Nation’s Top Gymnasts Return to Hartford in May, As Olympics Approach

They’re back.  After a four-year break, the GK U.S. Classic returns to the XL Center in downtown Hartford on May 23, 2020.  It’s an Olympic year once again, and if the coronavirus manages to stay out of the way, Hartford will serve as host for a precursor to the Olympic competition, as the United States prepares to determine who will make the U.S. team and represent the nation at the Tokyo Olympiad later this year.

The event was last in Hartford in 2016 as part of the lead up to the 2016 Olympic Games.  That certainly worked out well, so perhaps history will repeat itself.  The intervening years have been torturous for the sport in the U.S. as the sexual abuse scandal and the sports’ mishandling of serious allegations dominated headlines. The hope is that the focus will return to the extraordinary talent of the competitors and prospects for a strong showing in Tokyo, but lawsuits stemming from the scandal remain unresolved, as settlement proposals have yet to be satisfactorily concluded.   

The U.S. Classic is known for having a highly competitive field featuring many top gymnasts. Recent events have featured all five members of the Final Five, the 2016 Olympic team gold medalists and many more Olympic and World Championships medalists.

The GK U.S. Classic features athletes competing on the junior and senior levels and is the last opportunity for female gymnasts to qualify for the U.S. Championships, the national championships for men’s and women’s gymnastics is the final qualifying event for the 2020 U.S. Gymnastics Championships. The U.S. Gymnastics Championships will be held June 4-7 in Forth Worth.  The Olympic Trials are June 17-21 in St. Louis. 

The U.S. Classic features some of the USA’s top junior and senior female gymnasts in the country.  All-world athlete Simone Biles is among those expected to compete.  Aly Raisman, another of the 2016 Olympic gold medalists, from nearby Massachusetts, is not, electing to devote her energies to ensuring the continued safety of the sport.

“In the Olympic year, the GK U.S. Classic takes on greater importance,” said Annie Heffernon, vice president for women’s gymnastics. “It is a great opportunity for fans to see many of the gymnasts who have their sights on 2020 and the Olympic Games, especially the juniors who will turn 16 in 2020, in the lead up to the U.S. Championships and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.”

Among those expected to compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team this year is Riley McCusker, who grew up in New Milford, Connecticut and was among those competing as a Junior in Hartford four years ago, when she earned a place on the Junior National Team.

The then-15-year-old told CT by the Numbers at the time that “Qualifying to the national team was the best day of my life because I realized then that all of my hard work and sacrifices have started paying off!”

She had an enthusiastic and visible cheering section of friends and family on hand at the XL Center in 2016.  McCusker has recently been training in New Jersey and Arizona, and enrolls at the University of Florida this fall.  She will start collegiate competition in 2021.  But first, she is hoping to remain injury free and earn a place on the Olympic team. 

McCusker was a member of the U.S.'s 2018 World Championships' gold-medal team in Doha, Qatar, and helped the U.S win team gold this past summer at the 2019 Pan American Games. McCusker also took gold in Pan Am uneven bars competition, silver in all-around and bronze on beam. 

Of McCusker, Florida head coach Jenny Rowland said recently: “"Riley has a very unique ability to captivate a crowd with her stunning and graceful gymnastics all while being one of the most humble, kind-hearted young women I know.

The U.S. Championships' all-around bronze medalist in 2017 and 2018, McCusker won bars in 2017 and shared 2018 bars silver with Morgan Hurd. Hurd claimed U.S. Championships silver on bars (2019) and all-around (2018) and bronze in 2018 floor competition.

On Saturday, May 23 the Jr. Women’s Competition will take place at 1:00 at the XL Center to be followed by the Sr. Women’s Competition that evening, beginning at 6:30.

“During the lead up to Tokyo, we are honored to support our country’s elite junior and senior athletes,” added Girisha Chandraraj, chief executive officer, GK - Elite Sportswear. “2020 should be an incredible year for our sport, and we are thrilled to partner with USA Gymnastics to spotlight some our nation’s best gymnasts when they compete in the GK U.S. Classic.”

The previous day, Friday, May 22, the GK Hopes Championships will be the culmination of the Hopes season. The GK Hopes Championships has two age groups, 10-11 year-olds and 12-13 year-olds. The top 18 from each age group, assuming each athlete achieves a minimum qualifying score, advance to the GK Hopes Championships from the Hopes Classic, taking place April 24, 2020.

The event was held in Louisville, Ky. in 2019; Columbus, Ohio in 2018.  When it was held in Hartford in 2016, that broke a string of six consecutive years when Chicago played host. 

All session tickets for the GK U.S. Classic and the GK Hopes Championships are now on sale to the general public.  Tickets for group sales are available at GroupSales@xlcenter.com