On a thrilling final night of the USA Gymnastics Championships at the Minneapolis Convention Center, two trampolinists were sent to Paris, and the competition itself concluded in a flurry of swirling ribbons and soaring bodies.
Jessica Stevens and Aliaksey Szostak have secured the only remaining Olympic spots for the United States in women’s and men’s trampoline, respectively, with Szostak narrowly beating Ruben Padilla in a dramatic finish on Tuesday night.
Padilla was named an alternate on the men’s team, while two-time Olympian Nicole Arsinger was named an alternate on the women’s team.
“Significant challenges have been overcome, but much work remains to be done,” Shostak said. “I am thrilled by the experience and ready to get to work.”
The championships were the third and final time trampolinists could earn qualifying scores for the Paris Games. The previous two were the 2024 Winter Classic and the Elite Challenge.
The rhythmic gymnasts concluded their all-around finals on Wednesday night with clubs and ribbon routines, with Lynn Keyes winning the national championship with 132.350 points. However, the Olympic berth had already been secured by Evita Griskenas prior to the championships.
With the Olympic field nearly set, the evening was a visually stunning showcase of a variety of events, spread across all four corners of the convention center’s vast Hall B.
Erica Foster, a recent Minnetonka High School graduate who trains at Northwest Rhythmic in Plymouth, performed her final rhythmic gymnastics all-around routine to flamenco-inspired music, her leotard’s gold accents sparkling as she tossed and twirled her clubs, flipping and twirling her stick between her legs and above her head.
For her second spin, Foster swapped her clubs for a fiery orange-and-red ribbon. She bounded and spun across the floor, tossing the ribbon in a snake-like spiral into the air, then somersaulted, catching the ribbon wand as it fell into her spinning trajectory. She earned 28.600 points for the ribbon and placed 10th overall with 116.900 points.
When she finished, a friend hurled a stuffed toy on the floor, a recurring theme throughout her powerful performance that night.
Trampolines are vertical motion. Stevens and Sarah Webster were two of the first gymnasts to perform, and they didn’t disappoint. Webster held on tight to the center of the trampoline, fluids flowing, arms and legs still, as she did 10 twists and somersaults.
Webster won the U.S. championships with a score of 55.070, while Stevens took second place with a score of 54.120.
In the men’s competition, Shostak skated midway through his routine and was unable to complete it, earning a score of 12.940, but fortunately that score was inconsequential. Padilla won with 57.340 points.
Though not an Olympic event, mixed acrobatics was the star of the night, with teams of two or three skaters combining dance, aerobics and chaos in synchronized floor routines set to a blaring soundtrack, often climaxing with skaters climbing over each other and bending their bodies in half while holding their teammates vertically.
There was also a showcase of tumbling passes and double minis on the trampoline. To end the night, “Acrodad” took to the mat and performed a routine to “I’m Just Ken” from the movie “Barbie.” It was highly emotional, somewhat athletic, and much to the delight of the crowd.
It was a fitting send-off for the final night of the championships at the Convention Center.
Most of the attention will now shift to Target Center, where the men’s Olympic Trials begin Thursday and the national team will be announced Saturday. The women’s team trials begin Friday and the national team will be announced after competition on Sunday.
