Team T.J. Maxx Special Olympic athletes featured in each
of the cities the Tour visits (new dates & revisions announced); Tour shown on NBC 25 September
 |
Special Olympics South Carolina (USA) athlete Lionel Rashad Richardson completes his parallel bars routine. Richardson was one of the local athletes who performed at the 2004 T.J. Maxx Tour of Gymnastics Champions during its Greenville, South Carolina stop — which was taped for broadcast on NBC 25 September.
Thirteen-year old Richardson is an accomplished gymnast who excelled at last year's 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Dublin, Ireland: a gold medal in horizontal bar, silver in the floor exercise and rings, and bronze in vaulting, parallel bars, and pommel horse; he placed fourth in the all-around competition. |
Olympic gold medalist (all-around competition) Carly Patterson is just one of the many talented athletes showcasing their skills to music and lights at the 2004 T.J. Maxx Tour of Gymnastics Champions. The Tour began 18 September in Atlanta (because of severe weather affecting Florida, the original first stop) and has undergone some date revisions and additions — see latest schedule for the most current information. The tour will now visit 40 cities across the United States, and those who live in an area not on the schedule still had the opportunity to enjoy the show: NBC presented a 90 minute Tour of Gymnastics Champions on 25 September (the broadcast was of the performance taped during the 19 September event in Greenville, South Carolina).
 |
Front row, left to right, Special Olympics North Carolina (USA) athletes Lindsay Holcombe, Christie Fahey, Sarah Goldsberry, and Sydney Davis gather backstage for a photograph with the stars of the 2004 T.J. Maxx Tour of Gymnastics Champions prior to performing in the 22 September event in Raleigh, North Carolina. |
Patterson is joined by Olympic silver medalist (vault) Annia Hatch, uneven bars silver medalist Terin Humphrey and bronze medalist Courtney Kupets, as well as Olympic silver (team) medalists Mohini Bhardwaj and Courtney McCool.
 |
Carly Patterson of the United States competes in the floor exercise on her way to a gold medal in the women's artistic gymnastics individual competition, at the Olympic Sports Complex Indoor Hall on 19 August 2004. [Image courtesy ATHENS 2004, © GETTY IMAGES/Sean Garnsworthy, all rights reserved] |
The tour continues T.J. Maxx's and USA Gymnastics' long-standing relationship with Special Olympics by featuring Team T.J. Maxx Special Olympic athletes in each of the Tour's 40 performances across the United States [see newest schedule below]. The tour showcases extraordinary gymnastics in a fun, non-competitive environment. Audience members will flip, twist and shout for their favorite gymnasts, as they perform in unison with music. Tickets are now on sale through arena box offices and other area outlets.
The tour also features 2004 U.S. Olympic men's silver team medalists Brett McClure, Guard Young and Jason Gatson, who are joined by Raj Bhavsar, 2003 and 2001 World Championships silver (team) medalist, and Steve McCain, who represented the U.S. at the 2000 Olympic Games and has been on four U.S. World Championship teams. Other performers include Jennifer Parilla (trampoline and tumbling), Mary Sanders (rhythmic gymnastics) and Shenea Booth and Arthur Davis, a sports acrobatics duo. John Macready, a member of the 1996 Olympic Team, serves as Master of Ceremonies.
 |
Although not on the tour, Paul and Morgan Hamm have a penchant for celebrating gymnastics in an all-inclusive way. Above they team up with two Special Olympics athletes: left to right, Morgan Hamm, Vitali Rudnistki, Paul Hamm, and Andrei Kan. On 6 April 2001, as an adjunct to a regional club gymnastics meet at the Waukesha South High School in Waukesha, Wisconsin, the brothers performed alongside Special Olympics Wisconsin gymnasts, including 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games gold medalist Amanda Jones.
About the event, Morgan enthused, "It was just great working with the Special Olympics athletes and seeing them perform because you see all the hard work they put into it and the determination they have and they're so happy about doing it and they just love what they do." And to that he added, "They're so excited about doing it and it just makes you want to do sports." [Photo courtesy Sandy Hamm] |
Special Olympics athletes have performed in USA Gymnastics' tours since 2000. Team T.J. Maxx athletes from each city will play an active role in Tour shows, demonstrating gymnastics and distributing Special Olympics information to spectators. "This is a wonderful way to showcase these talented Special Olympic athletes," said Wendy Lohr, Manager of Event Marketing for T.J. Maxx. "When you see how hard they've worked on their skills and how proud they are to perform in front of such a large crowd, you can't help but feel inspired."
 |
Brett McClure, one of the upcoming stars of the T.J. Maxx Tour, finished ninth in the All-Around Final at the 2004 Athens Games. "It's been a great experience for me, and all the work has been paid off. I look forward to having more success in the future," he said. [Image courtesy ATHENS 2004, © GETTY IMAGES/Donald Miralle] |
Over the years, this longstanding relationship has generated public awareness and has raised funds for Special Olympics. A generous contribution from T.J. Maxx will be donated to Special Olympics Programs in each of the local tour markets.
