INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 21, 2011 – The 2011 Acro Cup, held Feb. 12-13 at the USA Gymnastics National Training Center at the Karolyi Ranch, an Olympic Training Site, served as a selection event for spring international assignments and approved international club competitions. Competition included senior elite, junior elite, and 11-16 age group gymnasts. Athletes or new pair/groups selected for international competition were added to the 2010-2011 U.S. National Acrobatic Gymnastics Team.
West Coast Training Center’s Senior mixed pair of Cassie Lim and Brian Kincher competed together for the first time earning the Gold Medal with their outstanding artistic performance and clean acrobatic skills. Their strong performance earned them a spot on the USA Gymnastics Senior National Team. Brian Kincher, now a veteran to high level competition, competed with another partner at the 2010 World Championships in Wroclaw, Poland last July. His many accomplishments and passion for the sport has lead him to become one of the most experienced bases in the country. Cassie Lim, new to the Senior level and pair event, competed in a level 10 women’s trio last year. Her hard work along with her obvious talent in dance paid off at the Acro Cup. This pair clearly has a strong future together. They have been chosen to compete for WCTC at the Flanders International Acro Cup in Puurs, Belgium in April 2011.
The long time partnership of WCTC’s Ani Smith and Jake Kanavel proved fierce as this pair started their 5th year competing together. Coming from a remarkable performance at the 2010 World Age Group Championships last July in Wroclaw, Poland after persevering through a major injury just a couple months before the Championships, this pair does it all! Beautiful artistry with difficult balance and dynamic skills along with their experience proves this pair to be a strong Junior Elite competitor for the international competitions this season. Already named to the USAG Junior National Team at the 2010 National Championships, the pair showed very well at the Acro Cup scoring 28.700 in their final routine earning them the Gold. They have been selected to the USA Delegation for the Flanders International Acro Cup in Puurs, Belgium in April 2011.
New to the scene and showing extreme talent was the 11-16 Age Group trio of Samantha Mihalic, Nicole Potepa and Haley Douglas of WCTC. This trio has jumped from an ordinary level 8 to a competitive international 11-16 trio with only one and a half seasons of competing together. Their perseverance, hard work and strive for excellence in the gym everyday has helped them excel very quickly. The trio already made Junior Olympic National Team at the 2010 National Championships last year and competed amongst 11 other trios at the Acro Cup for an international assignment. Although their performance in their dynamic routine had one major mistake, they brushed it off like professionals and competed a beautiful balance routine which bumped them up to second place winning them the Silver. Showing true sportsmanship, they celebrated their selection to compete for WCTC at the Geneva International Acro Cup in Geneva, Switzerland April 2011.
Congratulations to all the WCTC athletes at the 2011 Acro Cup and good luck with your international assignments in April! Go WCTC!
