Dunavin/Earnest, Chew/Robinson win senior synchro titles at USA Gymnastics Championships

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Complete Results

GREENSBORO, N.C., June 23, 2015 – Synchronized trampoline started the senior elite action at the 2015 USA Gymnastics Championships at the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum Complex. Shaylee Dunavin of Amarillo, Texas/Ready Set Go-Air Extreme, and Dakota Earnest of Plains, Texas/Acrospirits, won the women’s senior synchronized trampoline title. Garret Chew of Mission Viejo, Calif., and Tanner Robinson of Anaheim, Calif., both of World Elite Gymnastics, took top honors for men’s synchronized trampoline. The junior and senior elite competition takes center stage on June 25, with Junior Olympic competition continuing tomorrow and spanning all six days.

Dunavin and Earnest tallied a total of 111.300 to clinch the title, and edge out Nicole Ahsinger of San Diego, Calif./So Cal TTC, and Clare Johnson of Huntsville, Ala./The Matrix Gym, at 110.700. Ivanna Antezana of Silver Spring, Md., and Deana Parris of Burtonsville, Md., both of Fairland Gymnastics, took third at 60.200.

Chew and Robinson posted a 125.000 to easily win the men’s synchro title. Hunter Brewster of Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express, and Neil Gulati of Irvine, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, earned a 110.100 for second. Jeffrey Gluckstein of Atlantic Highlands, N.J./ETA and Alexi Shostak of Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express, posted 106.900 to round out the medals podium.

The junior elite synchro champions were: women – Shea Silhan of Morton, Texas, and Olivia Simpson of Lubbock, Texas, both of Ready Set Go-Air Extreme; and men – Casey Block of Irvine, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, and Blaise Wagner of Scottsdale, Ariz./North Valley Gymnastics.

A Kick-off Celebration, which includes recognizing Olympic Day, is slated for 4 p.m. on June 25,. Held in front of the southeast corner of the Special Events Center (near the Pavilion), the celebration will be a fun gathering for athletes and fans alike leading into the first night of the senior elite competition. Three U.S. Olympians – Ron Galimore (1980), Steven Gluckstein (2012) and Jennifer Parilla (2000, 2004) – will be recognized in honor of Olympic Day. The planned activities include a drumline, DJ, magician, face painting and an Instagram photo opportunity, to name a few.

For the junior and senior elite levels for each discipline, the athletes are vying for national titles. Performances will determine berths on the junior and senior U.S. National Teams for rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline and tumbling. The Junior Olympic division has several different levels, and national titles will be awarded for each level and age group for each discipline. The Junior Olympic levels for each of the disciplines are: acrobatic gymnastics – Levels 6-10; rhythmic gymnastics – Levels 7-8; and trampoline and tumbling – Levels 8-10.

Live webcast
USA Gymnastics will provide live webcast coverage of three evening sessions from Greensboro with expert analysis from acrobatic gymnastics World Championships and World Games gold medalist Kristin Allen, six-time U.S. rhythmic gymnastics all-around champion Rebecca Sereda, and former trampoline and tumbling U.S. National Team member Peter Dodd. The webcasts of the senior elite competition will be available on the USA Gymnastics YouTube channel or USAGymChamps.com/live Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 6-9 p.m. ET. Former NCAA and Big Ten gymnastics champion Evan Heiter will join Allen, Sereda and Dodd as the host. The webcasts will be available worldwide free of charge on USAGymChamps.com/live.

About the USA Gymnastics Championships
On sale now, evening session tickets at the Greensboro Coliseum are: June 25 and 26, $25; and June 27, $30. The all-session pass, which grants access to all sessions at both venues, is $80. For the events at the Coliseum Complex’s Special Events Center, a $30, single-day pass will be available onsite on competition days. Tickets may be purchased at the Greensboro Coliseum Box Office, ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone at 1-800-745-3000. For more information on the USA Gymnastics Championships, please go to USAGymChamps.com.

The local hosts for the event are the Greensboro Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, Tournament Hosts of Greensboro, Greensboro Sports Commission, and Sports & Properties, Inc. Greensboro played host to the AT&T American Cup, the premier international invitational held in the United States, and the Nastia Liukin Cup in 2014.

The schedule, outlined below, has the junior and senior elites competing June 25-27, with Junior Olympic sessions running all six days. NOTE: Level refers to the Junior Olympic competition level. The schedule is subject to change.

Wednesday, June 24
Special Events Center

Thursday, June 25
Special Events Center

Greensboro Coliseum

Friday, June 26
Special Events Center

Greensboro Coliseum

Saturday, June 27
Special Events Center

Greensboro Coliseum

Sunday, June 28
Special Events Center

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 for seniors and hoop, ball, clubs and rope for juniors. 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.

In 2014, the USA Gymnastics Championships was held at the KFC Yum! Center and Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky.

Background information

Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. The Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is an independent, non-profit governmental authority whose mission is to aggressively market Greensboro’s assets, maximizing economic impact while providing excellent visitor service. Guilford County ranks third in the state in travel and tourism expenditures, with over $1 billion generated in 2011 and more than 11,700 people employed in travel-related jobs. For more information: www.visitgreensboronc.com.
Greensboro Sports Commission. The mission of the Greensboro Sports Commission is to foster economic development through coordinating and developing Greensboro’s role as a leading site for sports events involving youth, collegiate, amateur and professional organizations. The Greensboro Sports Commission acts as a clearing house for sporting activities in the Greensboro area and assists organizations and promoters in making Greensboro the host city for sports events. For more information: www.greensborosports.org.
Greensboro Coliseum Complex. The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is a multi-building facility designed to serve the citizens of Greensboro and the surrounding area through a broad range of activities, including athletic events, cultural arts, concerts, theater, educational activities, fairs, exhibits, and public and private events of all kinds including conventions, convocations and trade and consumer shows. The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is one of the most actively booked facilities in the country hosting more than 1,100 events on an annual basis. With its incredible versatility, the Complex has gained worldwide acclaim from promoters, producers, event planners and patrons. For more information; www.greensborocoliseum.com.
Sports & Properties, Inc. SPI is a sports marketing and sports development firm concentrating in three primary areas of business: major sponsorships, including naming rights; sports tourism; and major events. SPI’s recent projects include the Africa Youth Games, new sports complexes for Seminole County, Florida; the USA Gymnastics AT&T American Cup and Nastia Liukin Cup; and the 2015 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships. SPI clients include Capitol Broadcasting Company, PIER 39, the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, Seminole County, Fla., and the United States Olympic Committee, among others. For more information on SPI, visit sportsproperties.com.