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For
Immediate Release
Contact: Jody Meacham, 408 / 288-2934, jody@sjsa.org
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Feb. 7, 2007) – USA Gymnastics, HP Pavilion and the San Jose Sports Authority have announced that ticket packages for the 2007 Visa Championships, scheduled for Aug. 15-18 in San Jose, are now available. All-Session Men's and Women's Artistic Packages and All-Session Rhythmic/Acrobatic Gymnastics Packages for the premier national gymnastics championships will be available at the HP Pavilion Box Office; charge by phone at (408) 998-8497; online at www.ticketmaster.com; or through participating gymnastics clubs in the Bay Area.
For the 2007 Visa Championships, which determines the national champions for men’s and women’s artistic championships, rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatic gymnastics, artistic gymnastics will be held at the HP Pavilion, and rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatic gymnastics are set for the McEnery Convention Center. The USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show also will be held in the McEnery Convention Center.
All-session packages for artistic gymnastics range from $95 to $399, and include tickets to all five of the men’s and women’s junior and senior sessions. For rhythmic and acrobatic gymnastics, all-session tickets are $45. Visa is the only card accepted for the Visa Championships and the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. For USA Gymnastics’ other events, Visa is the preferred method of payment.
“The entire gymnastics community is looking forward to coming to San Jose for the Visa Championships,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “ San Jose and the entire Bay area have a strong sports reputation, and this is a great opportunity to see the USA ’s top gymnastics stars vie for the coveted national title.”
In 2006, Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas/WOGA, and Alexander Artemev of Morrison , Colo. /Team Chevron, joined an impressive list of gymnasts who have earned the coveted title of U.S. all-around champion. Some of the sport’s biggest names are former all-around champions, including Carly Patterson, Courtney Kupets, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Kim Zmeskal and Mary Lou Retton for the women and Paul Hamm, Blaine Wilson, John Roethlisberger, Mitch Gaylord, Peter Vidmar and Bart Conner for the men.
"The Visa Championships are a proving ground for the best gymnasts in the country," said Michael Lynch, senior vice president, Visa USA . "Over the years it has been a showcase event for America 's athletes as they prepare for the Olympic Games. We're proud to have USA Gymnastics and the Visa Championships at the heart of our support for the U.S. Olympic Team.”
At the HP Pavilion, the artistic gymnastics competition schedule for the Visa Championships is: Wednesday, Aug. 15 – 1 p.m., junior men’s all-around and event finals, and 7 p.m., senior men’s first day of competition; Thursday, Aug. 16 – 1 p.m., junior women’s first day of competition, and 7 p.m., senior women’s first day of competition; Friday, Aug. 17 – 7 p.m., senior men’s second and final day of competition; and Saturday, Aug. 18 – 1 p.m., junior women’s second and final day of competition, and 6 p.m., senior women’s second and final day of competition.
The schedule for rhythmic and acrobatic gymnastics at McEnery Convention Center is: Thursday, Aug. 16 -- 9:30 a.m., junior rhythmic gymnastics all-around competition, and 2:30 p.m., senior rhythmic all-around competition; Friday, Aug. 17 – 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., acrobatic gymnastics; and Saturday, Aug. 18 – 10 a.m., rhythmic gymnastics (individual event) and acrobatic gymnastics finals.
The Visa Championships traces its history back to 1897 for the men and 1931 for the women.
About HP Pavilion at San Jose
HP Pavilion at San Jose is the premier sports and entertainment venue in Northern California . Home to the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League, San Jose Stealth of the National Lacrosse League, San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League, SAP Open men’s professional tennis tournament and the annual Pac-10 Women’s Basketball Tournament, HP Pavilion also hosts a multitude of events annually including concerts, family shows and civic events.
HP Pavilion at San Jose is an exemplification of architectural excellence and technological innovation. Outside, a shining stainless-steel facade supports a magnificent, glass pyramid entry, soaring 10 stories above the ground. Inside, first-class amenities and leading-edge seismic engineering contribute to the building’s reputation as one of the finest facilities in the United States .
HP Pavilion at San Jose is capable of accommodating a full-range of entertainment. State-of-the-art acoustics, plush seating and a video replay scoreboard add to the comfort and luxury for the venue’s patrons. In addition, the downtown location is easily accessible via several major freeways, light-rail and a regional train station, located across the street.
About San Jose McEnery Convention Center
Considered the hub for meetings and conventions in San Jose , the San Jose McEnery Convention Center opened its doors in April 1989. The facility has 432,000 square feet of function space, including a 22,000 square-foot ballroom and 30 meeting rooms.
About Visa
Visa USA is the nation's leading payment brand and largest payment system, enabling banks to provide their consumers and business customers with a wide variety of payment alternatives tailored to meet their evolving needs. Visa USA is committed to increasing the choice, convenience, acceptance and security of Visa payments for all stakeholders in the payment system — members, cardholders and merchants. Through its 13,369 member financial institutions, more than 500 million Visa-branded cards have been issued to cardholders in the United States . Worldwide, cardholders in more than 150 countries carry more than 1 billion Visa-branded cards, accounting for more than $3 trillion in annual transaction volume. VisaNet, Visa’s global processing system and the world’s largest financial network, processes transactions with unparalleled reliability. Visa offers a trusted, reliable and convenient way to access and mobilize financial resources — anytime, anywhere, anyway.
About the San Jose Sports Authority
The San Jose Sports Authority is a non-profit organization that serves as the sports marketing agency for the City of San Jose . Since their inception in 1991, they have worked with community partners to bring more than 150 premier events and programs to the San Jose area. For more information, visit www.sjsa.org.
About USA Gymnastics
Based in Indianapolis , USA Gymnastics, the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States , encourages participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. For more information, log on to www.usa-gymnastics.org.
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