Gymnastics event brings thousands of people to Wichita

Each year on June 23, Olympic Day is celebrated worldwide, signifying the start of the modern Olympic Games.

This year, Wichita will be marking it in a big way. More than 1,200 competitors from 21 states will take part in the 2015 YMCA National Gymnastics Championships this week at Century II’s Convention Hall and Expo Hall.

In fact, the five-day event that began with a closed reception Tuesday is set up like a miniature Olympics, complete with opening ceremonies tonight at Intrust Bank Arena.

“This is pretty amazing,” said Lori Spencer, Greater Wichita YMCA healthy connections director. “About a year and a half ago, a committee here in Wichita put together a bid to host the national championship.”

The championships – the 77th annual for YMCA gymnastics – will be held in Kansas for the first time after Wichita won out over four other cities, Spencer said.

In addition to the athletes, the group of coaches, parents and others coming to town will number more than 4,000, she said.

“These folks will come before the event, stay after the event,” Spencer said, adding that it will bring in money for Wichita businesses.

Competitors in the championships range from ages 5-21, Spencer said.

“These are gymnasts from all across the United States,” she said. “These are athletes who have qualified throughout the year to come to nationals. They’re the best of the best in ‘Y’ gymnastics.”

Female athletes will compete on the balance beam, vault, uneven parallel bars and floor events; males will compete in vault, parallel bars, floor events, rings, horizontal bar and pommel horse.

Competition will begin Thursday and run through the finals Saturday night. With so many athletes taking part, the scene might be likened to a track meet, where events are scheduled to go on continuously.

“Absolutely,” Spencer said. “There will be lots to see.

“We’re setting up four full gyms, and those gyms will go on simultaneously throughout Thursday and Friday, and we will be down to one gym for the finals on Saturday. Each gym will have multiple apparatus, so there will be lots to watch. If you’re in Expo Hall, there will be three gyms, with multiple apparatus running in each gym.”

Levels begin with the initial level 1 and go up to 8, then Silver, Gold and Platinum.

The equipment was brought in Tuesday from Arkansas, and the setup began. The YMCA was scheduled to recognize all graduating high school seniors in a closed reception at the Wichita Boathouse on Tuesday night, during which five seniors were to receive college scholarships from the YMCA of the USA.

Wednesday will be devoted to registration and warm-ups, with the opening ceremonies (closed to the public) Wednesday night. Wichita State men’s basketball coach Gregg Marshall will be the keynote speaker, and Dorothy’s Revenge, a band from Wichita School of Rock, will play during the ceremonies. Also performing will be a national champion dance team from Wichita’s North YMCA.

The opening ceremonies are quite a draw for those involved and their families, Spencer said.

“It’s something that they look forward to each year,” she said. “There’s a grand march in, by state and by team.”

Volunteers play a large role in staging the championships, Spencer said, including a group from McConnell Air Force Base, which assisted in setting up the equipment Tuesday.

“We have over 400 volunteers that are registered in helping with this event, covering over 1,000 shifts in a variety of positions,” Spencer said. “So we’re very pleased with the outpouring of support from the community.”

They will handle a variety of positions, she said.

“Greeters, door monitors, hospitality for our judges and coaches, information, timers, judges’ assistants, directional support, decorating,” Spencer said, listing a few of the duties. “I think the community shares in the excitement of national event coming to Wichita and being a part of it.”

Spencer estimated that one-fourth of the competitors will be coming from Ohio, but the Greater Wichita YMCAs will be represented by the East, Northwest and South. Other Kansas YMCAs providing athletes are Andover, Hutchinson, Pittsburg and Salina, totaling 150 from the state, Spencer said.

“They can sleep in their own bed, that ought to be an advantage,” she said.

Wichita follows Milwaukee; Savannah, Ga.; and Tampa, Fla., as host cities for the championships. The 2016 event is scheduled for Long Beach, Calif., and Wichita will pass the National Gymnastics Cup to Long Beach at Saturday’s closing ceremonies in the Century II Convention Hall.

This story was originally published June 23, 2015 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Gymnastics event brings thousands of people to Wichita."