"Special Olympics athletes are equally capable of perfect 10 performances," said USA Gymnastics President Bob Colarossi. "We hope their participation in the T.J. Maxx Tour will give America a glimpse of the abilities associated with this gifted and unique population."
USA Gymnastics owns and operates the T.J. Maxx Tour of Gymnastics Champions, and will conduct the tour in partnership with the Arena Network. As in the highly successful 2003 Tour, the 2004 T.J. Maxx Tour will be under the creative direction of One Reel and The Howard Company.
"The 2004 T.J. Maxx Tour will be an amazing athletic and artistic spectacle like no other gymnastics tour ever conducted," said Colarossi.
 |
Terin Humphrey on her way to a silver in the uneven bars 22 August 2004. "I had no idea what the scores were," she said. "I wasn't focused on that. I was just trying to hit my routine." Humphrey and the members of the 2004 women's silver medal team competition squad will be featured on the tour. [Image courtesy ATHENS 2004, © GETTY IMAGES/Donald Miralle] |
T.J. Maxx, the nation's largest off-price retailer, was founded in 1977 and has since grown to more than 750 stores in 48 states. T.J. Maxx offers brand name merchandise for the entire family and home at prices up to 60 percent below department and specialty store prices, every day. T.J. Maxx is a proud sponsor of USA Gymnastics and USA Gymnastics events, including the 2000 and 2003 T.J. Maxx Tour of Gymnastics Champions, and the 2001 T.J. Maxx International Gymnastics Challenge.
Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for the sport of gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. For more information about USA Gymnastics and its programs, visit the USA Gymnastics Web site.
2004 T.J. Maxx Tour of Gymnastics Champions Schedule
(revised 27 September: new dates, rescheduled dates)
|
18 Sep |
Atlanta, GA |
Philips Arena |
|
19 Sep |
Greenville, SC |
Bi-Lo Center |
|
22 Sep |
Raleigh, NC |
RBC Center |
|
23 Sep |
Winston Salem, NC |
Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum |
|
24 Sep |
Norfolk, VA |
Norfolk Scope |
|
25 Sep |
State College, PA |
Bryce Jordan Center |
|
26 Sep |
Boston, MA |
FleetCenter |
|
30 Sep |
Washington, DC |
MCI Center |
|
1 Oct |
E. Rutherford, NJ |
Continental Airlines Center |
|
2 Oct |
Bridgeport, CT |
Arena At Harbor Yard |
|
3 Oct |
Philadelphia, PA |
Wachovia Center |
|
7 Oct |
Cleveland, OH |
Gund Arena |
|
8 Oct |
Columbus, OH |
Schottenstein Center |
|
9 Oct |
Rockford, IL |
Metro Centre |
|
10 Oct |
St. Paul, MN |
Xcel Energy Center |
|
12 Oct |
St. Louis, MO |
Savvis Center |
|
13 Oct |
Kansas City, MO |
Kemper Arena |
|
14 Oct |
Green Bay, WI |
Resch Center |
|
15 Oct |
Indianapolis, IN |
Conseco Fieldhouse |
|
16 Oct |
Chicago, IL |
UIC Pavilion |
|
17 Oct |
Detroit, MI |
Joe Louis Arena |
|
19 Oct |
Memphis, TN |
FedEx Forum |
|
22 Oct |
Phoenix, AZ |
America West Arena |
|
23 Oct |
Anaheim, CA |
Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim |
|
24 Oct |
San Jose, CA |
HP Pavilion at San Jose |
|
28 Oct |
Sacramento, CA |
ARCO Arena |
|
30 Oct |
Los Angeles, CA |
Staples Center |
|
4 Nov |
Nampa (Boise), ID |
Idaho Center |
|
5 Nov |
Spokane, WA |
Spokane Arena |
|
6 Nov |
Seattle, WA |
KeyArena |
|
7 Nov |
Portland, OR |
Rose Garden |
|
10 Nov |
Colorado Springs, CO |
World Arena |
|
12 Nov |
Salt Lake City, UT |
Delta Center |
|
13 Nov |
Las Vegas, NV |
Thomas & Mack Center |
|
19 Nov |
San Antonio, TX |
SBC Center |
|
20 Nov |
Houston, TX |
Toyota Center |
|
21 Nov |
Dallas, TX |
American Airlines Center |
|
23 Nov |
Birmingham, AL |
BJCC Arena |
|
26 Nov |
Miami, FL |
American Airlines Arena |
|
27 Nov |
Tampa, FL |
St. Petersburg Times Forum |
|
28 Nov |
Tallahassee, FL |
Leon County Civic Center |
|
