USA Gymnastics names international field for 2006 Tyson American Cup

Women

The field is set with the exception of the three women who join Nastia Liukin of Plano, Texas, the world champion in the balance beam and uneven bars, on the U.S. Women’s Team, which will be named on Feb. 27.

Tickets are $27, $37 and $77 and may be purchased through several different avenues: via phone at 888.OWLS.TIX; online at liacourascenter.com; or in person at the Liacouras Center Box Office. Competition on March 4 starts at 11:30 a.m.

The Tyson American Cup, one of the sport’s premier international events, is an all-around invitational competition showcasing the top male and female gymnasts in the world. This year’s Tyson American Cup is also the first premier international invitational in the United States to use the sport’s new scoring system.

A former Tyson American Cup champion, Zamolodchikova is one of the world’s top gymnasts. In 2000, she was the only gymnast to win two gold medals at the Olympic Games and just missed the podium by finishing fourth in the same two events, vault and floor exercise, at the 2005 World Championships. She won the Tyson American Cup in 2001, and in 2004, she was on the team that took the bronze medal at the Olympic Games. Harmes was third in the floor exercise at the 2005 World Championships and placed fifth on floor in last year’s Tyson American Cup.

Mizutori was second in the all-around at the 2005 World Championships. He finished second on the pommel horse and horizontal bar at the 2005 Tyson American Cup. He was a member of the team that won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. Hambuechen won the horizontal bar at the 2005 European Championships and followed with a fourth-place finish at last year’s World Championships. Khorokhordin was fifth in the all-around at the 2005 World Championships. In 2005, Selariu was sixth in the all-around at the World Championships, as well as the silver medalist in the all-around at European Championships. He was a member of the team that earned the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.

The four men on the U.S. squad are David Durante of Garwood, N.J./Team Chevron, Jonathan Horton of Houston, Texas/University of Oklahoma, Brett McClure of Mill Creek, Wash./Team Chevron, and David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill./Stanford University.

The three remaining women’s team slots will be chosen from among nine women who are attending the selection camp, Feb. 22-25, at the USA Gymnastics’ National Team Training Center in Huntsville, Texas: 2005 world floor exercise champion Alicia Sacramone of Winchester, Mass./Brestyan’s American Gymnastics; 2005 U.S. Women’s World Team member Jana Bieger of Coconut Creek, Fla./Boca Twisters Gymnastics Academy; Annie DiLuzio of Folsom, Calif./Byers Gymnastics Center; Bianca Flohr of Creston, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy; Natasha Kelley of Katy, Texas/Stars Gymnastics Houston; Kassi Price of Plantation, Fla./Orlando Metro; Ashley Priess of Hamilton, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy; Monica Shoji of Boston, Mass./Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy; and Shayla Worley of Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro Gymnastics.

For 2006, the Tyson American Cup returns to its traditional all-around format, with eight men and eight women competing in the finals on March 4, which will be televised live on NBC Sports at 1 p.m. ET.

Some of the sport’s biggest names are former Tyson American Cup all-around gold medalists, including: men — Jason Gatson, Blaine Wilson, John Roethlisberger, Vitaly Scherbo (Belarus), Tim Daggett, Peter Vidmar, Mitsuo Tsukahara (Japan), Kurt Thomas and Bart Conner; and women — Carly Patterson, Elena Zamolodchikova (Russia), Kerri Strug, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Kim Zmeskal, Kristie Phillips, Mary Lou Retton, Julianne McNamara, Stella Zakarova (USSR) and Nadia Comaneci (Romania). In 2005, the Tyson American Cup was a World Cup event and its format named individual event champions; the USA’s Alexander Artemev, Alicia Sacramone, Chellsie Memmel and Nastia Liukin won gold medals.

The Tyson American Cup was first held in 1976. Past sites include: New York City (1976-80, 1982-84, 2004); 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); and Uniondale, N.Y. (2005).

Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly facility management field with more than 45 facilities throughout the United States and Canada, manages the Liacouras Center. The Philadelphia-based company is part of one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment firm Comcast-Spectacor, which also owns the Wachovia Center and Wachovia Spectrum; the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League; the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association; the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League; Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks; Comcast SportsNet, a regional sports programming network; Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider; New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing and marketing product for public assembly facilities; and Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company. Comcast-Spectacor owns three minor league baseball teams – the Bowie Baysox, the Delmarva Shorebirds and the Frederick Keys – all affiliates of the Baltimore Orioles.