Swimming pools for the nation’s top aquatic athletes need to be as clean as possible. And a new partnership between USA Artistic Swimming and iGarden, makers of pool cleaning equipment, appears to be an ideal match.

USA Artistic Swimming has announced the new partnership with iGarden, a subsidiary of Fairland Group, including a live demonstration recently held in California for a select crowd of Olympians and media. The agreement also makes the brand the exclusive robotic pool cleaner partner of the national governing body.

“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome iGarden into the USA Artistic Swimming family” said USA Artistic Swimming CEO Adam Andrasko. “Their forward-thinking vision and dedication to excellence mirror the true heart of USA Artistic Swimming.”

Guests at the announcement included Andrasko, Chief of Sport (and three time Olympian) Lara Teixeria, Olympic silver medalist Daniella Ramirez, and 2025 national team members Elle Santana, Emma Moore, Kamako Field, Morgan Woelfel, and Valerie Wiliams). Former Olympian Lenny Krayzelburg (four-time gold medalist and founder of SwimRight Academy) was also in attendance.

The company displayed products at the event and also announced its Pool Perfection Experience: a fully immersive, in-home product trial campaign available across California where pool owners can try the company’s products for free.

“iGarden has always been at the forefront of revolutionizing outdoor living” said Wind Gong, iGarden chief marketing officer, “Partnering with USA Artistic Swimming is a continuation of our brand growth and dedication to expanding our partnership horizons. As a brand of artful living, it was only natural to choose a team that emulates that.”

]]> 74955https://media.sportstravelmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/10032329/USA-Artistic-Swimming-Crop.jpg https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/usa-flag-football-partners-with-global-sports-experiences/ Tue, 19 Aug 2025 16:56:14 +0000 https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/?p=74813

The Traverse City Horse Shows at Flintfields Horse Park in Traverse City, Michigan, has been named by US Equestrian as the host venue for the 2026 and 2027 FEI North American Youth Championships for dressage and jumping.

The 2026 championships are scheduled for July 28—August 2, with 2027 dates to be determined. The competition format emulates that of senior championship competition for the continued development of athletes in both team and individual competition.

“Traverse City in the summer is an incredible place for championship sport,” said Matt Morrissey, event director of Traverse City Horse Shows. “The mild temperatures, ample space and vibrant local community make it a prime destination. We’re proud to welcome back the continent’s best young athletes and provide a world-class stage for an important step in their careers.”

The competition will feature the FEI Jumping North American Youth Championship for Children, Pre-Junior, Junior and Young Rider categories, with team and individual events over several days.Traverse City Horse Shows hosts 13 weeks of equestrian competition each summer at Flintfields Horse Park in Williamsburg, including 12 weeks of FEI-ranked events.
US Equestrian also has announced the 2026 Grand Prix Dressage National Championship will take place at World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida, from May 13—17. The USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championship will be at the Grand Arena at WEC – Ocala.

The qualification period for the championship will begin on September 1, 2025, and combinations vying for the championship must earn required scores at FEI events.

“We are honored to host the USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championship at World Equestrian Center – Ocala,” said Roby Roberts on behalf of the Roberts family. “This prestigious event represents the pinnacle of American dressage and we are excited to provide a stage that reflects the caliber of the athletes competing. With our world-class facilities and commitment to quality, class and distinction, WEC is uniquely positioned to deliver an unforgettable championship experience for competitors, horses, and fans alike. We look forward to welcoming the equestrian community to Ocala and celebrating the best in U.S. dressage.”

USA Weightlifting has released a statement reiterating its opposition to the planned Enhanced Games in Las Vegas amid what the national governing body said Tuesday is awareness that staff for the new event “are actively recruiting weightlifters and have contacted USA Weightlifting-affiliated athletes.”

“USA Weightlifting stands with the International Weightlifting Federation in strong opposition to the Enhanced Games,” said a statement by the national governing body attributed to President and CEO Matt Sicchio. “Leaders within our sport have worked diligently for years to clean up the sport, reestablish trust in the results we see on the platform, and cement the continued participation of weightlifting in the Olympic Games. The Enhanced Games fly in the face of those efforts and corrode the foundation of integrity of which true sport operates.”

