The 25th annual Niagara Cup Gymnastics Championship meet will be held February 24, 25, and 26, 2006 at the Koessler Center at Canisius College.  Nearly 700 gymnasts representing 25 teams, plus coaches, judges, families and friends, from all across New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Massachusetts, will attend this event.   The meet is estimated to bring 2,500 people to Buffalo and inject over a quarter million dollars into the local economy.

 

The meet is hosted by Gleason's School of Gymnastics in Wheatfield.  The meet director, coach, and school owner, Larry Goldsmith, says,  "The Niagara Cup 2006 provides a showcase for some of the top gymnasts in the country.  It is a tradition in gymnastics excellence.”    

 

The gymnasts, ages 7 to 18, perform in all four events:  vault, uneven parallel bars, balance beam, and floor exercise.  Levels 4 to 6 are required to perform compulsory routines while the more advanced gymnasts in levels 7 to 10/elite have original routines.    The Saturday evening session features the top ten gymnasts in Levels 9, 10, and elite competing again, for individual placement on the four events.  No other meet showcases the talented gymnasts in this manner and it is a treat for spectators. You will see the best female gymnasts in the Northeast including future collegiate, national, and Olympic athletes.

 

The schedule for competition is as follows:

 

DATE

LEVEL

TIME

Feb. 24

8

8:30 a.m.

 

9

1:00 p.m.

 

10/Elite/8

5:00 p.m.

 

 

 

Feb. 25

7

8:30 a.m.

 

5/6

1:00 p.m.

 

ELITE FINALS

7:00 p.m.

 

 

 

Feb. 26

4/5/6

8:30 a.m.

 

4/5

12:30 p.m.

 

           

 

Tickets are available at the door. $8.00 for adults ($10.00 for finals) and $5.00 for children.