Olympians headline T&T field for 2017 USA Gymnastics Championships


MILWAUKEE, June 19, 2017 – 2016 Olympian and U.S. individual and synchronized trampoline silver medalist Nicole Ahsinger of Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express, and 2016 Olympian and seven-time U.S. synchronized trampoline champion Logan Dooley of Lake Forest, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, headline the field of more than 900 trampoline and tumbling gymnasts who are competing at the 2017 USA Gymnastics Championships, scheduled for June 27-July 2, at the BMO Harris Bradley Center and Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee.

The six-day competition is the national championships for acrobatic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and trampoline and tumbling, and it features competition on both Junior Olympic and elite levels.

Trampoline and tumbling’s events are trampoline, synchronized trampoline, double mini-trampoline and tumbling. The 2016 senior champions in the field are: Casey Chandler, Springfield, Ore./Legacy Trampoline and Tumbling, men’s double-mini; Brandon Krzynefski, Centreville, Va./Capital Gymnastics National Training Center, men’s tumbling; Kristle Lowell, Orland Park, Ill./One World Gymnastics, women’s double-mini; and Natalie Ory, Pocatello, Idaho/Team Revolution, women’s tumbling. Three-time U.S. trampoline champion Jeffrey Gluckstein of Atlantic Highlands, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy, and 2015 U.S. trampoline champion Clare Johnson of Huntsville, Ala./ Merino Trampoline Gymnastics Academy are also in the field.

About the USA Gymnastics Championships
Tickets are on sale now. Evening session tickets at the BMO Harris Bradley Center are: $35, June 29-30; and $40, July 1. The all-session pass, which grants access to all sessions at both venues, is $95. Tickets may be purchased at the BMO Harris Bradley Center Box Office, ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone at 1-800-745-3000. For the events at the Wisconsin Center, a $35, single-day pass will be available onsite on competition days, and on June 26-27, the all-day pass also includes access to the afternoon sessions at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. For more information on the USA Gymnastics Championships, please go to usagymchamps.com.

VISIT Milwaukee is working in conjunction with USA Gymnastics on the championships. This is the event’s first trip to Milwaukee, which hosted the 2003 U.S. Championships for men’s and women’s gymnastics.

The Junior Olympic division has several different levels, and national titles will be awarded for each level and age group for each discipline.

The USA Gymnastics Championships was first held in 2014 at the KFC Yum! Center and the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky.; and the other sites were the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum Complex in 2015 and the Rhode Island Convention Center and Dunkin’ Donuts Center in 2016.

Acrobatic gymnastics combines the beauty of dance with the strength and agility of acrobatics. Routines are choreographed to music and consist of dance, tumbling, and partner skills. At the elite level, each pair or group performs a balance, dynamic and combined routine. Pyramids and partner holds characterize the balance routine, while synchronized tumbling and intricate flight elements define the dynamic exercise. An acrobatic gymnastics pair consists of a base and a top. A women’s group is comprised of three athletes – a base, middle and top partner – while a men’s group has four athletes, a base, two middle partners and one top partner.

Rhythmic gymnastics is characterized by grace, beauty and elegance combined with dance and acrobatic elements, while working with ribbons, balls, hoops, ropes and clubs in a choreographed routine to music. The choreography must cover the entire floor and contain a balance of jumps, leaps, pivots, balances and flexibility movements. Only four of the apparatus are competed each quad, and the four for 2016 are hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon. Each movement involves a high degree of athletic skill. Physical abilities needed by a rhythmic gymnast include strength, power, flexibility, agility, dexterity, endurance and hand-eye coordination.

Trampoline events involve athletes using trampolines that can propel them up to 30 feet in the air, during which they can perform double and triple twisting somersaults. Tumbling utilizes elevated rod-floor runways that enable athletes to jump at heights more than 10 feet and execute a variety of acrobatic maneuvers. For the double-mini competition, the athlete makes a short run, leaps onto a small two-level trampoline, performs an aerial maneuver and dismounts onto a landing mat. Trampoline was added to the Olympic Games in 2000, and at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the USA had its first athlete in history advance to the finals.

