Thousands descend on Providence for USA Gymnastics championships. How does R.I. lure so many sporting events?
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Two-time Olympian Aliaksei Shostak soars high above the trampoline at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I., ahead of the USA Gymnastics finals on Thursday.
Steph Machado/Globe Staff
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At the AMP and Rhode Island Convention Center this week, gymnasts are soaring 30 feet in the air, ribbons are twirling, balls are thrown high and then caught with feet mid-dance move.
The three events taking place from Thursday to Saturday are trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic and rhythmic gymnastics.
Since it's not an Olympic year, the event doesn't serve as an Olympic qualifier. But it will determine the Team USA athletes who will go on to compete on the world stage, including the Rhythmic World Championships in Brazil in August and other international competitions.
The six-day event is also expected to drive $3.3 million in spending in Rhode Island, according to Jonathan Walker, the executive director of the
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Two-time Olympian Evita Griskenas rehearses ahead of the rhythmic gymnastics championships in Providence, which start Thursday.
Steph Machado/Globe Staff
Restaurants and coffee shops downtown Wednesday were packed with teens, tweens, and young adults, some in leotards and wearing their hair in tight buns. In all, about 6,000 people are expected to attend, between the athletes, spectators, judges, and staff.
Nearly 5,000 hotel room nights are contracted for the event, not counting spectators who find their own accommodations.
Hosting a major sporting event means winning a bidding war against other cities, a taxpayer-funded effort that has managed to book 125 sporting events — big and small — in Rhode Island in the past two years alone, according to data from the sports commission.
The events range from the
In all, the 125 events over the past two years brought in an estimated $83 million in spending in the state. The numbers are calculated by Destinations International, a tourism association with an 'event impact calculator' used in 48 states last year.
The sports commission
is part of the
'We market and sell Rhode Island as a premiere place to play,' Walker said. The commission secures hotel room block discounts, welcomes the athletes, and helps with logistics during the event.
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Plus, they aim to create a memorable experience for those who came for sports, so 'maybe they come back for a vacation, or maybe they look for a job here,' Walker said. 'That's sort of the full cycle of the initiative.'
The USA Gymnastics request for venue proposals asked for a city with ample hotel space within walking distance of the venue, along with a host that will help 'offset venue costs and assist with local marketing.'
Scott Cole, the director of event operations for USA Gymnastics, said the organization picked Providence in part because it had two adjoining venues — the convention center is where the junior athletes are competing, with the elites in the AMP — with lots of hotels in the immediate vicinity and and a convenient airport.
It can be also easier to hold events in midsize cities rather than competing for hotel rooms in major metros. (The championships have previously been held in Tulsa, Okla., and Des Moines, Iowa.)
'It's a great fit,' Cole said. 'It's an awesome city, the weather this time of year is perfect for these athletes, and the city really comes alive for us.'
Ceiling height was a factor, too; the arena has to have the ability to raise the Jumbotron to a certain height so acrobatic athletes can safely be tossed in the air, Cole said. The AMP, where the
Important, too, was the sports commission's willingness to 'get in the trenches with us' to put on the event, Cole said.
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Around 75 cities put in bids for all of USA Gymnastics' events through 2028, Cole said.
'We love New Englanders,' Cole said. 'They just bring such a passion and a fire to everything that they do.'
Hockey has brought in the most economic impact to Rhode Island in the past two years, according to the sports commission data, with more than $16 million in estimated direct spending. Cheerleading, baseball, volleyball, and dance also top the list.
Providence is already slated to have USA Gymnastics return in 2029.
On Wednesday afternoon
,
another two-time Olympian,
Rhythmic gymnastics combines the sport with dance and includes four apparatuses: a ball, clubs, a hoop and a ribbon. Griskenas can't choose a favorite.
'Each routine has its own energy to it and sort of story that you're trying to tell with your body,' Griskenas, 24, told the Globe. 'It's a little unfair to pit a fun tango ribbon with a very serious hoop routine.'
Griskenas hopes to make the national team this year, and has her sights set on the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
Her goal this week is to 'be clean, consistent and enjoy the performance.' And hopefully, once it's all over, squeeze in a visit to the RISD museum.
Steph Machado can be reached at
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