|
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Feb. 11, 2009 – Fans across the country can enjoy all of the gymnastics action from the 2009 Tyson American Cup as it happens on Feb. 21. The prestigious international invitational, which is being staged at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., will have live television coverage of the entire competition on NBC Sports and Universal Sports. With 2008 Olympic medalists Bridget Sloan of Pittsboro, Ind., and Joseph Hagerty of Rio Rancho, N.M., representing the United States, Universal Sports will start the coverage at 2:30 p.m. ET, with NBC Sports picking up the action at 4 p.m. ET. “USA Gymnastics is excited about providing our fans with the opportunity to watch the entire competition,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “This is the first time in at least 25 years that fans around the country will have access to the entire competition. NBC Sports and Universal Sports have made this a reality.” The Universal Sports telecast will run from 2:30-4 p.m. ET, and the NBC Sports broadcast goes from 4-6 p.m. ET. Universal Sports will also air an encore presentation of the NBC Sports broadcast on Tuesday, Feb. 25, from 7-9 p.m. ET. In addition to Sloan and Hagerty, 2008 U.S. all-around champion David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill., and 2008 U.S. junior all-around champion Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich., are representing the USA at the 2009 Tyson American Cup. Other 2008 Olympic medalists expected to compete include Olympic all-around bronze-medalist Benoit Caranobe of France and Olympic horizontal bar bronze-medalist Fabian Hambuechen of Germany. Also scheduled are: men – Japan’s Koji Uematsu, Puerto Rico’s Luis Rivera Rivera, Romania’s Adrian Bucur and Russia’s Yury Ryazanov; and women – Canada’s Brittany Rogers, France’s Youna Dufournet, Germany’s Kim Bui, Great Britain’s Rebecca Downie, Japan’s Koko Tsurumi, Romania’s Amelia Racea, Russia’s Kristina Goryunova and Venezuela’s Jessica Lopez. Ten 2008 Olympians, including five all-around finalists in Beijing, are in the 2009 Tyson American Cup field. The 2009 Tyson American Cup on Feb. 21 features an all-around format, which means the men compete on all six apparatus and the women on all four. The male and female gymnasts with the highest score at the end of the competition win the coveted Tyson American Cup title. Some of the sport’s biggest names are former Tyson American Cup all-around gold medalists, including: men – Paul Hamm, Jonathan Horton, Jason Gatson, Blaine Wilson, John Roethlisberger, Vitaly Scherbo (Belarus), Tim Daggett, Peter Vidmar, Mitsuo Tsukahara (Japan), Kurt Thomas and Bart Conner; and women – Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Carly Patterson, Elena Zamolodchikova (Russia), Kerri Strug, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Kim Zmeskal, Kristie Phillips, Mary Lou Retton, Julianne McNamara, Stella Zakharova (USSR) and Nadia Comaneci (Romania). Past sites for the American Cup include: New York City (1976-80, 1982-84, 2004, 2008); Ft. Worth Texas (1981, 1996-98); Indianapolis, Ind. (1985); Fairfax, Va. (1986-90, 2003); Orlando, Fla. (1991-94, 2000-02); Seattle, Wash. (1995); St. Petersburg, Fla. (1999); Uniondale, N.Y. (2005); Philadelphia (2006); and Jacksonville, Fla. (2007). On sale now, ticket prices range from $19.50-$125 and are subject to applicable fees and availability. Tickets may be purchased charge by phone at 312-559-1212 or 1-888-SEARSTIX; online at www.ticketmaster.com; at all Ticketmaster outlets; or at the Sears Centre Arena Box Office. Visa is the preferred method of payment. |
