Ticket Sales Helping Bottom Line

Sales of nearly 80,000 tickets worth more than $2 million have guaranteed the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim will reap a profit of at least $250,000 from the World Gymnastics Championships, Pond General Manager Tim Ryan said Friday.

Ryan said the Pond agreed to pay USA Gymnastics -- the sport’s governing body in the U.S. -- a rights fee “just south of $1 million” to be host of the event, which begins today. Advance sales, combined with prospective revenues from parking, concessions and additional ticket sales during the nine-day competition, assure the Pond will come out ahead after it stages an event Ryan called the biggest challenge in his 28 years in the business.

“This is the first time I’ve been able to say we’ve made a profit before an event,” he said. “The gymnastics community has been great.... The financial risk is on the shoulders of the Arrowhead Pond, but we’re promoters. You take that risk on. It is quite a risk, but a manageable risk.”

Ryan said the Pond will share a portion of its profits with USA Gymnastics “if we hit certain hurdles.” He said the ticket sales have increased daily the past four days, making him optimistic the final total will surpass his goal of 100,000.

The Pond’s final profit could climb well past $250,000 “depending on the momentum of ticket sales and depending on how much people eat, where they park and if they buy T-shirts,” Ryan said. The Pond made a similar arrangement with USA Gymnastics and paid a similar fee to be host of the Olympic trials next June 24 through 27.

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Stomach flu and a high fever knocked Ashley Postell off the U.S. women’s team for the World Gymnastics Championships, preventing her from defending the world balance beam title she won last year in Hungary. Alternate Chellsie Memmel of West Allis, Wis., who won the Pan Am all-around gold medal last week, was designated to replace Postell on Friday and trained with the team at Anaheim.

-- Helene Elliott