USA Gymnastics names U.S. Men’s Team for 2006 Pacific Alliance Championship

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – 2006 Tyson American Cup bronze-medalist David Durante of Garwood, N.J./Team Chevron, and 2004 Olympic silver-medalist Brett McClure of Mill Creek, Wash./Team Chevron, are among the 10 men selected to represent the United States in the 2006 Pacific Alliance Gymnastics Championships, April 13-15, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The U.S. Men’s Team includes both senior and junior gymnasts. Joining Durante and McClure on the senior level are Guillermo Alvarez of Blackfoot, Idaho/Team Chevron, and David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill./Stanford University, with Michael Reavis of Tallahassee, Fla./University of Iowa, as the alternate. The junior squad features: Tim Gentry of Plano, Texas/WOGA; Thomas Kelley of Libertyville, Ill./Buffalo Grove Gymnastics; Ryan Lieberman of Lake Forest, Ill./Buffalo Grove Gymnastics; Philip Onorato of Plano, Texas/WOGA; and Jason Chu of Bellflower, Calif./SCATS, alternate.

In addition to Durante, McClure and Sender competed in the 2006 Tyson American Cup, where Sender’s vault scored the meet’s highest score, 16.6. Durante, who was a member of the U.S. Men’s Team that won the team gold medal at the 2005 Pan Am Championships, recently won the all-around title at the 2006 Winter Cup, where he also finished first on the parallel bars. At the Winter Cup, McClure and Sender tied for fourth. McClure competed on the U.S. Men’s Team that won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Sender was second in the all-around, floor exercise and vault at the 2005 Visa Championships and an alternate for the 2005 World Championships Team. Alvarez was third in the all-around at the 2006 Winter Cup, as well as a member of the gold-medal team at the 2005 Pan American Championships, where he also was second in the floor exercise. Alvarez, who recently graduated from the University of Minnesota, won the floor exercise at the 2005 Visa Championships. At the 2006 Winter Cup, Reavis won the floor exercise title and he holds University of Iowa records on floor, vault and the all-around.

At the Winter Cup, which does not separate junior and senior competitors, Lieberman, Chu, Kelley and Onorato finished at 12, 13, 15 and 16 in the all-around. At the 2005 Visa Championships, Gentry won the all-around junior title, followed by Onorato in second, Chu in third and Lieberman and Kelley tied for fourth. Gentry also won the junior title for the horizontal bar and Onorato took top honors for the still rings, floor exercise and vault.

One of the world’s premier international events, the Pacific Alliance Championships includes artistic gymnastics at the Neal Blaisdell Center, as well as rhythmic gymnastics and, for the first time, trampoline, both of which will be held at the Hawaii Convention Center. Artistic and rhythmic gymnastics will have team, all-around and individual event competitions for both juniors and seniors. Individual trampoline will have competition for both juniors and seniors.

In addition to the United States, China and Japan, the remaining countries are Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines and Russia. Participating athletes will be announced closer to the event. The 2006 Pacific Alliance Championships is one of the first international events in the world to use the new scoring system for artistic gymnastics that allows gymnasts to earn scores above the traditional 10.0.

Tickets are $15 and $30 for artistic gymnastics, with all-session packages for $45 or $75. For rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline, tickets are $15. Tickets may be purchased at the Neal Blaisdell Center Box Office, ticketmaster.com or by calling 877-750-4400 (charge-by-phone). Applicable service fees may apply. NBC Sports is broadcasting action from the Pacific Alliance Championships on April 16 at 4 p.m. ET.

The 2004 Pacific Alliance Championships was held in Honolulu. Paul Hamm and Allyse Ishino won the all-around titles, with the U.S. Senior Men winning seven medals and the U.S. Senior Women sweeping the gold medals in the four event finals. China’s Lu Bo won the title in the parallel bars and still rings, while Taipei’s Lin Hsiang Wei won the pommel horse. In the team competition, Japan and China finished behind the USA for the men, while Australia and China finished second and third, respectively, behind the USA’s women. The USA led the total medal count, followed by China and Canada. In 2001, Honolulu’s Blaisdell Center hosted the Pontiac American Team Cup.

This year’s Pacific Alliance Championships is locally presented by Outrigger Hotels & Resorts and OHANA Hotels & Resorts and sponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Chevron and KHNL/Channel 8 News. A Tom Moffatt Production, Inc., is a promotional partner for the event.