News

• More AT&T American Cup information

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 26, 2013 – Fans and spectators at the 2013 AT&T American Cup will enjoy the extra opportunities available on the DCU Center concourse on March 2 before the event begins. The activities range from a fitness area for kids to two-time 2012 Olympic gold-medalist Aly Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan’s American Gymnastics, two-time 1996 Olympic gold-medalist Shannon Miller and 2008 Olympic horizontal bar champion Jonathan Horton signing autographs on the concourse. The AT&T American Cup, an International Gymnastics Federation World Cup event, features many of the world’s best gymnasts, and competition begins at 11:30 a.m., with doors opening at 10 a.m.

Raisman was captain of the Fierce FiveSM, which won the team gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games, and became the USA’s first Olympic floor exercise champion. She also earned the bronze medal for the balance beam. Miller is the USA’s most decorated gymnast with 16 (nine World and seven Olympic medals) and was a member of the Magnificent Seven, the 1996 Olympic team champions. Horton, who is still competing and trains at Cypress Gymnastics in Houston, also was a member of the men’s bronze-medal team at the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2012 Olympic Team.

Here’s a quick overview of the fan activities available during the AT&T American Cup.

• Raisman autograph session. Raisman will sign autographs on the concourse from 10:15-11:15 a.m. Due to expected high interest, organizers estimate that approximately the first 300 will have an opportunity for autographs.

• Informational booths. DCU, Saint Vincent Hospital, and Destination Worcester, all event partners for the AT&T American Cup, will have information booths in the concourse, as well as the 2013 U.S. Championships in Hartford, Conn.

• WGYM. Miller and Horton will host WGYM, the in-house radio broadcast for the AT&T American Cup. WGYM provides running commentary on the competition, as well as fun facts about the sport and the competitors. Radios will be available at the DCU Center for $10 or bundled with an event T-shirt for $25. Miller and Horton will also sign autographs at the Kellogg’s Fitness and Nutrition Zone, where organizers estimate that approximately the first 300 will have an opportunity for autographs.

• Kellogg’s Fitness and Nutrition Zone. Kids can have fun and gain knowledge about the importance of fitness through the interactive Kellogg’s Fitness and Nutrition Zone. The zone features activities in building strength, flexibility and cardiovascular exercise, along with teaching the basic handstand, which is fundamental to all of gymnastics. Both Miller and Horton will be on hand to sign autographs for kids who participate in the zone’s activities. The Kellogg’s Fitness and Nutrition Zone will be featured on the concourse at the DCU Center.

• Digital program. Fans at the arena and those watching on TV can enjoy the digital event program that includes information on the athletes, the American Cup’s history and past champions, information on Worcester and the DCU Center, and much more. The link is attamericancup.com/program.

• Social media. Fans can follow the AT&T American Cup on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for exclusive coverage of the event. Join the conversation on Twitter by using the official hashtag of the event, #ATTAC2013.

• In-arena fun and giveaways. Olympian John Macready will rev up the crowd as meet emcee with fun interactive activities and tee-shirt tosses into the crowd.

• Merchandise. Fans can purchase everything gymnastics from event-specific tees to the newest leotards.

The U.S. gymnasts in the field are: 2012 Olympic medalists Danell Leyva of Miami/Team Hilton HHonors (Universal Gymnastics); 2012 Olympian Jake Dalton of Reno, Nev./University of Oklahoma; 2012 U.S. junior vault champion and all-around bronze medalist Simone Biles of Spring, Texas/Bannon’s Gymnastix; and 2012 Kellogg’s Pacific Rim Championships junior all-around champion Katelyn Ohashi of Plano, Texas/WOGA. The complete field is as follows.

