is an extremely important competition for us,” said Kormann. “It is our last chance to compete internationally before the 2000 Olympic Games, and it provides the opportunity to determine our standing with the rest of the world at this point in the Olympic year.”

Rhythmic Team

The rhythmic team will consist of Jessica Howard (Jacksonville, Fla.), the 1999 Pan Am Games silver medalist and rhythmic national champion; Lindsay Powell (Jacksonville, Fla.), the 1999 rhythmic junior national champion and Stefanie Croyle (Harvard, Mass.), a member of the 1999 rhythmic group national champions. The coach is Efrossina Anguelova (Jacksonville, Fla.).
“This competition is very important for the U.S. rhythmic program as it further prepares us for a potential Olympic Games spot, as well as provides another chance to prove that the U.S. is an international contender,” said Jan Exner, Senior Rhythmic Program Director for USA Gymnastics.

Women’s Team

The women’s Senior Pacific Alliance team will be named this week following the conclusion of the April national team training camp in Huntsville, Texas.
Following are participating federations in the Senior Pacific Alliance: Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Chinese Taipei and Venezuela. Competition is at the Westpac Trust Sports and Entertainment Centre.