TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay area is living up to its reputation as a sports hub. Everything from the NFL, to professional wrestling, to college basketball, and monster truck racing have kept sports fans busy over the past three years. This week, the U.S. Gymnastics National Championships take over Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa.
Tampa Bay Sports Commission Executive Director Rob Higgins said this partnership checks all the boxes involving economic impact, social impact, and marketing the Bay Area as a destination city.
"We’ve been on a fantastic run of hosting a wide variety of different events," Higgins said Wednesday. "From the Super Bowl, to WrestleMania, the SEC Tournament. We’re excited, we’re thrilled, we’re elated to be the host of the 20-22 OOFOS U.S. Gymnastics Championships."
Skye Blakely, 17, committed to Florida so she could join the Gators' program. She can't wait to compete this week and follow in the footsteps of her idol, 2012 Olympic all-around champion Gabby Douglas.
"Just seeing someone who looks like you really meant a lot to me," Blakely, an African-American, said of Douglas. "So she was really my biggest inspiration. Just wanting to be like her, be my best and just have fun. I love Gabby."
Media Day at this year's event included questions from fans during a live stream of the news conference. Shane Wiskus knew something was up when he heard the moderator say the username attached a question about his favorite food.
"She knows what it is. That’s my girlfriend," Wiskus said through a wave of laughs. He smiled and described his favorite feast. "But it’s this quesadilla thing she saw on TikTok. Some kind of chipotle-style chicken. A little bit of monterrey jack cheese, and then a quesadilla."
Donnell Whittenburg is a fan of his girlfriend's salmon poke' bowl recipe, and Brody Malone admitted his favorite dish is restaurant-style ramen. Everyone said they look forward to treating themselves after a successful weekend in Tampa.
The men's competition takes place Thursday and Saturday, while the women compete on Friday and Sunday.
Here's a full list of the competition schedule:
Thursday, August 18
11:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Junior Men’s Warmups
1:30-4 p.m. Junior Men’s Day 1 Competition (FlipNow)
4:45-6:45 p.m. Senior Men’s Warmups
7-9:30 p.m. Senior Men’s Day 1 Competition (Olympic Channel)
Friday, August 19
11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Junior Women’s Warmups
1:30-3:30 p.m. Junior Women’s Day 1 Competition (FlipNow)
4:55-6:45 p.m. Senior Women’s Warmups
7-9 p.m. Senior Women’s Day 1 Competition (Olympic Channel)
Saturday, August 20
11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Junior Men’s Warmups
1:30-4 p.m. Junior Men’s Day 2 Competition (FlipNow)
4:45-6:45 p.m. Senior Men’s Warmups
7-9:30 p.m. Senior Men’s Day 2 Competition (CNBC)
Sunday, August 21
11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Junior Women’s Warmups
1:30-3:30 p.m. Junior Women’s Day 2 Competition (FlipNow)
4:55-6:45 p.m. Senior Women’s Warmups
7-9 p.m. Senior Women’s Day 2 Competition (NBC)