Background information

  • Visit Milwaukee. Celebrating 50 years in 2017, VISIT Milwaukee is the Greater Milwaukee area’s convention & visitors bureau, marketing the destination as a top choice for business, convention, and leisure travel to national and international visitors to increase the economic impact of tourism in the region.
  • BMO Harris Bradley Center. Starting its 30th and final season this July, the BMO Harris Bradley Center is the downtown live entertainment destination that turns moments into memories. Home to the Milwaukee Bucks and the Marquette Golden Eagles men’s basketball team, the Center offers family fun, concerts, sports and special events for fans of all ages. Upcoming events include Roger Waters (July 29), Janet Jackson (Oct. 22), Marvel Universe Live! (Nov. 24-26), Katy Perry (Dec. 4) and 2CELLOS (Jan. 24, 2018). Learn more on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or at www.bmoharrisbradleycenter.com.
  • Wisconsin Center. The Wisconsin Center, located in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, opened in 1998 as the Midwest Express Center. Designed for both sensory delight and efficiency, the Wisconsin Center is home to the $1.2 million Burke Family Collection of commissioned and integrated art. Opened in 1998 and completed by the end of 1999, the Wisconsin Center has 188,695 square feet of contiguous, state-of-the-art exhibit space and a 37,506 square-foot ballroom with capacity for 3,150 diners and ample utilities for corporate theater. An additional 39,364 square feet of meeting space can be partitioned into as many as 28 meeting and breakout rooms equipped for satellite links, video teleconferencing, data transmission and other telecommunications and audio-visual technology. The 2,500-4,100 seat Milwaukee Theatre – formerly the Milwaukee Auditorium – provides assembly space or entertainment right across the street. Skywalks to the Hilton and Hyatt hotels link some 1,500 rooms to the Wisconsin Center.
  • USA Gymnastics. Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. Its disciplines include men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics and Gymnastics for All (formerly known as group gymnastics). For more complete information, log on to www.usagym.org.

2017 USA Gymnastics Championships trampoline and tumbling field
Includes only senior elite and junior elite athletes as of June 19, 2017
Athletes listed alphabetically by state

Legend: TR=trampoline; TU=tumbling; DMT=double mini-trampoline; SY =synchronized trampoline; SE=senior elite; JE=junior elite

Alabama
Paul Bretscher, Huntsville, Ala./Merino Trampoline Gymnastics Academy, TR/SE, SY/SE
Clare Johnson, Huntsville, Ala./Merino Trampoline Gymnastics Academy, TR/SE, SY/SE

Arizona
Matthew Hawkins, Phoenix, Ariz./Aspire Kids Sports Center, TU/SE, DMT/SE
Megan Hiruko, Chandler, Ariz./Aspire Kids Sports Center, DMT/SE
Emilio Lehmer, Tempe, Ariz./Aspire Kids Sports Center, TU/SE
Emma Mobley, Scottsdale, Ariz./Scottsdale Gymnastics, TR/JE, TU/JE

California
Logan Dooley, Lake Forest, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, TR/SE, SY/SE
Nick Francken, Pleasanton, Calif./Springtime Tumbling and Trampoline, TR/JE

Susan Gill, Ladera Ranch, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, DMT/JE
Paige Howard, San Juan Capistrano, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, DMT/SE
Mikaela Hunter, Camarillo, Calif./Coach Pattys Gymnastics Inc., DMT/JE
Kiley Lockett, Oceanside, Calif./Flip Force San Diego, TU/JE, DMT/JE
Breanne Millard, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, TU/SE
Alyssa Oh, Rocklin, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, TR/JE, DMT/JE, SY/JE
Ruben Padilla, Oakley, Calif./Tornado Sport Club, TR/JE, DMT/JE, SY/JE
Joshua Rasoul, San Diego, Calif./So Cal TTC, TR/JE
Danielle Ward, Corona, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, DMT/SE

Colorado
Changa Anderson, Longmont, Colo./Airborne Colorado, SY/JE
David Ford, Firestone, Colo./Airborne Colorado, TR/SE
Elijah Vogel, Longmont, Colo./Airborne Colorado, TR/JE, SY/JE
Reed Forsee, Sebring, Fla./Elite World Gymnastics, TU/JE, DMT/JE

Georgia
Angel Rice, Locust Grove, Ga./FlipCity South, TU/SE
Noah Riley, Locust Grove, Ga./FlipCity South, TU/JE

