USA Gymnastics Is the National Governing Body for the Sport in The
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Photo © Grace Chiu © Grace Photo The 2011 World Championships Team Gold Medalists: (L-R) Alexandra Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Jordyn Wieber, Sabrina Vega, Alicia Sacramone, Gabrielle Douglas and Anna Li. ELITE ELITE GROUP USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for the Olympic and World Teams Olympic and World Teams sport in the United States. It gets this designation from the are selected from the Elite level. are selected from the Elite level. U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Gymnastics LEVEL 10 ADVANCED Federation. USA Gymnastics, headquartered in Indianapolis, LEVEL 9 INTERMEDIATE Ind., sets the rules and policies that govern the sport of gym- LEVEL 8 BEGINNER nastics. USA Gymnastics has many responsibilities, including LEVEL 7 LEVEL 6 JUNIOR OLYMPIC selecting and training the U.S. Gymnastics Teams for the LEVEL 5 PROGRAM Olympics and World Championships; promoting and devel- LEVELS 1-4 oping gymnastics on the grassroots and national levels; and RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS GROUP serving as a resource center for members, clubs, fans and MEN’S AND WOMEN’S ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS, TRAMPOLINE & TUMBLING, gymnasts throughout the United States. USA Gymnastics also RHYTHMIC (INDIVIDUAL) & ACROBATIC GYMNASTICS provides continuing education resources for new and experi- enced coaches and instructors in the sport. USA Gymnastics encompasses six disciplines: Women’s More than 4,000 competitions and events are sanctioned Gymnastics, Men’s Gymnastics, Trampoline and Tumbling, annually throughout the USA. USA Gymnastics has more Rhythmic Gymnastics, Acro- than 97,000 athletes registered to participate in the Junior batic Gymnastics and Olympic and elite programs. Group Gymnastics. The chart above shows each discipline and how it pro- Today, more than gresses from beginner to elite level. 120,000 athletes The ultimate goal in the sport is to become a USA National and professionals Gymnastics Team member. To become a national team mem- are members of ber, a gymnast must first work his or her way through a series USA Gymnastics. of qualifying meets. The preliminary meets range from USA Gymnastics-sanctioned competitions organized by private clubs to state, regional and national qualification meets. Each meet gives the athlete the opportunity to meet minimum qual- ification scores and/or placement requirements established by USA Gymnastics. Gymnasts meeting the requirements are then eligible to compete in the Visa Championships, USA Gymnastics’ national championships and the most prestigious TOTAL COMPETITIVE and significant competition of the year. GYMNASTS 102,295 Cover: Clockwise from top left: Steven Gluckstein, Jordyn Wieber, Danell Leyva, acro pair Eirian Smith & Jake Kanavel and rhythmic gymnast Julie Zetlin GROUP GYMNASTICS This is the Group Gymnastics team from Biron Gymnastics in Houston, Texas, at the International Sports and Cultural Festival in Ft. Worth, Texas. Biron Gymnastics, representing USA Gymnastics, was selected as a special performing group in the FIG Gala at the 2011 World Gymnaestrada in Lausanne, Switzerland. Internationally, Group Gymnastics is known as Gymnastics for All. PARENT’S Photo © Marvin Sharp USA Gymnastics has developed a website directed to parents that can be used as a resource. The website www.usagymclub.com RESOURCE includes a listing to all of the USA Gymnastics Member Clubs around the country, testimonials from some of the top individuals in our sport, Beams of Knowledge, and other important information for parents to know. We also have a section where you can ask questions. NATIONAL GYMNASTICS DAY Each year, USA Gymnastics celebrates National Gymnastics Day to raise exposure of our sport. Since 2001, gymnastics clubs across the country have raised more than $1.5 million for Children’s Miracle Network. This year, on September 22, 2012, gym clubs across the country will celebrate the sport on National Gymnastics Day as a show of strength and a fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network. The monies raised are distributed to each gym club’s local Children’s Miracle Network hospital, which helps children around the country who are fighting illness. BRIDGET SLOAN 2009 World All-Around Chanpion.