Lehigh University’s Stabler Arena will be the first stop of a truly unique international sporting event in 2013, the first Pro Gymnastics Challenge, happening on May 10th and 11th. The event, which will feature some of the greatest current and future male and female gymnasts, will be held in a USA vs. The World team format, but with a very unique twist, with the competitors doing a “skill vs. skill” challenge with men competing against women for points and prize money.
The event will be televised as a three-part series on ESPN2 on May 20, 21 and 22.
Nastia Liukin, one of the United States’ most decorated and admired Olympians, will help coach Team USA. The World Team will be coached by the legendary Svetlana Boguinskaia, a five-time World Champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist, while Liukin will be joined by three time Olympian Blaine Wilson coaching Team USA.
In case you were living under a rock during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Nastia Liukin won the 2008 Olympic All Around Title and took home five time Olympic medals! Following her success in Beijing she was named FIG Athlete of the Year, Women’s Sports Foundation Individual Sportswoman of the Year and the United States Sports Academy’s Female Athlete of the Year.
Liukin will join athletes representing no less than 12 nations participating in the event. The U.S. team will be led by two time Olympian and silver medalist Jonathan Horton, 2012 Olympian Jacob Dalton and six time NCAA champion, Stephen Legendre, with three time World Championship silver medalist Jana Bieger and NCAA Champion Kat Ding among those representing the women. The world team will be led by 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Sam Oldham of Great Britain, 2012 Olympic silver medalist Marcel Nguyen of Germany, six time Olympian and gold medalist Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan, Brazil 2016 hopefuls Petrix and Jade Barbosa and Daniele and Diego Hypolito, and two time Olympian Anna Pavlova of Russia among others.
While watching these amazing athletes compete is thrilling in itself, the event also features a unique opportunity for the audience to get in on the action- the “Audience All-Around” where fans will actually take control of the competition! Each team will choose one athlete to compete on each apparatus. Then, audience uses Phizzle’s Text-2-Vote to choose what skill should be attempted. Once completed, the crowd judges who did the skill better by texting their decision (via Phizzle’s Text-2-Vote) in real time in the arena! The point is awarded solely on the audiences’ response.
This unique opportunity to watch and participate with the best athletes in gymnastics will no doubt draw huge crowds so make sure to reserve your tickets now!
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