Hawaii
Maia Amano, Honolulu, Hawaii/Hawaii Trampoline and Tumbling, SY/JE
Shane Doi, Honolulu, Hawaii/Hawaii Trampoline and Tumbling, TR/SE
Kayttie Nakamura, Honolulu, Hawaii/Hawaii Trampoline and Tumbling, TR/JE, DMT/JE, SY/JE
Sydney Senter, Aiea, Hawaii/Hawaii Trampoline and Tumbling, TR/JE, DMT/JE, SY/JE

Idaho
Natalie Ory, Pocatello, Idaho/Team Revolution, TU/SE

Illinois
Aubrey Beyers, Pana, Ill./Kris Power Tumbling, DMT/JE
Ryan Bohn, McHenry, Ill./5 Star Elite, DMT/SE
Kellyn Euhus, Byron, Ill./Wight Tumble Academy, DMT/SE

Lacey Jenkins, Mattoon, Ill./Phoenix Elite, DMT/SE
Trey Katz, Charleston, Ill./Kris Power Tumbling, DMT/SE
Kelly Keitel, Effingham, Ill./Top Star Training Center, DMT/SE
Ellie Kirane, Belvidere, Ill./Gymnastic Academy of Rockford, TU/JE
Kristle Lowell, Orland Park, Ill./One World Gymnastics, DMT/SE
Austin Nacey, Braidwood, Ill./TwistStars Tumbling and Trampoline, TU/SE, DMT/SE
Estella Schuster, Loves Park, Ill./Gymnastic Academy of Rockford, TU/JE
Avery Tomlin, Crystal lake, Ill./5 Star Elite, TR/JE
Bryce Truhlar, Mattoon, Ill./Phoenix Elite, DMT/JE
Daniela Zavala, Loves Park, Ill./Gymnastic Academy of Rockford, TU/JE

Indiana
Cody Gesuelli, Schererville, Ind./World Elite Gymnastics, TR/SE, SY/SE

Kentucky
Tristan Ackerson, Florence, Ky./MJM Studios Inc., TR/JE, DMT/JE, SY/JE
Erin Dirr, Alexandria, Ky./MJM Studios Inc., TR/JE, SY/JE

Louisiana
Nicole Ahsinger, Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express, TR/SE, SY/SE
Hunter Brewster, Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express, TR/SE, SY/SE
Ellen Heinen, Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express, TR/JE
Patrick Lyell, Kenner, La./Elmwood Gymnastics Academy, TU/JE
Gretchen Schultz, Destrehan, La./Elmwood Gymnastics Academy, TU/JE
Aliaksei Shostak, Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express, TR/SE, SY/SE
Rachel Thevenot, Metairie, La./Elmwood Gymnastics Academy, TU/SE
Sarah Webster, Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express, TR/SE, SY/SE

Maryland
Jessica Stevens, Ellicott City, Md./Fairland Gymnastics, TR/SE, SY/SE

Michigan
Elli Deters, Hudsonville, Mich./For the Kidz Gymnastics and Trampoline, TR/JE

Minnesota
Nicholas George, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Gleasons Gymnastics Maple Grove, TU/JE
Jessica Woynilko, Prior Lake, Minn./Gleason’s Gymnastic School, DMT/SE

Missouri
Calvin Fry, Neosho, Mo./Amplify Gymnastics, TR/JE, DMT/JE
Hally Piontek, Warrensburg, Mo./Kansas City Trampoline Club, TR/SE, DMT/SE, SY/SE
CJ Rhoades, Joplin, Mo./Amplify Gymnastics, DMT/SE

Nevada
Malik DePasquale, Dayton, Nev./Legacy Trampoline and Tumbling, DMT/SE

New Hampshire
Melissa Doucette, Somersworth, N.H./Roots Gymnastics Center, TU/SE

New Jersey
Jeffrey Gluckstein, Atlantic Highlands, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy, TR/SE, SY/SE
Jenna Mazza, Middletown, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy, TR/JE, SY/JE
Nicole Mytnik, Manalapan, N.J./Rising Stars Gymnastics Academy, TR/JE
Vincent Pedulla, Monroe Township, N.J./Rising Stars Gymnastics Academy, TR/JE, SY/JE
Casey Primiano, Lincroft, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy, TR/JE, SY/JE
Jacqueline Russo, Red Bank, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy, TR/JE, SY/JE
Lauryn Screen, Belford, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy, TR/JE, SY/JE
Nicholas Verderosa, Middletown, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy, TR/JE

