News: Men’s field is set for the 2007 Visa Championships

Men’s field is set for the 2007 Visa Championships

June 28, 2007

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., June 28, 2007 – The field for the men’s artistic gymnastics competition at the 2007 Visa Championships, Aug. 15-18 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., includes 86 men competing in the junior and senior divisions. 2006 U.S. all-around champion Alexander Artemev of Team Chevron/Morrison, Colo., is set to defend his crown against a talented roster of veteran and rising gymnasts. After the conclusion of the Visa Championships, the members of the 2007 World Championships Team and the 2007 Men’s National Team will be determined.

2006 U.S. still rings champion Kevin Tan of Fremont, Calif./Team Chevron, is one of eight San Jose-area gymnasts slated to compete in the Visa Championships: Kyle Bunthuwong of El Cerrito/Golden Bear Gymnastics (junior/16-18); Josh Dixon of San Jose/Champions Academy (junior/16-18); Eric Haeussler of Redwood City/San Mateo Gymnastics (junior/16-18); Jeffrey Langenstein of San Carlos/San Mateo Gymnastics (junior/14-15); Sho Nakamori of Albany/Stanford University; Neal Thompson of Belmont/San Mateo Gymnastics (junior/16-18); and Christopher Turner of Fremont/WCOGA (junior/14-15).

At the 2006 World Championships, Artemev became the first U.S. man to win a pommel horse medal since 1979 when he finished third. All five of Artemev’s teammates on the 2006 World Championships Team are included in the Visa Championships field: Guillermo Alvarez of Denver/Team Chevron; Jonathan Horton of Houston/University of Oklahoma; David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill./Stanford University; Clay Strother of Jasper, Texas/Team Chevron; and Tan. In addition, the six men competing in the 2007 Pan Am Games are also scheduled to compete: David Durante of Garwood, N.J./Team Chevron; Sean Golden of Camden, N.J./Gattaca; Joseph Hagerty of Rio Rancho, N.M./Team Chevron; Justin Spring of Burke, Va./Team Chevron; Todd Thornton of Houston/Team Chevron; and Alvarez.

Three members of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team that won the team silver medal are expected to return to competitive gymnastics at the 2007 Visa Championships: twins Morgan and Paul Hamm of Waukesha, Wis., and Blaine Wilson of Columbus, Ohio. Their petition to compete has been approved, pending demonstration of competitive readiness. At the 2004 Olympics, Paul Hamm became the first U.S. man to win the all-around Olympic crown. Both Hamms were also members of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team, and Wilson is a three-time Olympian (1996, 2000 and 2004).

The field breaks down into 48 seniors and 38 juniors, 19 in each of the two junior categories, 14-15 and 16-18 years of age. Nineteen states are represented in the men’s competition. The complete field is listed below.

The senior men qualified for the Visa Championships via several different avenues: a member of the current senior national team; finished in the top six from the USA in the all-around at the 2007 NCAA Championships; the top 24 athletes from the U.S. Men’s Qualifier based on the approved points system; and the top three athletes on each event at the U.S. Men’s Qualifier. Some athletes successfully petitioned the Men’s Program Committee for inclusion. The qualification options for the juniors were based on performances at the 2007 Winter Cup Challenge, 2007 Men’s Junior Olympic National Championships and the 2007 U.S. Men’s Qualifier.

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.

At HP Pavilion, 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.

Visa Championships tickets for men's and women's artistic and rhythmic/acrobatic gymnastics are on sale now 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.

In 2006, Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas, and Artemev 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 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.

Men’s field for the 2007 Visa Championships

Names are listed alphabetically by state; information reads name, club, hometown; division is indicated in parenthesis

Arizona

Yewki Tomita, Team Chevron, Tucson, Ariz. (senior)

California

Donothan Bailey, Azarian Gymnastics, Lake Forest, Calif. (junior/14-15)

Kyle Bunthuwong, Golden Bear Gymnastics, El Cerrito, Calif. (junior/16-18)

Josh Dixon, Champions Academy, San Jose, Calif. (junior/16-18)

Justin Ebueng, Diamond Elite, Chino Hills, Calif. (junior/16-18)

Eric Haeussler, San Mateo Gymnastics, Redwood City, Calif. (junior/16-18)

Glen Ishino, SCATS – HB, Santa Ana, Calif. (junior/16-18)

Jeffrey Langenstein, San Mateo Gymnastics, San Carlos, Calif. (junior/14-15)

Sam Mikulak, SCATS – HB, Newport Coast, Calif. (junior/14-15)

Yoshi Mori, New Hope Academy of Gymnastics, Irvine, Calif. (junior/14-15)

Sho Nakamori, Stanford University, Albany, Calif. (senior)

Kevin Tan, Team Chevron, Fremont, Calif. (senior)

Neal Thompson, San Mateo Gymnastics, Belmont, Calif. (junior/16-18)

Christopher Turner, WCOGA, Fremont, Calif. (junior/14-15)

Colorado

Guillermo Alvarez, Team Chevron, Denver, Colo. (senior)

Alexander Artemev, Team Chevron, Morrison, Colo. (senior)

Geoffrey Corrigan, Team Chevron, Colorado Springs, Colo. (senior)

Michael Jiang, Chatfield Gymnastics, Littleton, Colo. (junior/16-18)

Florida

Chris Cameron, Sun Country Sports, Winter Haven, Fla. (junior/16-18)

Derek Helsby, Penn State University, Orlando, Fla. (senior)

Danell Leyva, Universal Gymnastics, Miami, Fla. (senior)

Edward Mesa, Universal Gymnastics, Cooper City, Fla. (senior)

