The Tribune

THE excitement is building for the hosting of the fourth annual Atlantis Crown Gymnastics Invitational. It’s all set to get underway in the Imperial Ballroom of the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island tomorrow.

More than 80 gymnasts from the Bahamas are expected to join the 525 registered competitors for the three-day meet that is scheduled to wrap up on Sunday. The local gymnasts will be representing the Bahamas Star Gymnastics, Nassau Nastics, the Grand Bahama Gymnastics and the BDT Flyers.

This year, three special guests will be in attendance. They are Ron Galimore, the COO of USA Gymnastics, Loree Galimore, the director of Club Services, USA Gymnastics, Sam Mikilak, the team manager for the 2012 US Olympic men’s gymnastics team and Svetlana Boguinskaia, the three-time Olympian with five Olympic medals.

The opening ceremony is slated for 7pm when Mikulak will be the keynote speaker. He will also introduce Boguinskaia during showtime from 7:30 to 8pm. The actual competition is set to begin 8am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There is an entry fee.

The meet is directed by Al and Cindy Scharns, the owners of Branch Gymnastics and Kids Sports USA out of Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, Michigan. While here, the Scharns will be honouring the Gymnastics Federation of the Bahamas with a $1,000 grant to be used to grow the sport through their continued education for its coaches and athletes.

“We are excited to be returning to what we consider our second home to host the fourth annual Atlantis Crown,” Scharns said. “This year’s event has continued to grow and will boast over 500 athletes representing 40 gymnastics clubs and three countries. In addition, we will feature over 80 Bahamian athletes competing from Level 1 through Level 9.”

The Scharns also noted that they will be welcoming the West Virginia Women’s College Gymnastics team to their first AC Collegiate Challenge. “This is the first year we have offered NCAA level competition and look forward to showcasing the AC Collegiate Challenge again in 2015,” the Scharns said. “What an opportunity to see NCAA women’s college gymnastics at its best.”

The Scharns expressed special thanks to the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture, Gymnastics Federation of the Bahamas and the Atlantis resort for their continued support.

Barbara Thompson, president of the Bahamas Gymnastics Federation, said they are excited about the return of the tournament and are looking forward to the participation of the local gymnasts as they get an opportunity to display their skills against the visiting gymnasts.