INDIANAPOLIS, April 1, 2019 – Tickets for the 2019 USA Gymnastics Championships, the national championships for acrobatic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and trampoline and tumbling, in Des Moines, Iowa, are now on sale. The five-day championships includes both Junior Olympic and elite levels. Scheduled for July 2-6 at the Iowa Events Center, the competition will utilize the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center, Hy-Vee Hall and Wells Fargo Arena.

Several different ticket packages are available, tailored to meet the varying needs of spectators. The all-session pass, which grants access to every competitive session, is $95. All-day session ticket package prices, which provide access to every competitive session that day at the Iowa Events Center, are: July 2 and 3, $35; and July 4-6, $45. Evening session ticket prices are July 4 and 5, $20; and July 6, $25. Advance tickets may be purchased at the Iowa Event Center Box Office or HyveeTIX.com. Group discounts (for groups of 10 or more) and special pricing for gymnastics clubs are available. For special pricing for gymnastics clubs, contact Heather Williamson with USA Gymnastics at [email protected].

With more than 1,600 gymnasts competing across all three disciplines and all levels, the five-day schedule is complex, and a simplified version is included below. Acrobatic gymnastics and trampoline and tumbling will be held in the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center (CCCU) and rhythmic gymnastics in Hy-Vee Hall. All three disciplines will also be held in the Wells Fargo Arena. All times are Central, and the schedule is subject to change.

July 2

CCCU Convention Center and Hy-Vee Hall
9 a.m. – Rhythmic gymnastics – Level 9; trampoline and tumbling – Levels 9 and 10
1:30 p.m. – Acrobatic gymnastics – Level 8; rhythmic gymnastics – Level 9; trampoline and tumbling – Levels 9 and 10
6 p.m. – Acrobatic gymnastics – Level 8; rhythmic gymnastics – Level 10; and trampoline and tumbling – synchronized trampoline, Levels 9 and 10, elite prelims

July 3

CCCU Convention Center and Hy-Vee Hall
9 a.m. – Acrobatic gymnastics – Levels 9 and 10; rhythmic gymnastics – Level 9; and trampoline and tumbling – Levels 9 and 10
1:30 p.m. – Acrobatic gymnastics – Level 8; rhythmic gymnastics – Level 9; and trampoline and tumbling – Levels 9 and 10
6 p.m. – Acrobatic gymnastics – Level 8; rhythmic gymnastics – Level 10; and trampoline and tumbling – synchronized trampoline elite finals

July 4

CCCU Convention Center and Hy-Vee Hall
9 a.m. – Acrobatic gymnastics – Levels 9 and 10; and trampoline and tumbling – Levels 9 and 10 finals
1:30 p.m. – Acrobatic gymnastics – 11-16 and 12-18 age groups; and trampoline and tumbling – youth, junior and open elite prelims
Wells Fargo Arena
1:30 p.m. – Rhythmic gymnastics – junior and senior B
6 p.m. – Acrobatic gymnastics – 13-19, senior; rhythmic gymnastics – senior A; and trampoline and tumbling – senior prelims

July 5

CCCU Convention Center and Hy-Vee Hall
9 a.m. – Acrobatic gymnastics – Level 7; rhythmic gymnastics – Levels 7 and 8; and trampoline and tumbling – youth, junior and open elite finals
1:30 p.m. – Acrobatic gymnastics – 11-16 and 12-18 age groups; and trampoline and tumbling – Level 8
Wells Fargo Arena
1:30 p.m. – Rhythmic gymnastics – junior/senior B
6 p.m. – Acrobatic gymnastics – 13-19, senior; rhythmic gymnastics – senior A; and trampoline and tumbling – senior prelims

July 6

CCCU Convention Center and Hy-Vee Hall
9 a.m. – Acrobatic gymnastics – Level 7; rhythmic gymnastics – Levels 7 and 8; and trampoline and tumbling – Level 8
1:30 p.m. – Acrobatic gymnastics – 12-18 age group; and trampoline and tumbling – Level 8
Wells Fargo Arena
1:30 p.m. – Rhythmic gymnastics – junior/senior B
6 p.m. – Acrobatic gymnastics – 13-19, senior; rhythmic gymnastics – senior all-around finals; and trampoline and tumbling – senior finals

For the junior and senior elite levels for each discipline, the athletes will vie for national titles. Performances in Des Moines also will determine berths on the junior and senior U.S. National Teams for acrobatic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline and tumbling. The USA Gymnastics Championships is typically a part of the team selection process for World Championships and the Pan Am Games. The Junior Olympic division has several different levels, and national titles will be awarded for each level and age group for each discipline.

Catch Des Moines is the local partner for the event. USA Gymnastics staged the 2009 U.S. Classic and the 2015 U.S. Women’s Junior Olympic Championships in Des Moines.

The USA Gymnastics Championships, one of the annual national championships organized by USA Gymnastics, was first held in 2014 at the KFC Yum! Center and the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky. Past sites are Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum Complex (2015, 2018), Rhode Island Convention Center and Dunkin’ Donuts Center (2016), and Milwaukee’s BMO Harris Bradley Center and Wisconsin Center (2017). For more information on the USA Gymnastics Championships, please go to usagymchamps.com.

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 the apparatus in a choreographed routine to music. The five apparatus used in rhythmic gymnastics are rope, hoop, ball, clubs, and ribbon. Rhythmic gymnasts may compete individually or as a group. The choreography must cover the entire floor with intricate apparatus handling, dance combinations, jumps, leaps, rotations, and balance difficulties. 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

• Catch Des Moines. Catch Des Moines is the official destination marketing organization promoting and representing Greater Des Moines to leisure travelers and meeting planners. As the visitors’ and meeting professionals’ trusted partner, we help elevate the visitor experience by connecting the functional to the aspirational. Our focus is to drive economic success for our more than 840 partners and enhance the quality of life in the 15 Greater Des Moines communities we represent. For more information, visit catchdesmoines.com.
• Iowa Events Center. The Iowa Events Center is a three venue, state-of-the-art multi-purpose complex located in the heart of downtown Des Moines, Iowa. The facility is owned by Polk County and managed by Spectra Venue Management, the expert in hosting and entertainment. Wells Fargo Arena is a 17,000 seat arena that is home to three professional sports teams, including the NBA G-League’s Iowa Wolves, the AHL’s Iowa Wild, and the IFL’s Iowa Barnstormers, in addition to hosting numerous concerts, family shows and sporting events. For more information visit www.iowaeventscenter.com.
• USA Gymnastics. Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. The organization is committed to creating a culture that encourages and supports its athletes and focuses on its highest priority, the safety and well-being of the athletes. USA Gymnastics has taken specific, concrete steps to strengthen its safe sport policies and procedures. Former gymnast and business executive Li Li Leung is the new president and chief executive officer of USA Gymnastics. The organization’s 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, visit usagym.org.