USA Gymnastics Championships 2015: Dates, Event Schedule and More
The 2015 USA Gymnastics Championships will kick off on Tuesday, June 23, as some of the nation's top athletes will descend on Greensboro, North Carolina, to compete in acro, rhythmic, tumbling and trampoline events.
Not to be confused with the P&G Gymnastics Championships, the USA Gymnastics Championships focus on the artistic side of the sport and present an opportunity to athletes all over the country to train with some of the best in their respective disciplines ahead of the final later in the week.
Here's a look at the schedule for the 2015 USA Gymnastics Championships. The competition will be split into two categories, with the Elite events taking place at Greensboro's Coliseum Arena and the Junior Olympic events taking place at the Special Events Center:
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
| Tuesday 6/23 | Elite Open Training | Elite Open Training | Jr. & Sr. Elite Open Training |
| Wednesday 6/24 | Elite Open Training | Elite Assigned Training | Jr. & Sr. Elite Open Training |
| Thursday 6/25 | Junior & Senior Elite | Jr 2 Events / Sr 2 Events | Prelims |
| Friday 6/26 | Junior & Senior Elite | Jr 2 Events / Sr 2 Events | Senior Elite Trampoline Prelims |
| Saturday 6/27 | Junior & Senior Elite | Senior Elite AA Finals | Elite TR, TU, DM Finals |
| Monday 6/22 | Synchro Training | ||
| Tuesday 6/23 | J.O. Assigned Training | Level 7 A/B/C/D | Level 8/9/10/OE/YE Assigned Training + Prelims, Finals |
| Wednesday 6/24 | Level 7, 8 | Level 7 A/B/C/D | Level 9/10/YE/OE TR, DM, TU |
| Thursday 6/25 | Level 6, 8, 9,10 | Level 8 A/B | Level 9/10/YE/OE TR, DM, TU |
| Friday 6/26 | Level 6, 9, 10 | Level 8 A/B | Level 9/OE and 10/YE Finals |
| Saturday 6/27 | Level 6, 9, 10 | Level 8 C/D | Level 8 TR, DM, TU |
| Sunday 6/28 | Level 8 C/D/J.O. Groups | Level 8 TR, DM, TU |
USA Gymnastics will provide full coverage of every competition via its YouTube channel starting on Thursday. To access the live stream, click here.
With most of the nation's gymnasts preparing for the P&G Gymnastics Championships, which will take place in August, all attention will turn to a select group of athletes taking to the floor this week. T&T, acro and rhythmic present some of the most spectacular disciplines in the sport, and fans in Greensboro should be in for a treat this week.
Three-time national champion Erin Jauch is one of many who will be competing at the USA Gymnastics Championshps, despite flirting with retirement last year. Speaking to Jo-Ann Barnas of USA Gymnastics, she set some lofty goals for this season:
"I remember thinking before the world championships last year in Daytona (Fla.), I said that if it ended well, it might be my last year and I’d retire – mainly because of school. But here I am. I’ve been working on some new stuff to stay active. I would say now that my ultimate goal is to repeat in Greensboro and Denmark and break both world (scoring) records that I currently hold.
"
The 20-year-old is the favourite to win the women's double mini trampoline and the top star of the USA's T&T team, but there are several other youngsters looking to turn a strong showing in Greensboro into success at the World Championships in Odense, Denmark, later this year.
Olympian Steven Gluckstein is among them, and he appears to be in fine form entering the competition:
Gluckstein just missed the finals at a recent World Cup event in Russia after breaking his right forearm last year, and with the 2015 Pan American Games right around the corner, it will be interesting to see how he's able to perform in Greensboro.
He'll be coaching as well as competing during the USA Gymnastics Championships, giving some of the younger emerging athletes a chance to work with a star on the international level.
Michael Rodrigues recently announced he'll return to the sport of acro after a brief retirement, and while he won't be competing in Greensboro, he and Ani Smith will be a popular topic of discussion throughout the week.
The 32-year-old will be inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame later this summer, per Barnas, but that isn't stopping him from chasing another world title. The USA's acro team hasn't been able to consistently put together results since Rodrigues departed, and his return should put the spotlight firmly on its competitions this week.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