Women
Simone Biles, Spring, Texas/Bannon’s Gymnastix
Katelyn Ohashi, Plano, Texas/WOGA
Vanessa Ferrari, Italy
Gabrielle Jupp, Great Britain
Maegan Chant, Canada
Victoria Moors, Canada
Elisabeth Seitz, Germany
Asuka Teramoto, Japan



Men
Jake Dalton, Reno, Nev./University, Oklahoma
Danell Leyva, Miami/Universal Gymnastics
Hiroki Ishikawa, Japan
Jorge Hugo Giraldo Lopez, Colombia
Marcel Nguyen, Germany
Sergio Sasaki, Brazil
Kristian Thomas, Great Britain
Oleg Verniaiev, Ukraine

Tickets for the AT&T American Cup range in price from $39.50-$150 and may be purchased by phone at 800-745-3000; online at www.ticketmaster.com; at all Ticketmaster outlets; or at the DCU Center Ticket Office. Ticket prices include facility fees and taxes but do not include convenience fees.

The AT&T American Cup, one of the most prestigious international invitationals, features many of the world’s top all-around gymnasts. The 2012 champions were Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts’ Twistars USA, who was a member of The Fierce Five (2012 Olympic team champion), and Leyva. The American Cup was held in Worcester in 2010 when Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas/WOGA, won the women’s title and Russia’s Maxim Devyatovskiy took top honors for the men.

The list of former champions comprises some of the sport’s best-known names, including Bart Conner, Paul Hamm, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Shannon Miller, Carly Patterson, Mary Lou Retton, Peter Vidmar, Leyva and Wieber.

Scheduled for March 1, the Nastia Liukin Cup showcases some of the USA’s top Junior Olympic gymnasts. The participants for the Nastia Liukin Cup qualify through 19 of the country’s top invitationals that are included in the Nastia Liukin Cup Series, which runs from January through February. The Nastia Liukin Cup is held the night before the AT&T American Cup, and its proceeds benefit the Nastia Liukin Fund, a charitable fund within the National Gymnastics Foundation. Tickets for the Nastia Liukin Cup are on sale now through Ticketmaster. 2012 Olympic all-around champion Gabrielle Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Chow’s Gymnastics, will be signing autographs at the Kellogg’s Fitness and Nutrition Zone from 6-7 p.m., just prior to the start of competition for the Nastia Liukin Cup. Due to expected interest, organizers indicate that approximately the first 300 will have an opportunity for autographs. Doors open at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 1.

Both Douglas and Raisman will watch the competition at the Nastia Liukin Cup and the AT&T American Cup.

The City of Worcester and the SMG-managed DCU Center, in conjunction with Destination Worcester, worked together to attract the AT&T American Cup and the Nastia Liukin Cup to central Massachusetts.

Past sites for the American Cup include: New York City (1976-80, 1982-84, 2004, 2008, 2012); Ft. Worth Texas (1981, 1996-98); Indianapolis, Ind. (1985); Fairfax, Va. (1986-90, 2003); Orlando, Fla. (1991-94, 2000-02); Seattle, Wash. (1995); St. Petersburg, Fla. (1999); Uniondale, N.Y. (2005); Philadelphia (2006); Jacksonville, Fla. (2007, 2011); Hoffman Estates, Ill. (2009); and Worcester, Mass. (2010, 2013).

Background Information

• DCU Center. A multi-purpose arena and convention center uniquely designed to accommodate the needs of any size group from 15 to 15,000, the DCU Center is owned by the City of Worcester and managed by SMG, the world’s leading private management and developing firm for public assembly facilities. Headquartered in Philadelphia, SMG provides management services to over 200 public assembly facilities internationally and also offers food and beverage operations through SAVOR… Catering by SMG. For more information, please visit www.dcucenter.com.

• Destination Worcester. Destination Worcester is a destination marketing organization whose primary focus is on selling the City of Worcester as a destination to meeting and convention planners, and event and sports organizers. Acting as a single point of contact, Destination Worcester provides enhanced communications and a streamlined process for booking events in Worcester.

• International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). The International Gymnastics Federation is the governing body for gymnastics worldwide. It is the oldest established international sports federation and has participated in the Olympic Games since their revival in 1896. The FIG governs seven disciplines: gymnastics for all, men’s artistic, women’s artistic, rhythmic, trampoline, aerobic and acrobatic. It counts 133 national member federations and boasts a 27-person staff at its international seat in Lausanne, Switzerland, host city of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).