Dear Parents and Gymnastics Fans!

April 17, 2017

Thank you for participating in the 2017 AAU Spring State Championships in Tampa, Florida at the Tampa Convention Center. Parent Information:  Session times are very close together. Please arrive early enough to park, get into the Tampa Convention Center and find your athletes competition floor. This process usually takes 15 extra minutes.  Parking is directly across from the Tampa Convention Center and the fee ranges from $5-12 depending on how long you are in the arena. There is no in out so I suggest you park and leave the car or you will have to pay a fee every time you leave and return. ( See attached map of downtown Tampa)  The door fee will be $15.00/10 years and older, $8.00/ages 3-9. Children under 2 are free of charge. Weekend pass available for $25/$12 The door fee is CASH ONLY and exact change is much appreciated.  Weekend door fee will be $25.00/adult, $12.00/child  The results will be posted on the CANDO website by 5pm on Monday, May 8, 2017.  There are many restaurants and shopping opportunities nearby.  Please remember there will be NO flash photography as it is not SAFE for our athletes.  Lightning City Merchandising , Alpha Factor and Jump Stitch will be the vendors of the championships.  If the session before your competition time ends early, the next session will start immediately, so please arrive in the Tampa Convention Center 15 minutes prior to your scheduled stretch time with the exception of the first session of each day.  If you have questions prior to the competition, please CONTACT your coach and they will contact the meet directors for you.  THE SESSION with “Z” division athletes will be competing for the coveted “All American” award. It is given to the highest all- around score for each level and each age group in the level. So, if there are 48 athletes in the “Z” division within a level, there will be 4 All Americans awarded for that level. This makes the competition for the highest all around athletes more competitive as they have earned the opportunity to compete for the All American based on their all-around scores they earned at the qualifiers before state.  Join us May 6-7, 2017 as we celebrate the Tampa Riverwalk and all the sights, sounds and action that surround it. RiverFest 2017, a FREE event to the public, will include live entertainment, food festivals, family-friendly activities and fireworks to conclude the weekend-long event. New this year is the Hot Dog Festival scheduled for Saturday in Curtis Hixon Park. In partnership with Nathan’s Hot Dogs, RiverFest will host a live Hot Dog Eating Contest that will serve as an official qualifier event sending one man and one women to The Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island. Other events include a wiener dog derby that will benefit the Florida Dachshund rescue and a hot dog tasting event. The evening activities will include the hugely popular Hot Air Balloon Glow take place on Saturday evening and a free Pops in the Park with the Florida Orchestra on Sunday evening as the grand finale, culminating with a fireworks show at the end of the concert. The event activities will stretch all along the river, with main activities taking place in Curtis Hixon Park, MacDill Park and at the Sail Pavilion near the Tampa Convention Center Docks. Attendees can also travel by water to access different parts of the Riverwalk. RiverFest has partnered with the Pirate Water Taxi to offer discounted $5 one-way rides all weekend on the downtown route.

Thank you for attending the 2017 Spring AAU State Championships. Should you need assistance at the meet, one of our volunteers will be happy to assist you.

See you at the meet! Patti