Georgia

Justin Laury, University of Michigan, Powder Springs, Ga. (senior)

Illinois

Alex Buscaglia, Aerial Gymnastics, Cary, Ill. (senior)

Bear Danley, Buffalo Grove Gymnastics, Wheeling, Ill. (junior/16-18)

Wesley Haagensen, University of Illinois, Belleville, Ill. (senior)

Thomas Kelley, Buffalo Grove Gymnastics, Libertyville, Ill. (senior)

Ryan Lieberman, Buffalo Grove Gymnastics, Lake Forest, Ill. (senior)

C.J. Padera, Bartlett Gymnastics, Winfield, Ill. (junior/16-18)

Sean Regan, Buffalo Grove Gymnastics, Libertyville, Ill. (senior)

Benjamin Rudolph, Bartlett Gymnastics, Naperville, Ill. (junior/14-15)

David Sender, Stanford University, Arlington Heights, Ill. (senior)

Joshua Wokurka, Bartlett Gymnastics, Lombard, Ill. (junior/14-15)

Iowa

Cameron Foreman, Iowa Gym-Nest, Iowa City, Iowa (junior/14-15)

Maryland

John Vogtman, Temple University, Baltimore, Md. (senior)

Massachusetts

Russell Dabritz, Yellow Jackets, Rowley, Mass. (junior/16-18)

Mel Anton Santander, University of Michigan, Southborough, Mass. (senior)

Nevada

Jake Dalton, Gymnastics Nevada, Sparks, Nev. (junior/14-15)

Sergei Dmitriev, Minnesota Gymnastics, Reno, Nev. (senior)

New Jersey

Alex Bubnov, Surgent’s Elite, Fanwood, N.J. (junior/14-15)

Joe Catrambone, University of Michigan, Deptford, N.J. (senior)

Mackenzie Dow, Surgent’s Elite, Cranford, N.J. (junior/14-15)

David Durante, Team Chevron, Garwood, N.J. (senior)

Andrew Elkind, USOTC, Cherry Hill, N.J. (senior)

Sean Golden, Houston Gymnastics Academy, Camden, N.J. (senior)

New Mexico

Joseph Hagerty, Team Chevron, Rio Rancho, N.M. (senior)

C.J. Maestas, Gold Cup Gymnastics, Albuquerque, N.M. (junior/14-15)

D.J. Repp, Gold Cup Gymnastics, Albuquerque, N.M. (junior/16-18)

New York

Zeke Jackson, Gattaca-LVSA, Latham, N.Y. (senior)

John Orozco, World Cup Gymnastics, Bronx, N.Y. (junior/14-15)

Ohio

Alexy Bilozertchev, OSU Boys Team, Hilliard, Ohio (junior/16-18)

DJ Bucher, Ohio State University, Mason, Ohio (senior)

Ross Cameratta, Gymnastics World, Inc., Independence, Ohio (junior/16-18)

Matthew Chelberg, Hocking Valley Gymnastics, Athens, Ohio (junior/14-15)

Ben Ketelsen, Hocking Valley Gymnastics, Lancaster, Ohio (senior)

Miguel Pineda, Hocking Valley Gymnastics, Galloway, Ohio (junior/16-18)

Blaine Wilson,, Team Chevron, Columbus, Ohio (senior)

Pennsylvania

Anthony Beck, Gattaca, Northampton, Pa. (junior/16-18)

Texas

Dylan Akers, Cypress Academy, Kingwood, Texas (junior/14-15)

Andre Berry, Minnesota Gymnastics, Hempstead, Texas (senior)

Raj Bhavsar, Team Chevron, Houston, Texas (senior)

Tim Gentry, WOGA, Plano, Texas (senior)

David Henderson, Team Chevron, Crosby, Texas (senior)

Jamie Henderson, University of Oklahoma, Crosby, Texas (senior)

Jonathan Horton, University of Oklahoma, Houston, Texas (senior)

Jacob Houder, Cypress Academy, Pinehurst, Texas (junior/16-18)

Steven Legendre, WOGA, Flower Mound, Texas (senior)

Glenn McCuen, WOGA, Plano, Texas (junior/14-15)

Tyler Mizoguchi, Houston Gymnastics Academy, Houston, Texas (junior/16-18)

Philip Onorato, WOGA, Plano, Texas (senior)

Timothy Pittman, Cypress Academy, Houston, Texas (junior/16-18)

Eric Schryver, WOGA, Richardson, Texas (junior/14-15)

Chris Silcox, University of Illinois, San Antonio, Texas (senior)

Christopher Stehl, Cypress Academy, Richmond, Texas (junior/14-15)

Cole Storer, Minnesota Gymnastics, Prosper, Texas (senior)

Clay Strother, Team Chevron, Jasper, Texas (senior)

Todd Thornton, Team Chevron, Houston, Texas (senior)

Sean Townsend, Houston Gymnastics Academy, Houston, Texas (senior)

Joshua Wilson, WOGA, Allen, Texas (junior/14-15)

Tyler Yamauchi, University of Illinois, Sugarland, Texas (senior)

Utah

Jacob Lee, Minnesota Gymnastics, Saratoga Springs, Utah (senior)

Virginia

Tim McNeill, University of California - Berkeley, Falls Church, Va. (senior)

Viorel Popescu, RRMG, Glen Allen, Va. (senior)

Justin Spring, Team Chevron, Burke, Va. (senior)

Wisconsin

Morgan Hamm, Ohio State, Waukesha, Wis. (senior)

Paul Hamm, Team Chevron, Waukesha, Wis. (senior)