The Enhanced Games bills itself as a sports festival that allows athletes to benefit from using performance-enhancing drugs, starting next year Las Vegas over Memorial Day weekend. The inaugural competition will feature swimming, track and field and weightlifting within Resorts World Las Vegas on the north end of the Strip.

One of the key supporters is a group called 1789 Equity backed in part by Donald Trump Jr. It has added funding “in the double-digit millions,” according to games founder Aron D’Souza. Athletes will compete for up to $500,000 in purses per event, with bonuses starting at $250,000 for those who break records.

“The Enhanced Games are an unwelcome sideshow that threaten to take the sport of weightlifting backwards, violate the spirit of true sport, and unnecessarily risk the long-term health and safety of athletes,” USA Weightlifting’s statement also reads. “We encourage any athlete contemplating participation to carefully consider how their legitimization of the use of performance enhancing drugs sets a negative example for younger generations who look to them as role models, and how their participation impacts the trust in our sport. USA Weightlifting has been a longstanding proponent of clean sport. We believe in the pursuit of excellence with integrity, and the Enhanced Games are incompatible with our core values.”

USA Gymnastics has announced that the 2026 U.S. Gymnastics Championships and the USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show will take place in Phoenix from August 6–9 at PHX Arena in downtown Phoenix, the first time the Arizona destination has hosted the event.

The announcement comes on the heels of the 2025 edition of the event taking place in New Orleans this past weekend. More than 2,500 attendees and exhibitors will take part in the accompanying National Congress and Trade Show at the Phoenix Convention Center.

“USA Gymnastics is excited to bring our artistic championships and National Congress to Phoenix for the first time ever,” said Stefanie Korepin, USA Gymnastics chief programs officer. “We look forward to athletes, coaches, judges, fans and Congress attendees experiencing everything downtown Phoenix has to offer.”

The U.S. Gymnastics Championships will feature junior and senior artistic gymnasts as they compete for national titles and vie to make the U.S. National Team roster for the 2026 World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. World champions and Olympic medalists will be among the athletes competing.

“Phoenix is proud to partner with USA Gymnastics to bring the 2026 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships and National Congress & Tradeshow to our city,” said Chris Robertson, director of national accounts for Visit Phoenix. “As a destination known for staging premier sporting events, we’re excited to welcome the USA Gymnastics community to ‘Championship Valley’ next August. With world-class competition at PHX Arena and engaging professional development at the Phoenix Convention Center just steps apart, attendees can look forward to an unforgettable experience in the heart of downtown.”

The city has been actively engaged with USA Gymnastics in recent years, having hosted the 2022 USA Gymnastics Stars & Stripes Championships for trampoline & tumbling.

“Phoenix continues the trend of “Championship Valley” with the announcement that we’ll be home to the 2026 U.S. Gymnastics Championships and the USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “We are thrilled to add these events to our continually growing roster of flawlessly executed major events. Our city has so much to offer, from a bustling food and arts scene to state-of-the-art facilities, and we cannot wait to showcase Phoenix to the thousands of gymnastics athletes, coaches, their families and spectators next year.”

USA Pickleball has announced the recipients of its 2025 Play It Forward Court Grant program, awarding two $50,000 grants to support community-driven pickleball court development efforts in Eugene, Oregon, and South Hadley, Massachusetts.

Launched through USA Pickleball Serves, the Play It Forward grant program is designed to fund impactful court enhancement projects in under resourced or high–demand areas. This year marks the first time USAP Serves has awarded monetary grants.

“The ‘Play it Forward’ grant is an opportunity for USA Pickleball Serves to meet the moment and assist communities in need of places to play,” said Brenda Puga, director of community relations at USA Pickleball. “USAP Serves is committed to supporting court enhancements and making the sport more accessible to players of all ages and levels. For the first time we are excited to award two organizations with a $50,000 grant each and put the funds in their court(s).”

