| USAG HOME | NEWS | EVENTS | Rhythmic gymnastics field set for 2007 Visa Championships August 9, 2007 INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Aug. 9, 2007—2007 Pan Am gold medalist and defending U.S. all-around champion Lisa Wang of Buffalo Grove, Ill., is one of 42 rhythmic gymnasts competing in the junior and senior divisions at the 2007 Visa Championships, Aug. 15-18, in San Jose, Calif. At the conclusion of the Visa Championships, the members of the 2007 World Championships Team and the 2007 Rhythmic Gymnastics National Team will be named.   Other rhythmic gymnasts in the field include Ava Gehringer of Evanston, Ill, the 2006 U.S. all-around bronze medalist; Rachel Marmer of Los Angeles, who has won the last four U.S. junior all-around titles and is now competing as a senior; and Julie Zetlin, the 2007 Pan Am Games silver-medalist in ribbon. Marlee Shape of Buffalo Grove, Ill., the 2007 Rhythmic Challenge junior all-around champion, is competing in the junior division. Two Bay Area gymnasts are also competing: Amanda Heinemann, San Rafael/Rhythmic Academy of Marin (junior); and Anastasia Torba, Orinda/Allegro Rhythmic (junior).   The field breaks down into 22 seniors and 20 juniors, representing 10 states. The complete field is listed below.   The schedule for rhythmic gymnastics at the Visa Championships is: Thursday, Aug. 16 — 9:30 a.m., junior all-around qualifier and individual event finals, and 2:30 p.m., senior all-around qualifier and individual event finals; and Saturday, Aug. 18, 10 a.m. — junior and senior all-around finals. Rhythmic gymnastics competition is at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.   The U.S. champions for men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatic gymnastics are determined at the Visa Championships, gymnastics’ national championships. Artistic gymnastics will be held at HP Pavilion at San Jose, and rhythmic and acrobatic gymnastics are set for the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. The USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show, held in conjunction with the Visa Championships, will also be at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.   Visa Championships tickets for men's and women's artistic and rhythmic/acrobatic gymnastics are on sale now at the HP Pavilion Ticket Office; all Ticketmaster locations, charge by phone at (408) 998-TIXS; or online at www.ticketmaster.com.   The Visa Championships traces its history back to 1897 for the men and 1931 for the women.   About HP Pavilion at San Jose 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 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.   About San Jose McEnery Convention Center 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.   About Visa USA Visa USA is a leading payments brand and the nation's largest payments system, enabling banks to provide their consumer 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 – financial institutions, cardholders and merchants. In the United States, more than 521 million Visa-branded cards have been issued by our 13,320 financial institution customers.   Visa products generated nearly $1.8 trillion in total volume in the United States through March 2007 and enjoy unsurpassed acceptance around the globe. For more information, visit www.visa.com.   About the San Jose Sports Authority 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.   About 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.   #   Rhythmic gymnastics field for 2007 Visa Championships   By state, information shows name, hometown/club; division is indicated in parentheses.   California Nicole Chillingworth, Rolling Hills, Calif./Hollywood Academy (junior) Reba Daniels, Marina Del Ray, Calif./Hollywood Academy (junior) Natalie Gaghinjian, Glendale, Calif./California Rhythms (junior) Rachel Girma, Los Angeles, Calif./Los Angeles School of Gymnastics (senior) Amanda Heinemann, San Rafael, Calif./Rhythmic Academy of Marin (junior) Tess Jay, Los Angeles, Calif./Los Angeles School of Gymnastics (senior) Delaney Lonergan, Los Angeles, Calif./Los Angeles School of Gymnastics (senior) Rachel Marmer, Los Angeles, Calif./Hollywood Academy of Gymnastics (senior) Savannah Reynolds, Van Nuys, Calif./California Rhythms (junior) Katherine Scarnechia, Lancaster, Calif./California Rhythms (junior) Anastasia Torba, Orinda, Calif./Allegro Rhythmic (junior) Thea Torgersen, Point Arena, Calif./Global (senior)   Florida Shelby Todd, Jacksonville, Fla./International Rhythmic (senior) Rebecca Wallenstein, St. Augustine, Fla./River City (senior)   Illinois JoAnna Arnold, Evanston, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic (senior) Emily Barnett, Evanston, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic (senior) Sharon Dassouli, Northbrook, Ill./Illinois Rhythmics (junior), exhibition only Nina Galoustian, Wilmette, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic (junior) Ava Gehringer, Evanston, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic (senior) Shira Hefter, Highland Park, Ill/North Shore Rhythmic (junior) Jazzy Kerber, Highland Park, Ill/North Shore Rhythmic (junior), exhibition only Jaquelene Peysakhovich, Evanston, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic (senior) Sydney Sachs, Deerfield, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic (junior) Marlee Shape, Buffalo Grove, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic (junior) Lisa Wang, Buffalo Grove, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic (senior)   Maryland Julie Zetlin, Bethesda, Md./Rhythmflex (senior)   Michigan Anna Karpov, West Bloomfield, Mich./Oakland Rhythmic (senior)   Minnesota Sarah Kudishevich, Eden Prairie, Minn./International Gymnastics of Minnesota (junior) Michelle Milstein, Eagan, Minn./International Gymnastics of Minnesota (junior) Kathryn Vergeyle, Long Lake, Minn./International Gymnastics of Minnesota (senior)   New York Elizabeth Abushevitz, Highland Park, N.Y./Isadora's (senior) Tracy Agyeman, Corona, N.Y./Isadora's (senior) Jessica Bogdanov, Brooklyn, N.Y./Isadora's (junior) Diana Kim, Brooklyn, N.Y./Aviator (junior) Bianca LaRosa, Brooklyn, N.Y./Isadora's (senior) Gabriella Magid, Brooklyn, N.Y./Isadora's (junior) Tyler Rosemond, Fresh Meadows, N.Y./Big Apple Rhythmic (junior) Sofya Roytburg, Brooklyn, N.Y./Isadora's (senior) Viktoriya Syatkina, Brooklyn, N.Y./Isadora's (junior) Tamara Zverinskaya, Brooklyn, N.Y./Aviator (senior)   Pennsylvania Polina Kozitsky, Feasterville, Pa./Philadelphia Rhythmic Academy (junior)   Texas Michelle Moreleon, Houston, Texas/Rhythmic Attitudes of Houston (junior)   Washington Libby Schindler, Arlington, Wash./Elegance (senior) Diane Simunek, Seattle, Wash./Elegance (senior)   About USA Gymnastics Online. 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