Anaheim Vaults to Top of the Gymnastics List

Hoping to cultivate a receptive audience next month at the World Gymnastics Championships and rekindle fond memories of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, USA Gymnastics officials Wednesday awarded the 2004 U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials to the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.

That gives the arena the distinction of playing host to two major gymnastics championships in less than a year. The World Championships will be held at the Pond Aug. 16-24 and will be the qualifying event for teams seeking berths at the 2004 Athens Olympics. The Olympic trials, scheduled for June 24-27, 2004, will help determine the makeup of the U.S. men’s and women’s squads at Athens.

Steve Penny, senior vice president of USA Gymnastics, said the Pond’s marketing savvy and support from the Anaheim Convention Center and local hotels were key factors in choosing Anaheim over Houston, New Orleans and St. Paul, Minn. Also a factor was the existence of a large gymnastics community in Southern California that can provide a core audience for both events. USA Gymnastics has estimated there are more than 250 gymnastics clubs in Southern California and nearly 600 in the state, second only to Texas.

“We looked at how successfully and effectively we could market this event and what a strong partnership we had developed with the Pond, and we thought this made sense,” Penny said. “We have a lot of events each year, and we will make a strong effort to work with the other cities, but we felt we had a team in place here that has the expertise in marketing gymnastics.

“This didn’t even really factor into our decision, but we will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the U.S. success in ’84. It all works together.”

Penny said the Olympic trials are traditionally a big TV ratings draw. NBC has scheduled six hours of programming, including four hours in prime time.

“The trials have a cachet of their own because it’s over a very short time and has great marquee value,” he said. “It’s like hosting the NBA Finals or a World Series or the Stanley Cup finals.”

Tim Ryan, general manager of the Pond, said the arena’s staff will put its business contacts and organizational skills to good use in both competitions. He said ticket sales for the World Championships are “hitting every one of our targets” and should surpass $2 million.

“To be able to host two events of this magnitude is unprecedented, and it’s great for everyone in Orange County and Southern California to have access to events like these,” he said.

The Olympic trials will be the first of several Olympic-related events in the area. The U.S. Olympic swim trials take place in Long Beach July 7-14, 2004, and the second of two beach volleyball Olympic qualifying events is scheduled for the Home Depot Center in Carson in early July. Boston’s FleetCenter was to be the site of the Olympic gymnastic trials but backed out after it won the Democratic National Convention and discovered scheduling conflicts.

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The last three members of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team for the world championships will be announced Saturday, at the end of a selection camp at New Waverly, Texas. Courtney Kupets, Tasha Schwikert and Hollie Vise earned berths by finishing in the top three at last month’s U.S. championships.

The men’s team was chosen at the U.S. championships, but the alternate and the lineup will be determined later this month.