| USAG HOME | NEWS | EVENTS | 2007 Visa Championships single-session tickets go on sale June 18 For immediate release - June 18, 2007 INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., June 18, 2007 – Single-session tickets for the 2007 Visa Championships, Aug. 15-18 in San Jose, Calif., go on sale Monday, June 18, at 10 a.m. PT. Single-session tickets range from $10-$65 for artistic gymnastics and $15-$20 for rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatic gymnastics. Visa Championships tickets for men's and women's artistic and rhythmic/acrobatic gymnastics are available at the HP Pavilion at San Jose Ticket Office; all Ticketmaster locations, charge by phone at (408) 998-TIXS; or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Visa is the only card accepted for the Visa Championships and the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. For USA Gymnastics’ other events, Visa is the preferred method of payment. Also see the 2007 Visa Championships web site for additional information. 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 the 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. "This year’s competition is shaping up to be one of the best ever," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. "The competition among these athletes will be fierce, both for the right to represent the United States at the 2007 Worlds and to position themselves as front-runners for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. There is a great deal at stake in San Jose this summer at the Visa Championships." "The Visa Championships are a cornerstone of Visa’s commitment to helping USA Gymnastics field the very best teams possible for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games," said Michael Lynch, senior vice president, Visa USA. "We’re thrilled to have America’s top gymnasts competing for the national championship right here in our own backyard.v At the HP Pavilion at San Jose, the artistic gymnastics competition schedule for the Visa Championships is: Wednesday, Aug. 15 – 1 p.m., junior men’s all-around and event finals, and 7 p.m., senior men’s first day of competition; Thursday, Aug. 16 – 1 p.m., junior women’s first day of competition, and 7 p.m., senior women’s first day of competition; Friday, Aug. 17 – 7 p.m., senior men’s final day of competition; and Saturday, Aug. 18 – 1 p.m., junior women’s final day of competition, and 6 p.m., senior women’s final day of competition. NBC Sports is broadcasting action from the women’s competition on a same weekend, tape-delayed basis during prime time. Coverage from the men’s competition airs later. The schedule for rhythmic and acrobatic gymnastics at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center is: Thursday, Aug. 16 – 9:30 a.m., junior rhythmic gymnastics all-around competition, and 2:30 p.m., senior rhythmic all-around competition; Friday, Aug. 17 – 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., acrobatic gymnastics; and Saturday, Aug. 18 – 10 a.m., rhythmic gymnastics (individual event) and acrobatic gymnastics finals. In 2006, Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas/WOGA, and Alexander Artemev of Morrison, Colo./Team Chevron, joined an impressive list of gymnasts who have earned the coveted title of U.S. all-around champion. Some of the sport’s biggest names are former all-around champions, including Carly Patterson, Courtney Kupets, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Kim Zmeskal and Mary Lou Retton for the women and Paul Hamm, Blaine Wilson, John Roethlisberger, Mitch Gaylord, Peter Vidmar and Bart Conner for the men. 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 Stealth of the National Lacrosse 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 Visa USA is the nation's leading payment brand and largest payment system, enabling banks to provide their consumers 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 in the payment system — members, cardholders and merchants. Through its 13,369 member financial institutions, more than 500 million Visa-branded cards have been issued to cardholders in the United States. Worldwide, cardholders in more than 150 countries carry more than 1 billion Visa-branded cards, accounting for more than $3 trillion in annual transaction volume. VisaNet, Visa’s global processing system and the world’s largest financial network, processes transactions with unparalleled reliability. Visa offers a trusted, reliable and convenient way to access and mobilize financial resources – anytime, anywhere, anyway. 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. USA Gymnastics Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for the sport of gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. For more information about USA Gymnastics and its programs, access USA Gymnastics online at www.usa-gymnastics.org. About USA Gymnastics Online. Please report problems to our webmaster. Copyright © USA Gymnastics. All rights reserved.