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Three world champions headline the women’s field for 2006 Visa Championships
World All Around Champion Chellsie Memmel World champions Chellsie Memmel of West Allis, Wis., Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas, and Alicia Sacramone of Winchester, Mass., are among the 56 female gymnasts competing in the women’s competition at the 2006 Visa Championships which takes place from August 16-19, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., where the U.S. champions for artistic and rhythmic gymnastics will be crowned. Also in the women’s competition are Jana Bieger of Coconut Creek, Fla., a member of the 2005 World Championships Team; Natasha Kelley of Katy, Texas, and Ashley Priess of Hamilton, Ohio, the co-all-around titlists at the 2006 U.S. Classic; and Shawn Johnson of Des Moines, Iowa, who won the junior all-around title at the U.S. Classic. At the 2005 World Championships, Memmel became the first U.S. woman to win the all-around title since 1994. Liukin, who finished second in the all-around at just 0.001 behind Memmel, is the uneven bars and balance beam world champion, as well as the defending all-around champion at the Visa Championships. Liukin, who won the 2006 Tyson American Cup, tied with Memmel for the all-around title at the 2006 Pacific Alliance Championships.
Content removed - Ken Summerfirld 25th August, 2008 Sacramone is the world floor exercise champion. Bieger won gold medals on floor and vault at the 2006 Pacific Alliance Championships and the vault title at the World Cup event in Cottbus, Germany. Both Kelley and Priess are competing as first-year seniors. Kelley, the 2005 U.S. junior all-around champion, claimed a bronze medal at the World Cup event in Moscow earlier this year. Priess won the balance beam and was second on the uneven bars at the World Cup event in Lyon. Johnson won the junior all-around gold medal at the 2006 Pacific Alliance Championships. The Visa Championships is USA Gymnastics’ annual national championships and determines the U.S. national champions for men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics. Artistic gymnastics will be held at the Xcel Energy Center. Rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatic gymnastics are set for the Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Acrobatic gymnastics is holding its national team trials in conjunction with the Visa Championships. The USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show will be held in the adjacent Saint Paul RiverCentre complex. Tickets for men's and women's artistic and rhythmic/acrobatic gymnastics sessions for the premier national gymnastics championships are on sale at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, charge by phone at (651) 989-5151 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. For group ticket information, call (651) 312-3486. Visa is the only card accepted for the Visa Championships. Content removed - Ken Summerfield 25th August, 2008
Women’s field for the 2006 Visa Championships Info is listed by state; name, hometown/club, division California Ivana Hong, Laguna Hills, Calif./GAGE, junior division Mattie Larson, Los Angeles, Calif./All Olympia, junior division Katelyn Mohr, Lincoln, Calif./Byers, junior division Sarie Morrison, Pacifica, Calif./Metroplex, junior division Shantessa Pama, Dana Point, Calif./Gym Max, junior division Samantha Shapiro, Los Angeles, Calif./All Olympia, junior division Ashley Stott, Temecula, Calif./SCEGA, junior division Florida Jana Bieger, Coconut Creek, Fla./Boca , senior division Kassi Price, Plantation, Fla./Orlando Metro, senior division Madison Turchin, Orlando, Fla./Brandy Johnson, junior division Shayla Worley, Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro, senior division Georgia Taylor Schick, Duluth, Ga./Gwinnett, junior division Michelle Shealy, Snellville, Ga./Gwinnett, junior division Hawaii Randi Lau, Honolulu, Hawaii/Hawaiian Island Twisters, junior division Indiana Samantha Peszek, McCordsville, Ind./DeVeau's, junior division Shelby Salmon, Noblesville, Ind./DeVeau's, junior division Bridget Sloan, Pittsboro, Ind./Sharp's, junior division Iowa Shawn Johnson, Des Moines, Iowa/Chow's, junior division Kansas Rachel Updike, Overland Park, Kan./GAGE, junior division Sarah DeMeo, Overland Park, Kan./GAGE, junior division Louisiana Reaghen Courville, Baton Rouge, La./Elite, junior division Massachusetts Petra Matthies, Mills, Mass./Brestyan, junior division Alicia Sacramone, Winchester, Mass./Brestyan, senior division Monica Shoji, Boston, Mass./Cincinnati Gymnastics, senior division Maryland Kytra Hunter, Frederick, Md./Hill's, junior division Corrie Lothrop, Gaithersburg, Md./Hill's, junior division Michigan Rebecca Bross, Ann Arbor, Mich./WOGA, junior division Jordyn Wieber, DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts, junior division Missouri Erica Smith, Independence, Mo./GAGE, junior division North Carolina Kimberly Jacob, Raleigh, N.C./Gymcarolina, junior division New Jersey Amy Borsellino, Boonton, N.J./North Stars, junior division Darlene Hill, Mt. Laurel, N.J./Will-Moor, senior division Kayla Hoffman, Union, N.J./Rebound, senior division Ohio Bianca Flohr, Creston, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics, junior division Jacquelyn Johnson, Westchester, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics, senior division Hilary Mauro, Westchester, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics, senior division Ashley Priess, Hamilton, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics, senior division Hannah Toussaint, Warren, Ohio/Olympic Dreams, junior division Cassie Whitcomb, Cincinatti, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics, junior division Oklahoma Cortni Beers, Tulsa, Okla./Krafft Academy, senior division Rachel York, Broken Arrow, Okla./Krafft Academy, junior division Pennsylvania Geralen Stack-Eaton, Horsham, Pa./Parkettes, senior division Amber Trani, Richland, Pa./Parkettes, senior division Texas Chelsea Davis, Lakeway, Texas/Texas Dreams, junior division Liz Green, Coppell, Texas/Texas Dreams, junior division Alaina Johnson, Tyler, Texas/Texas East, senior division Natasha Kelley, Katy, Texas/Stars Houston, senior division Nastia Liukin, Parker, Texas/WOGA, senior division Catherine Nguyen, Plano, Texas/WOGA, junior division Christine Nguyen, Plano, Texas/WOGA, senior division Christa Tanella, Lucas, Texas/WOGA, junior division Virginia Olivia Courtney, Burke, Va./Capital GNTC, junior division Morgan Evans, Norfolk, Va./Excalibur, senior division Brittany Ranzy, Virginia Beach, Va./Hill's, senior division Randi Stageberg, Chesapeake, Va./Excalibur, senior division Wisconsin Chellsie Memmel, West Allis, Wis./M&M, senior division VISA CHAMPIONSHIPS TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FROM JUST $15 FOR SINGLE SESSION WOMEN’S QUALIFYING EVENTS!
