In June, the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines hosts the country’s top acrobatic and rhythmic gymnasts as well as many Olympians and World champion tumbling and trampolining competitors.
Several premier events will be held in the Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday to crown national champions in several sports. Before each day’s activity in Hy-Vee Halls B and C and the Grand Ballroom, Development Program athletes and some junior participants will be in action.
After the tournament, team selections for acrobatic, rhythmic gymnastics, trampolining, and tumbling will be made.
FlipNow will provide live coverage of all competition sessions. USA Gymnastics is behind this. To learn more and visit subscribe, go to FlipNow.tv.
Tickets for the entire session and a single day are currently on sale. In the following sections, you’ll find out more about the three-in-one competition and who to keep an eye on from each participating discipline. You may learn more about the event by visiting the official website.
Gymnastics that use acrobatics
Until now, national championships have only been given in the men’s pair, mixed pair, and women’s group categories in the senior elite level for the first time since 2018. An all-star cast of rising stars includes reigning men’s pair World champions Angel Felix and Braiden McDougall of Realis Gymnastics Academy, 2022 World silver medalists in women’s pair Katie Borcherding and Cierra McKown, and 2022 Maia World Cup bronze medalists in men’s group Ethan Chang, Sam Lacy and Cade Shields of Realis Gymnastics Academy. Jaylen Ivey (San Jose, California) and Amaya Rogers (Campbell, California) and Mo Arthur (Rolla, Mo.) and Ariana Katsov (Owensville, Mo.) of WestCoast Training Center and Mo Arthur and Ariana Katsov (Owensville, Mo.) of Mid America Acro Tumbling are set to make their senior division USA Gymnastics Championships debuts.
The juniors are divided into age brackets: 11 to 16, 12 to 18, and 13 to 19. Allyson Stone and Ayla Vargas (San Antonio, Texas/Acrobatic Gymnastics of San Antonio) and Willow Rose Noble and Sydney Patios (Moreno Valley, California/Realis Gymnastics Academy) will face off in the 13-19 women’s pair competition at the World Acro Championships. There will be a 12-18-year-old division for Maia Acro Cup silver medalists Sydney Dorais and Molly Fox (San Diego/SoCal TTC), Andrew Castro (Riverside, Calif.), Savannah Stagno (Yucaipa, Calif.), and the trio of Catherine Lacy (Columbia, Md.), Abigail Novoseletskiy (Baltimore, Md.), and Cecelia Shadrick (Ellicott City, Md.) of Emilia’s Acro Gymnastics and Cheer competing in the 12-18 age group.
Gymnastics with a focus on rhythm.
A bronze medal at the Portimao World Challenge Cup last month and numerous top-ten international finishes in the first half of 2022 will carry Evita Griskenas (Orland Park, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center) and Lili Mizuno (Northbrook, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center) into this year’s national championships. In 2021, Griskenas won the ball title and the silver medal in the all-around competition. For the first time since the 2019 USA Gymnastics Championships, Mizuno, a member of the U.S. team that competed in Tokyo, will compete as an individual.
Fans should also keep an eye on Alexandria Kautzman (Simi Valley, Calif./California Rhythms), Lily Avila (Highland Park, Ill./Vitrychenko Academy), and former National Team member Serena Lu (Staten Island, N.Y./Isadora by Matchpoint). She returns to the competitive rhythmic gymnastics scene after nearly five years from the sport. In her first national season appearance, Lu won the hoop title at the Elite Qualifier 2022. Cayenne Pollini Ashenaffi (Reseda, Calif./Rhythmic Academy of Los Angeles) and Sarah Mariotti (San Diego, Calif./Ingenious R.G.), both first-year seniors, are among the ten members of the National Team participating.