The Emerald Valley Pickleball Foundation in Eugene is developing a 24-court Regional Pickleball Complex on the Lane Community College campus. The complex will feature 10 covered courts, two championship courts with spectator seating and design elements to ensure ADA accessibility. The facility will serve players across the region and host events ranging from local play to national tournaments.

“We are incredibly grateful to USA Pickleball for awarding our Foundation a generous $50,000 grant,” said Eric Wold, board member and secretary of the Emerald Valley Pickleball Foundation. “This support will contribute to our ability to construct a 24–court pickleball complex on the campus of Lane Community College in Eugene that will be open to the public and that will be built to host local, regional and national tournaments. We are so excited to have USA Pickleball as a funding partner on this project.”

Friends of Buttery Brook Park/South Hadley Pickleball will use the grant to construct four new dedicated courts, bringing the total to eight. With over 3,000 expected users and 110,000 annual park visitors, the expanded facility will allow for more play opportunities, community events and inclusive programming.

“Receiving the Play It Forward grant is a game changer for our community,” said Kim Prough, president of Friends of Buttery Brook Park. “We would not be in a position to complete our courts without it. We are truly grateful to USA Pickleball.”

For the third consecutive Olympic cycle, the 026 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Long Track will be staged at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee.

The trials, which will be held January 2–5, 2026, will feature the nation’s top skaters competing for spots to represent Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, taking place a month later in Milan.

“We are incredibly excited to have the city of Milwaukee and the Pettit National Ice Center host the 2026 U.S. Olympic Trials – Long Track Speedskating,” said Ted Morris, executive director for US Speedskating. “This marks the third consecutive Olympic Trials held at the Pettit. Over the last two Olympic Trials, we had a sold-out venue, incredible enthusiasm from the local community and exciting racing from the skaters. We look forward to similar success next January.”

The Pettit National Ice Center has been a dedicated training site for speed skating since it opened in 1992. In addition to the 2018 and 2022 Olympic Team Trials, the venue has hosted several World Cup qualifying events,and an ISU World Cup in 2025. The center hosts more than 425,000 visitors annually for ice skating, figure skating, hockey and other sport activities.

“We’re honored to welcome the nation’s top speed skaters and fans back again to the Pettit for the 2026 US Olympic Trials Long Track,” said Paul Golomski, general manager of the PNIC. “Hosting this event for the third consecutive Olympic cycle is a testament to the passion of our community, the dedication of our staff and volunteers, and the world-class legacy of our facility. There’s nothing quite like the energy in this building when Olympic dreams are on the line and we can’t wait to share that excitement with Milwaukee and the entire country.”

Sometimes a destination and a specific event fit: The competitors are happy, the event organizer is thrilled and the city benefits financially.

That’s the case with Milwaukee and the USA Triathlon Sprint and Olympic Distance National Championships. The 2025 edition, taking place August 8–10, marks the seventh time Milwaukee has hosted the event since 2013. It will also host the 2026 version.

“It’s an ideal, and pretty darn close to perfect, venue,” said Brian D’Amico, USA Triathlon director of events. “It’s protected within Lake Michigan, within the breakwaters. So that provides a really docile swim. There’s a spectator bridge that goes over the swim that gives a good viewing standpoint for spectators.

“From an athlete standpoint, it’s a really challenging course, but at the same time it’s a course that some athletes have become familiar with. From a spectating and ease of access standpoint, it’s super easy and straightforward. The proximity of the hotels offers the unique ability for athletes and spectators to walk to the venue and back.”

Milwaukee first hosted the event in 2013, the result of a few in the city having a business connection with USA Triathlon and recommending the city. USA Triathlon liked it so much it came back in 2014 and 2015. Visit Milwaukee welcomed the event back from 2021–2023 and now will be the site the next two years.

“Once we realized how well our lakefront worked for an event of this caliber and size, it just became an easier relationship and partnership,” said Marissa Werner, director of Sports Milwaukee. “When we hosted it the second year, we saw our registration numbers grow about 25–30 percent because everybody caught wind of how amazing our lakefront is and how wonderful Milwaukee is as a host.”

