U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team named for 2009 Junior Pan Am Championships

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.-U.S. junior all-around champion Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif., is one of four U.S. junior gymnasts named to the U.S. women's team for the 2009 Junior Pan American Championships in Aracaju, Brazil, Nov. 4-9, which is the Americas' qualifier for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, Aug. 10-26, in Singapore.  Also on the team are Bridgette Caquatto of Naperville, Ill., Alexandra Raisman of Needham, Mass.; and Sabrina Vega of Carmel, N.Y.

In addition to winning the junior all-around title at the 2009 Visa Championships, Ross, who trains at Gym-Max, also took top honors for the vault and balance beam.  Caquatto, who trains at Naperville Gymnastics Club, was second in both the junior all-around and vault at the Visa Championships.  Vega, who trains at Dynamic Gymnastics, was the junior floor exercise champion at the Visa Championships. Raisman, who trains at Brestyan's American Gymnastics, was third on the all-around and second on beam at the Visa Championships.

The U.S. Junior Pan American Men's Team, named earlier, includes: C.J. Maestas of Corrales, N.M./Gold Cup Gymnastics; Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif./SCATS; Jesse Glenn of Northridge, Calif./SCATS HB; Jake Martin of Oviedo, Fla./Orlando Metro; and reserve athlete Sean Melton of Orlando/Orlando Metro.

The Junior Pan American Championships is the continental qualifier for North, South and Central America for the Youth Olympic Games. Six women and five men, with a maximum of one spot per country, will qualify from the event for the Youth Olympics.  The gymnasts competing at the Pan American Championships will be qualifying their country to compete in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

The Junior Pan Am Championships is held every two years, with the last one held in 2007. The event is expected to include teams from Canada, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

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, and acrobatic gymnastics.  For more complete information, log on to www.usa-gymnastics.org.