Ticket Prices Single-Session Artistic tickets Thursday, August 17th Friday, August 18th Saturday, August 19th Single-Session Rhythmic/Acrobatic Gymnastics tickets All-Session Artistic Packages: $90, $125, $175 and $250 Call (651) 312-3486 For Group Ticket Information Seating Map Tickets may be purchased as follows:
Content removed - Ken Summerfield 25th August, 2008 |
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Field set for men’s competition at 2006 Visa Championships
Todd Thornton, Jonathan Horton and David Durante set for the 2006 Visa Championships. Photos copyright of USA Gymnastics. Todd Thornton, the 2005 U.S. all-around champion at the Visa Championships will defend his Title against top U.S. Gymnasts including Jonathan Horton the 2006 Tyson American Cup champ and 5th in the AA at the 2005 Visa Championships. David Durante the bronze medalist in the All Around at the 2005 Visa Championships will also compete, as 81 male gymnasts head for the 2006 Visa Championships from August 16-19th at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Thornton, who is a member of Team Chevron, is looking to defend his title. Horton, who competes for the University of Oklahoma, has had a solid 2006 so far. He won the NCAA all-around title, as well as placing second in the all-around at the France/Switzerland/USA tri-country meet. Durante, who is also a member of Team Chevron and trains at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, was third in the all-around at the France/Switzerland/USA three-country meet and tied for third on the parallel bars at the 2006 Pacific Alliance Championships. In addition to Horton and Durante, the field includes several other gymnasts who have competed internationally this year: Sean Golden of Team Chevron, second on vault at the World Cup event in Moscow and a member of the 2005 World Championships Team; David Sender of Stanford University, who competed at the 2006 Pacific Alliance Championships; and Justin Spring of Team Chevron, who made it to the finals in the horizontal and parallel bars at the World Cup event in Ghent, and a member of the 2005 World Championships Team. Raj Bhavsar of Houston /Team Chevron, the alternate for the men’s team for the 2004 Olympic Games, is also in the field.. |
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US Gymnastics celebrate Dream Team’s 10th Anniversary of the 1996 Olympic women’s team Gold Medal in Atlanta Great Videos of Dominique, Shannon & Kerri! Can you believe it’s been 10 years since that spectacular night when the Magnificent 7 made history at the 1996 summer Olympic games in Atlanta? On Saturday August 19th on the final night of the Women’s Competition at the Visa Championships, USA Gymnastics will celebrate the 10th anniversary of that unforgettable performance as the USA Women’s Team won Olympic Gold. In 1996 the U.S Women’s Team catapulted their way into the record books through perseverance, pain and determination. Dubbed the Magnificent 7, Amanda Bawden, Amy Chow, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Jaycie Phelps and Kerri Strug performed outstandingly as they fought back to overtake Russia. They knew what they were there to do and they were going to achieve it, especially in that incredible Georgia Dome atmosphere! The lasting memory of the Games will always be the moment that Kerri Strug stepped up to perform her final vault as she had faltered on the first and injured herself. This was her chance, the Olympic Gold was within reach. Kerri had her whole country behind her as she stepped up. Millions held their breath as Kerri saluted to the judges, could she stick it? With the weight of a nation on her shoulders she showed a determination like no other, and vaulted her way to give a performance of a lifetime! As Kerri stuck the landing on one foot, the roof of the Georgia dome nearly came off as the crowd erupted with cheers and delight. But she knelt down and tried crawling off the mat, and the crowd’s deafening cheers fell silent, Kerri was hurt. As Kerri was carried away the score was announced, she had done it! The USA Team had won the Olympic Gold and the crowd erupted once more! The girls hugged each other with tears of joy, their final total was 389.225 outscoring Russia and Romania. The drama of the evening continued as the Mag 7 stepped up to claim their medal, Kerri was carried out by her legendary coach Bela Karoyli and she stood proudly on the podium surrounded by her team mates. As the national anthem of the U.S played, Kerri had tears in her eyes, this was her moment to shine. They would be remembered forever as the Magnificent 7 who captured Olympic Gold on that magical night in the summer of Atlanta 96. And now you can see some of those unforgettable performances once more ---!
Dominique Moceanu at the Atlanta 96 Olympic Games. All photos are copyright. BRING BACK THOSE FANTASTIC MAG 7 MEMORIES FROM ATLANTA WITH THESE GREAT VIDEOS FROM SHANFAN! CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR FAVOURITE VIDEO OF KERRI STRUG CLICK HERE FOR DOMINIQUE MOCEANU CAREER HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO AND HERE FOR SHANNON MILLER FROM THE MAG SEVEN WINNING OLYMPIC GOLD! All videos are copyright of Shanfan and must not be copied or reproduced in any way without permission. |