August 8 will feature the 750-meter Open Water Swim in Lake Michigan, open to all who register, with no qualification required. August 9 will see the Olympic Distance National Championships (1,500m swim, 40k bike, 10k run) take place. August 10 will feature the Sprint National Championships (750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run) and the USA Paratriathlon National Championships.

Athletes will swim in Lake Michigan, bike along the Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge and Lake Freeway, and run through Milwaukee’s Veterans Park, finishing along the pathways of Lincoln Memorial Drive.

A Lot of Moving Parts

With more than 3,800 entrants and thousands more friends, family and fans coming into Milwaukee, this is not a normal event from a hosting standpoint. All of these athletes are swimming, biking and running many miles all around the county, making it quite a logistical challenge.

“What makes this event so unique is we have to garner permits and approval from numerous entities and districts,” Werner said. “We work with Milwaukee County Parks, Port of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Police, Milwaukee Fire, St. Francis, Cudahy, our Wisconsin State Department of Transportation, because the competitors go over our Home Bridge. So in all, there are about 13 or 14 different entities that we have to work with and get them to collaborate on the success of an event of this size.”

D’Amico added it takes upward of 20 different permits since USA Triathlon is working with three cities.

“Overall, we’re working with probably 25 or 30 different agencies,” he said. “Everything from Union Pacific Railroad to Coast Guard, police, you name it. We’re working with all those groups and it really trickles down even to businesses and residences, just making sure they’re aware of the event.

“We make sure we’re good community partners. Not just restricting access to the places where people need to go, but providing solutions and helping them so they see the event as a value and hopefully come out to watch.”

USA Triathlon has four people in its events department, so organizing an event of this size requires all hands on deck from the NGB’s 40-plus full-time employees to help with the event in some form or fashion.

“It’s probably between 15–20 full-time staff members going to the event,” D’Amico said. “But then we have an additional 20 or so contractors that will help supplement with course leads and course assistance, who we try to keep consistent event over event just to provide that continuity and so they know all of our protocols with Sports Milwaukee.”

For the city, this event is different from the volleyball, hockey, basketball or fencing tournament that frequents Milwaukee.

“And that’s what makes it so unique,” Werner said. “You’re not just working with one building. You’re not just working with a few hotels. You are really leading the way to make sure it is a safe event for all athletes involved. We were the first city to host this event three times in a row. Not every city has a body of water next to their downtown that would allow them to host an event of this size and give that kind of experience.”

Building a Successful Partnership

The first time Milwaukee hosted the event 12 years ago, nobody involved could’ve predicted how successful the partnership would become.

D’Amico says during those first three years, a lot of the athletes had never been to Milwaukee. However, after spending some time in the city, participants were “overwhelmingly glowing” in their reviews.

“The city’s growing like crazy and they’re really putting a huge emphasis on the sports and tourism market,” he added. “Milwaukee has so many things you can do and it’s just so openly friendly to endurance sports and athletes. We are treated — from an athlete standpoint and a federation standpoint — as a premier event, which is really rewarding to see.”

The city expects the economic impact for this year’s event to be around $6.7 million. But that won’t be the only money generator for Milwaukee from August 8–10, as the Wisconsin State Fair takes place over the same weekend just west of the city. Add that to a Brewers’ homestand against the New York Mets and it is a full weekend of events for the county.

“It’s an amazing event for our city and for all of the businesses, because when these athletes are done participating, they are out and about exploring our city,” Werner said. “Even days before the event, they come in and take bike rides to get the lay of the land throughout our city and come to our restaurants and check out the attractions. It’s an large influx of money into our downtown area.”

Trying Something New

While Milwaukee is a veteran of hosting the USA Triathlon Sprint and Olympic Distance National Championships, the city will experience something new this year. For the first time, USA Triathlon is co-hosting the Para Triathlon National Championships, an event with 75 athletes that has typically been standalone.

“The Para athletes will be competing for a $36,000 prize purse and we’re very excited to be bringing that event into the fold,” D’Amico said. “Fans can expect a huge amount of community camaraderie and high energy throughout the whole weekend.

