More than 1,000 of the nation’s top trampoline and tumbling gymnasts and coaches will converge on the Palm Beaches to participate in the 2019 Stars and Stripes Championships on July 20-21 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
The two-day championships will feature competition in men’s and women’s trampoline, tumbling and double mini trampoline in various age categories. The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is the local host while USA Gymnastics is the event organizer. This national meet consists of competitions for levels 5-7 in both the trampoline and tumbling disciplines.
“The Stars and Stripes Championships is the culmination of the competitive season for these gymnasts,” said Jacqui Godfrey, director of trampoline and tumbling for USA Gymnastics. “These talented gymnasts may well compete on the world stage in the years to come. We hope the community will come and see first-hand the amazing skills the athletes perform.”
The Stars and Stripes Championships will create enormous tourism and economic benefits for the Palm Beaches. Combining coaches, exhibitors and spectators with the athletes, more than 3,000 visitors from across the United States are expected to come through the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
The arrival of traveling participants will create more than $2 million of economic impact while filling thousands of hotel rooms.
Trampoline events involve athletes using trampolines that can propel them up to 30 feet in the air, during which they can perform double, triple and quadruple twisting somersaults.
Tumbling utilizes elevated rod-floor runways that enable athletes to jump at heights more than 10 feet and execute a variety of acrobatic maneuvers. For the double-mini competition, the athlete makes a short run, leaps onto a small two-level trampoline, performs an aerial maneuver and dismounts onto a landing mat.
Trampoline and tumbling joined USA Gymnastics in 1999 and made its debut as an Olympic sport at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
“We are thrilled to host the Stars & Stripes Championships at the Palm Beach County Convention Center,” said George Linley, executive director of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. “Palm Beach County will be home to one of the premier gymnastics events in the nation, and our destination will undoubtedly be hosting future Olympians. Our sports commission is excited to partner with the Palm Beach County Convention Center, which is a dynamic and versatile facility that has been transformed to host a variety of marquee sports events on both a national and global level.”
The USA Gymnastics Stars and Stripes Championships signifies the third national gymnastics meet to take place at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in the last four years. In 2015, this venue was home to the USA Gymnastics Men’s Southeast Regional Championships, and in 2018 it held the Tim Rand Invitational, which is one of the top international competitions for girls taking place annually in Florida.
Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the sole national governing body for the sport of gymnastics in the United States. USA Gymnastics has many responsibilities, including selecting and training the U.S. gymnastics teams for Olympic Games and World Championships; promoting and developing gymnastics on a grassroots and national level; and serving as a resource center for member clubs, fans and gymnasts throughout the United States.
The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is a private, not-for-profit organization contracted by Palm Beach County to promote and market the county as a sports and sports tourism destination. Learn more at www.palmbeachsports.com.
