INDIANAPOLIS, January 10, 2018 – USA Gymnastics today announced the 2018 sites for two of USA Gymnastics premier events: the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, the national championships for men’s and women’s gymnastics, will be held in Boston at the TD Garden; and Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, is playing host to the U.S. Classic, the final women’s qualifier for the national championships.

U.S. Championships, Boston, TD Garden, Aug. 16-19
Ragan Smith of Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, and Yul Moldauer of Arvada, Colo./University of Oklahoma, won the women’s and men’s 2017 U.S. all-around titles, respectively. Scheduled for Aug. 16-19, 2018, the U.S. Championships features the country’s best gymnasts vying for national titles and national team berths. The championships determines the men’s and women’s U.S. champions and U.S. National Team for the junior and senior elite levels. The championships also traditionally serves as part of the selection process for the U.S. Team for the World Championships.

While Boston played host to the 2008 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Championships, 2018 marks the event’s debut at the TD Garden and the first time Boston has staged the national championships for both men’s and women’s gymnastics. In addition, Boston was the site for the 1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials and several post-Olympic gymnastics tour events.

The preliminary competition schedule, which is subject to change, for the four days is below.

• Thursday, August 16: Men’s gymnastics – 1:30 p.m., juniors, and 7:30 p.m., seniors
• Friday, August 17: Women’s gymnastics – 1:30 p.m., juniors, and 7:30 p.m., seniors
• Saturday, August 18: Men’s gymnastics – 10:30 a.m., juniors, and 3:30 p.m., seniors
• Sunday, August 19: Women’s gymnastics – 1:30 p.m., juniors, and 7:30 p.m., seniors

Group tickets are currently available through TD Garden (617-624-1805).

The roster of former U.S. all-around champions is a veritable who’s who of gymnastics, including: women – Simone Biles, Jordyn Wieber, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Carly Patterson, Courtney Kupets, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Kim Zmeskal and Mary Lou Retton; and men – Sam Mikulak, Jonathan Horton, Paul Hamm, Blaine Wilson, John Roethlisberger, Mitch Gaylord, Peter Vidmar and Bart Conner. The U.S. Gymnastics Championships traces its history back to 1897 for the men and 1931 for the women.

U.S. Classic, Columbus, Ohio, July 27-28
The U.S. Classic, which has athletes competing on the junior and senior levels, is the last opportunity for female gymnasts to qualify for the U.S. Championships, the national championships for men’s and women’s gymnastics. Gymnasts who have already qualified to nationals use the U.S. Classic as a final tune-up for the U.S. Championships.

In addition, the Hopes Championships, which features young, aspiring female gymnasts who are just below the elite level, is held in conjunction with the U.S. Classic. The Hopes Championships has two age groups, 10-11 year-olds and 12-13 year-olds. Athletes advance to the Hopes Championships from the Hopes Classic (July 7 at the USA Gymnastics National Team Training Center). The top 18 from each age group qualify to the Hopes Championships assuming each athlete achieves a minimum qualifying score. Set for Friday, July 28, the Hopes Championships is the culmination of the Hopes season.

The competition schedule, which is subject to change, is: U.S. Classic – July 28 at 1:30 p.m. ET for juniors and 7:30 p.m. ET for seniors; and Hopes Championships, July 27 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Group tickets are currently available through the Shottenstein (614-246-7224).

Columbus played host to the 2012 and 2016 Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions, as well as the 1992 U.S. Championships.

Background information

• TD Garden. TD Garden, owned and operated by Delaware North, first opened its doors to the public on September 30, 1995. In the 20-plus years since, the venue has generated more than $365 million in direct economic impact to the Greater Boston region from its major national events alone, not including its high-profile Bruins and Celtics tenants. The arena has played host to countless marquee events, including the Democratic National Convention, NHL All-Star Game, NCAA Frozen Fours, NCAA Women’s Final Four, U.S. Olympic Trials – Gymnastics, U.S. Figure Skating Championships and ISU World Figure Skating Championships among others. Delaware North, owner and operator of TD Garden, is one of the largest privately-held hospitality and food service companies in the world. Founded in 1915 and owned by the Jacobs family for more than 100 years, Delaware North has global operations at high-profile places such as sports and entertainment venues, national and state parks, destination resorts and restaurants, airports, and regional casinos.
• Schottenstein Center. Located on the campus of The Ohio State University, the Schottenstein Center is a 770,000 square-foot multipurpose venue. Home to the men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s basketball Buckeyes, it is the largest arena in the Big Ten. Averaging over 1 million guests per year, the building has hosted The Rolling Stones, Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships in wrestling and girls and boys basketball, The Frozen Four and the McDonald’s All-American basketball game amongst a variety of sporting and special events. A nationally recognized sports and entertainment center, the Schott continues a tradition of making memories.
• Greater Columbus Sports Commission. Since 2002, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission has been a catalyst in transforming Columbus into one of the world’s best sports destinations, booking 427 new sporting events for the Columbus Region and generating an estimated $535 million in visitor spending. Our mission is to rally Columbus to compete and win sporting events, providing a singular athlete and fan experience and positively impacting our image, economy and lifestyle. For more information, visit columbussports.org.
• USA Gymnastics. Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. Its disciplines include men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics, and group gymnastics. For more information, visit usagym.org.