“We’ve really tried to festival-ize our expo area, where we’ll have 40-plus expo vendors and five or six food trucks. So we’re trying to pull in the community and we want them to come out, have a bite to eat and catch a little bit of the race and really just expose them to the event as a whole.”

Werner says it’s important for her and her team to make sure Milwaukee leaves the best impression.

“We want to ensure that every aspect of the event is a good experience,” Werner said. “We know we can’t control Mother Nature, but we can control the experience that these athletes have when they aren’t on the race course, and to inform them of everything that Milwaukee has to offer. So even if their race didn’t go exactly as planned, we know they’re still going to leave thinking Milwaukee is a unique and cultured city with a variety of restaurants and activities.”

The last time New Orleans hosted the U.S. Gymnastics National Championships, most of the 2025 competitors hadn’t been born yet.

The 2025 U.S. Gymnastics National Championships will take place August 7–10 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, 30 years since the 1995 competition in the Crescent City, which saw 13–year–old prodigy Dominique Moceanu win the women’s all–around title and John Roethlisberger, a three–time Olympian who currently does commentary for the event on NBC, winning the men’s all–around title.

“We all shook our heads and said, ‘Wow, how has it been 30 years?’ I would be surprised if it’s another 30 years before we’re back and we’re looking forward to getting there this year,” said Jill Geer, USA Gymnastics chief communications and marketing officer.

Jay Cicero, president and chief executive officer at Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, was there in 1995 and is looking forward to welcoming the event back.

“I was actually the vice president of operations for our organization back in 1995 when we hosted this event on the floor of the Superdome,” Cicero said. “The Smoothie King Center was not even a thought to be built yet. I remember it was really fun to have that on the floor of the Superdome. But to have it back 30 years later is great.”

A Strong Partnership Renewed

The names and faces at the forefront of USA Gymnastics have changed since 1995, but one thing remains the same — the National Championships, which are held in conjunction with the annual USA Gymnastics National Congress, is always the biggest weekend of a non–Olympic year for the national governing body.

“The only event that’s bigger than this event is our Olympic trials,” Geer said. “The crown jewel of every year for us is the Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships and National Congress, which also includes our Hall of Fame induction. We have roughly 5,000 people who come into the city as participants of those events, and that doesn’t include fans coming in.”

Hosting that influx of tourism — across the city in both Smoothie King Center and the Morial Convention Center — might make some cities nervous. But not New Orleans or the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation.

“Our organization has served as the host committee staff for the last four Super Bowls here, last four Men’s Final Fours, last three Women’s Final Fours, NBA All-Star Games and more,” Cicero said. “So I’m definitely not saying this event is light work by any means, but New Orleans is built to host events like this.”

“Working with New Orleans and Company and the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation — there are few, if any, cities in this country who do big national sporting events like New Orleans,” Geer added. “We were so pleased for them to put the bid forward and the reaction from everyone from the gymnastics community was universally positive.”

In addition to the competitions taking place in Smoothie King Center and the National Congress down the street in the city’s convention center, USA Gymnastics will also have fan activations, an expo hall with plenty of shopping, educational experiences and chances for fans to celebrate the sport together.

It takes a great relationship between a host city and event organizer to organize a successful event and each side feels they have that.

“Jay and his team have been very supportive from the start,” Geer said. “We did a press conference last fall when we announced that we’re heading to Smoothie King Center and it was the best attended press conference we’ve had in quite some time.”

“The staff for USA Gymnastics has been very consistent in their abilities in the past 30 years,” Cicero said. “I remember having a great relationship with their staff back in 1995 leading up to the championships here. We’re just delighted to have them back, and it’s great business for us, especially over the summer when we tend to have a little bit lighter convention schedule.”

New Orleans Ready to Bring the Energy

The National Championships is the event that decides which gymnasts will be on the U.S. national team, and from that group, the team for World Championships.

It’s an opportunity for young competitors to break onto the national stage and make a name for themselves, while the veterans are hoping to hold onto their spots.

“Specific to 2025, fans are going to see the next generation of athletes in the run up to LA 2028,” Geer said. “We had one of our oldest women’s teams ever in Paris. And out of the crop of women’s athletes right now who are competing, there are only two who are over age 20. So it really is the next best generation coming up.

