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For
Immediate Release
Contact: Jody Meacham, 408 / 288-2934, jody@sjsa.org
What:
The 2007 Visa Championships, USA Gymnastics’ national championships, includes men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatic gymnastics, featuring both junior and senior elite levels.
When:
Aug. 15-18, 2006
Where:
San Jose, Calif.
Venues:
HP Pavilion at San Jose : men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics
McEnery Convention Center : rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatic gymnastics
Who:
The Visa Championships feature the country’s best gymnasts vying for national titles in men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatic gymnastics, as well as qualifying for the respective U.S. national teams.
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. For Liukin, it was her second straight senior all-around title, following two consecutive junior all-around titles (2003-04) The roster of former all-around champions is a veritable who’s who in gymnastics, 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. Lisa Wang is the defending all-around champion for rhythmic gymnastics. 2007 is the first year that acrobatic gymnastics has held its national championships as part of the Visa Championships.
Schedule:
Tuesday, Aug. 14, Media Day
Wednesday, Aug. 15
1 p.m. Junior men’s all-around and event finals, HP Pavilion
7 p.m. Senior men’s first day of competition, HP Pavilion
Thursday, Aug. 16
9 a.m. USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show, McEnery Convention Center
9:30 a.m. Junior rhythmic gymnastics all-around competition, McEnery Convention Center
1 p.m. Junior women’s first day of competition, HP Pavilion
2:30 p.m. Senior rhythmic all-around competition, McEnery Convention Center
7 p.m. Senior women’s first day of competition, HP Pavilion
Friday, Aug. 17
9 a.m. USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show, McEnery Convention Center
10 a.m. Acrobatic gymnastics, McEnery Convention Center
2 p.m. Acrobatic gymnastics, McEnery Convention Center
7 p.m. Senior men’s second day of competition, HP Pavilion
Saturday, Aug. 18
9 a.m. USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show, McEnery Convention Center
10 a.m. Rhythmic gymnastics (individual event) and acrobatic gymnastics finals, McEnery Convention Center
1 p.m. Junior women’s second day of competition, HP Pavilion
6 p.m. Senior women’s second day of competition, HP Pavilion
Television:
NBC Sports is broadcasting action from the women’s competition on a same weekend, tape-delayed basis during prime time. Coverage from the men’s competition airs later.
Aug. 18, 8-9 p.m. ET, Visa Championships, women’s day 1
Aug. 19, 7-8 p.m. ET, Visa Championships, women’s day 2
Sept. 1, 1-2 p.m. ET, Visa Championships, men’s finals
Tickets:
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. 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.
History:
The Visa Championships traces its history back to 1897 for the men and 1931 for the women.
Venue info:
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.
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.
Sponsor:
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.
Host:
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.
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.
Contact:
Leslie King , USA Gymnastics, (317) 829-5656
Karen Saladyga , USA Gymnastics, (317) 829-5679
Jim Sparaco, Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, (408) 999-5792
Jody Meacham, San Jose Sports Authority, (408) 288-2934 |
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