HARTFORD, Aug. 15 — The following is a quick overview of the fan activities available during the P&G Championships on Thursday, Aug. 15 through Sunday, Aug. 18 at the XL Center.
Morning fitness. Downtown workers and fans can start the day off right by joining gymnastics coaches and celebrities for a free morning workout, led by local Hartford fitness fanatics and Olympian John Macready, at the Old State House. On Thursday, Aug. 15, and Friday, Aug. 16, USA Gymnastics is hosting “Get up, get fit!”, a morning fitness session from 6:30-7:30 a.m. Thursday’s session features a boot camp and Pilates, with Friday’s session including a boot camp and yoga. Companies making the sessions possible are P&G, Under Armour, Hartford Healthcare, Civic Mind, Downtown Yoga and Whole Foods.
Capital City’s Taste of the Championships. Six restaurants are creating special menu items as part of the Capital City’s Taste of the Championships. From Aug. 15-17, Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra and legendary gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi will review and taste the signature dishes, which are also being reviewed by a nutritionist with USA Gymnastics’ partner St. Vincent Sports Performance to determine the healthiest dish. The six restaurants are: Agave, 100 Allyn St.; City Steam Brewery Café, 942 Main St.; DISH Bar & Grill, 900 Main St.; Feng Asian Bistro, 93 Asylum St.; Max Downtown, 185 Asylum St.; and Salute, 100 Trumbull St., #2.
“Let’s Eat.” “Let’s Eat” is a network of 10 Hartford restaurants that are offering a 20-percent discount to P&G Championships ticket and credential holders, as well as those with a USA Gymnastics Congress credential. For a list of the “Let’s Eat” restaurants, go to PGChamps.com.
USA Gymnastics 50th anniversary museum, celebrating 50 years of champions. Open to the general public, the museum will feature a combination of pictures, historical items, mementoes and videos that tell the story of USA Gymnastics and its first 50 years of accomplishments and champions. It will also include historical leotards from GK Elite and equipment from AAI. The museum is open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 15, to Saturday, Aug. 17, and from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18. Admission is free.
USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Also at the XL Center, the 2007 Women’s World Championships Team and women’s gymnastics members of the Hall of Fame will be recognized for their achievements on Thursday, Aug. 15, with the men’s Hall of Famers introduced on Friday, Aug. 16. The Fierce Five and the 2007 Women’s World Championships Team are members of the 2013 class of the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
The members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Women’s Team, aka the Fierce Five, are Gabrielle Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance, McKayla Maroney of Long Beach, Calif./All-Olympia Gymnastics, Aly Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan’s American Gymnastics, Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max, and Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts’ Twistars USA. The 2007 World Championships Team includes Ivana Hong of Laguna Hills, Calif., Shawn Johnson of West Des Moines, Iowa, Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas, Samantha Peszek of Indianapolis, Ind., Alicia Sacramone of Winchester, Mass., and Shayla Worley of Orlando, along with alternate Bridget Sloan of Pittsboro, Ind.
2012 Olympic reunion. Fans will get to see Fierce Five reunited with the other eight Olympians, and the alternates, for the first time since last fall’s conclusion of the Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions, and help USA Gymnastics celebrate their accomplishments on Saturday, Aug. 17, at the XL Center.
The members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team are:
Women – Douglas, Maroney, Raisman, Ross and Wieber;
Men – Jake Dalton of Reno, Nev./University of Oklahoma, Jonathan Horton of Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Gymnastics), Danell Leyva of Miami/Team Hilton HHonors (Universal Gymnastics), Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif./University of Michigan, and John Orozco of the Bronx/Team Hilton HHonors (U.S. Olympic Training Center); rhythmic gymnastics – Julie Zetlin of Bethesda, Md.; and trampoline – Steven Gluckstein of Atlantic Highlands, N.J./ETA, and Savannah Vinsant of Lafayette, La./T&T Express.
The replacement athletes who will be in attendance are: women – Sarah Finnegan of St. Louis, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express, Anna Li of Aurora, Ill./Legacy Elite Gymnastics, and Elizabeth Price of Coopersburg, Pa./Parkettes National Gymnastics Center; men –Christopher Brooks of Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Academy of Gymnastics), Steven Legendre of Port Jefferson, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors (University of Oklahoma), and Alexander Naddour of Gilbert, Ariz./Team Hilton HHonors (USA Youth Fitness Center); and trampoline – Logan Dooley of Lake Forest, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, and Dakota Earnest of Plains, Texas/Acrospirits.
USA Gymnastics Fitness Zone. Kids can have fun and gain knowledge about the importance of fitness through the interactive USA Gymnastics Fitness Zone. The zone features activities in building strength, flexibility and cardiovascular exercise. The Fitness Zone will be featured on the concourse at the XL Center.
Other opportunities on the concourse. Hilton will have its digital Dream Wall and autograph sessions with members of Hilton Team HHonors. Under Armour will have leotards on display in the rotunda.
WGYM. WGYM, the in-house radio broadcast for men’s and women’s gymnastics, provides running commentary on the competition, as well as fun facts about the sport and the competitors. Radios will be available at the XL Center.
Merchandise. Fans can purchase everything gymnastics from event-specific tees to 50th anniversary merchandise at the XL Center.
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