U.S. Men's Team named for 2009 Junior Pan Am Championships

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -Five junior U.S. men have been selected to compete in Aracaju, Brazil, Nov. 4-9, at the 2009 Junior Pan American Championships, which is the Americas' qualifier for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, Aug. 10-26, in Singapore.

The U.S. Junior Pan American Men's Team 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 team was determined based on performances in the junior division at the 2009 Visa Championships in Dallas, Texas, and a subsequent training camp. The women's team will be named at the end of the month.

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.