“And for the men, you are going to get to see several of the heroes from Paris including Stephen Nedoroscik, AKA ‘Pommel Horse Guy,’ who has also gone on to fame with ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ You’ll also see Fred Richard, who was our all–around champion at the Olympic trials; Brody Malone, who’s a world champion in the high bar, and Asher Hong, who was a former all–around champion.”

A particular competitor on the women’s side will have some homefield advantage in New Orleans. Hezly Rivera, a 17–year–old member of the 2024 gold medal–winning Team USA squad, will be competing in New Orleans. She has committed to join LSU in 2026, making her a local favorite.

“We think it’s going to be loud and proud, as usual,” Cicero said of the crowds in the Smoothie King Center. “The success of the LSU gymnastics program has led us to host two SEC Gymnastics Championships in the past five years. And we had record attendance for both of them. So that gave us the confidence that we could start looking at USA Gymnastics events and be successful with it.”

The Smoothie King Center, home of the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, has nearly 18,000 seats for the gymnastics fans to fill. While the floor of the Superdome was a unique venue for the 1995 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Geer thinks the arena setting will provide an electric atmosphere.

“Having the right-sized arena is always critical for an event like our championships,” Geer said. “An arena that is suited for either basketball or hockey is usually the best venue to go to. Smoothie King Center in particular is a surprisingly intimate venue for its size. So the floor layout is actually quite tight, in a good way. Because that means all the energy is focused and the fans are really close up to the athletes.”

“We just hosted a very successful UFC 318 event where Louisianan Dustin Poirier fought his final fight here and it was electric,” Cicero added. “I compared it to a Saints playoff game. It was that much fun to be in the facility that day.”

Both Geer and Cicero are looking forward to a successful and lucrative four days as the best gymnasts in the country take center stage in one of the top sports cities in the nation.

“There’s only one New Orleans,” Geer said. “It’s a must-visit city, so it’s great for fans and it’s great for our attendees at our National Congress. It’s just a city that people are really excited about.”

“Louisiana, and New Orleans in particular, are very attractive for people to travel to,” Cicero said. “So we’re going to have not only the folks who are familiar with the participants or family of the participants, but those fans in the region or around the country that want to come in for this event — we think that they’ll be here in droves. We think it’s going to be very successful and hopefully will lead to many more events with USA gymnastics. It won’t take another 30 years.”

USA Gymnastics’ top events will continue to get an audience on NBC Sports, through 2032.

The national governing body and the network announced the historic renewal on the cusp of the organization’s national championships in New Orleans. Under terms of the deal, NBC and Peacock will continue to present coverage of USA Gymnastics’ most high-profile artistic gymnastics events through 2032.

“We are proud to extend our partnership with NBC Sports and to expand coverage of gymnastics over the next eight years,” USA Gymnastics President and CEO Li Li Leung said. “No broadcaster better elevates the compelling stories of athletes on their Olympic journeys. We look forward to collaborating on bringing gymnastics to the American fan base in exciting new ways.”
NBC Sports also will produce a special selection show for USA Gymnastics women’s team rosters for Artistic World Championship competitions each non-Summer Olympic year. The extension marks the longest contract extension between NBC and an NGB announced since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. NBC Sports has agreed to media rights extensions with USA Track & Field, USA Swimming and World Aquatics.

“Working with our fantastic partners at USA Gymnastics, together we’re bringing innovative ideas and programs to our coverage and expanding the ways we can reach gymnastics fans and new audiences alike through access and storytelling,” said Joe Gesue, senior vice president of Olympic programming and planning for NBC Sports. “Gymnastics has long been a cornerstone of our Olympic coverage driven by the tremendous success of the athletes of Team USA, and we can’t wait to showcase their journeys to LA28 and beyond.”

NBCUniversal controls the U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games through 2036, which are scheduled for Italy, (2026), Los Angeles (2028), the French Alps (2030), Brisbane, Australia (2032), Salt Lake City (2034) and the 2036 Summer Olympics, whose host has not yet been determined.