North Carolina
Stewart Pritchard, Greensboro, N.C./Tumblebees Ultimate Gym, TR/SE, SY/SE

Ohio
Alex Renkert, Columbus, Ohio/Integrity Athletics, TU/SE, DMT/SE
Tristan Van Natta, Plain City, Ohio/Integrity Athletics, DMT/SE

Oklahoma
Jason Carlson, Bixby, Okla./Oklahoma Extreme Tumbling, TU/JE
Eve Doudican, Bixby, Okla./Oklahoma Extreme Tumbling, TU/JE

Oregon
Casey Chandler, Springfield, Ore./Legacy Trampoline and Tumbling, DMT/SE

Tennessee
TaraJan Helmboldt, Knoxville, Tenn./Premier Athletics Knoxville North, TR/JE
Kaylah Whaley, Knoxville, Tenn./Premier Athletics Knoxville North, TU/SE

Texas
Hope Bravo, Dallas, Texas/Eagle Gymnastics Academy, TU/SE
Drew Collins, McKinney, Texas/Eagle Gymnastics Academy, TU/SE
McKenna Dawson, Lubbock, Texas/Upsidedowners, TR/JE
Logan Gilbert, Paris, Texas/Texas Tumbling and Trampoline Institute Inc., TR/JE, SY/JE
Cammy Jenkins, Lubbock, Texas/Air Extreme, TR/JE
Dawson Mozisek, Victoria, Texas/Victoria Gymagic Inc., TR/JE, DMT/JE
Rachel Ramage, McKinney, Texas/Eagle Gymnastics Academy, TU/JE
Isaac Rowley, Allen, Texas/Eagle Gymnastics Academy, TR/SE, SY/SE
Michiko Sharpe, Houston, Texas/Victoria Gymagic Inc., DMT/SE
Shea Silhan, Lafayette, Texas/Trampoline and Tumbling Express, TR/SE
Olivia Simpson, Lubbock, Texas/Air Extreme, TR/JE, SY/JE
Susan Stringfellow, Frisco, Texas/Eagle Gymnastics Academy, TR/SE, SY/SE
Kimberly Tipton, Edna, Texas/Victoria Gymagic Inc., TR/JE, SY/JE
McKeely Underwood, Lubbock, Texas/Air Extreme, SY/JE
Lexi Vigil, Levelland, Texas/Acrospirits, TR/JE

Utah
Kaden Brown, Herriman, Utah/Wasatch Trampoline & Tumbling, TU/JE
Eliza Floisand, Salt Lake City, Utah/Wasatch Trampoline & Tumbling, TU/SE
Ashley McDonald, Lindon, Utah/High Altitude Tumbling and Cheer, TU/JE

Virginia
Dylan Byrne, Ashburn, Va./Dulles Gymnastics Academy, TR/JE
Caitlyn Crawford, Reston, Va./Capital Gymnastics National Training Center, TU/JE
Anna Davis, Manassas, Va./Novaks Gymnastics Center Inc., TR/JE
Garrett Day, Bedford, Va./Dynamic Gymnastics, DMT/SE
Trevor Harder, Forest, Va./National Artistic Sports Academy, TR/JE, DMT/JE
Brandon Krzynefski, Centreville, Va./Capital Gymnastics National Training Center, TU/SE
Nicholas Melloni, Potomac Falls, Va./Dulles Gymnastics Academy, DMT/SE
Wolfgang Fanestiel, Hedgesville, W. Va./Fairland Gymnastics, TR/SE, DMT/SE

Washington
Aidan Casey, Bellevue, Wash./Seattle Gymnastics-Ballard, TR/JE, DMT/JE
Haydn Fitzgerald, Sammamish, Wash./Seattle Gymnastics-Ballard, TR/JE, TU/JE, DMT/JE, SY/JE
Garrett George, Seattle, Wash./Seattle Gymnastics-Ballard, SY/JE

West Virginia
Joseph Isenberg, Martinsburg, W.Va./Elite Trampoline Academy, TR/JE