Elite gymnasts from across the country will tumble their way into SportsCity in Blue Springs this weekend to compete in the 23rd annual Orthopedic Sciences, Inc. Dragon Invitational 2006.
The Dragon Invitational is a premier gymnastics competition hosted by The Great American Gymnastic Express.
TMore than 700 gymnasts are expected to compete in the event that begins at 10:30 a.m. Friday and wraps up with a 4 p.m. Sunday session.
TGAGE is the home gym of 2004 Olympic silver medalists Terin Humphrey and Courtney McCool.
T"The Dragon Invitational will be a good way for local gymnastic fans to come out and see the up and coming young gymnasts from across the country," GAGE CEO Karla Grimes said. "SportsCity is just the perfect venue for an event like this. We'll have bleachers set on the floor and fans can watch from the walkways to get a new view of the sport."
TLevel VII performers will compete at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Friday. They will be followed by Level IV at 4:30 p.m. and Level II and III at 7 p.m.
TSaturday's lineup begins at 8:30 a.m. with Level VIII starting it out. Level IX competes at 12:30 p.m. and Level X elite gymnasts taking center stage at 6 p.m.
TSunday's action begins at 8:30 a.m. with Level V and VI. Those two levels also compete at 12:30 p.m. The final session begins at 4 p.m. and features Level IV-VII.
TAl Fong, president and head coach at GAGE, is excited about the event for many reasons.
T"This is always an exciting time, not only for the competitors, but for the coaches," said Fong, who coached Humphrey and McCool in the Athens Olympics. "You are going to see some future Olympians here in Blue Springs this weekend."
TThe four GAGE seniors who will attend college in the fall will make an appearance, including McCool, who will attend the University of Georgia. Sarah Shire, who will attend the University of Utah; Kayla Rogers, who has signed with Louisiana State University; and Missouri signee Liz Straatmann will be there, too.
T"What's really exciting about this weekend is that you get to see what the competition is like from gyms across the country," GAGE coach Rodney Gust said. "Although we're going to be so busy running the event we probably won't get to see much of it."
TFong is also happy with the new partnership with Orthopedic Sciences, Inc. (OSI), the designers and developers of proprietary orthopedic medical products.
"OSI is a valued member of our corporate sponsorship family, and we are excited to have them on our team as we prepare for the Beijing Olympics in 2008," Fong said. "OSI and Dragon Gymnastics are both known for their pursuit of excellence, and this is a winning combination."
TThirty-two teams have been invited to the event. Squads from Maryland, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Pennsylvania as well as Missouri and Kansas will compete.
TGAGE's USA national team members Sarah Shire, Ivana Hong and Sarah DeMeo should set the tone for the elite competition. McCool will be on hand to support the event and sign autographs.
T"This is an incredible opportunity for us to showcase the courage, commitment, leadership and teamwork needed to excel in the sport of gymnastics," Grimes said. "It enables our Dragon Gymnastics team and their supporters to welcome some of the finest athletes in the world."
TTickets range from $5 to $12 and are on sale now by phone at (816) 229-7775. For group tickets of 10 or more, contact GAGE group sales at that same number.
TA portion of the proceeds will benefit Dragon Gymnastics and the Women's Intersport Network for Kansas City (WIN for KC).
