National Finals of U.S. Junior Olympic Skills competition begin

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The U.S. Jr. Olympic Skills competition, the official youth skills competition of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), will convene on the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. July 23-26 for the National Finals. Seventy-two athletes ages 8-13 will compete in four fundamental sports - basketball, soccer, tennis and track & field - for the opportunity to be crowned champions of their sport and for the first time in the program's history, the U.S. and Puerto Rico Olympic Committees have joined together in this event and three athletes from Puerto Rico have qualified.

The competition will be streamed LIVE on www.TeamUSA.org July 24. Fans can also track the day's action by following "JrOlympicSkills" on www.twitter.com.

The finalists represent the event's top 72 young athletes from the United States and Puerto Rico who advanced to the National Finals by winning their age and gender category at one of 130 regional events. More than 1.6 million competitors participated in nearly 8,000 local qualifying events hosted by 2,500 community organizations throughout the country.

Now in its fourth year, the U.S. Jr. Olympic Skills competition, with the help of sponsors McDonald's, Oroweat and the U.S. Tennis Association, introduces America's youth to the excitement of a multi-sport competition, encouraging participation in Olympic sport, emphasizing fair and friendly play, and promoting an active lifestyle.

"The U.S. Jr. Olympic Skills finalists represent the future of the Olympic Movement," said Acting USOC Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Streeter. "With the assistance of our sponsors and extensive community network, the program helps young people so they can showcase their athletic ability and share the ideals and values of the Olympic Movement. We happily welcome Puerto Rico to this year's final and are excited that the event will be streamed live online giving family, friends and Olympic fans the chance to catch a glimpse of these talented young athletes in action."

Cobi Jones, American soccer icon, 1992 Olympian, former player and current assistant coach for the LA Galaxy, will serve as the 2009 U.S. Jr. Olympic Skills National Spokesperson for the event. Jones will appear at the Opening Ceremony on July 23 in Chula Vista to share his story and inspire the competitors.

"It's an honor to speak with these talented finalists before their big competition," Jones said. "I hope to inspire these athletes by sharing my Olympic experience but also look forward to being inspired by the ambition and energy of these young people."

The athletes who qualified for the 2009 Jr. Olympic Skills National Finals can be found below.

For more information on the Jr. Olympic Skills program, please visit www.jrolympicskills.com.

About the USOC
The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the sole entity in the United States whose mission involves training, entering and underwriting the full expenses for the U.S. teams in the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. In addition to being the steward of the U.S. Olympic Movement, the USOC is the moving force for support of sports in the United States that are on the program of the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. Learn more about the U.S. Olympic Team and USOC at www.usolympicteam.com.


2009 National Finalists - Tennis

8-9 Year Old Division - Boys

Name	Hometown	Region
Case Tolliver	Bluefield, W.Va	East
Matt Munoz	Findlay, Ohio	Central
Daniel Baturyn	San Leandro, Calif.	West

8-9 Year Old Division - Girls

Name	Hometown	Region
Skylar Lancaster	Pittsburgh, Pa.	East
Sola Akinniyi	Baton Rouge, La.	Central
Sarah Swider	Hayden, Idaho	West

10-11 Year Old Division - Boys

Name	Hometown	Region
Javier Melendez-Munoz	Cayey, Puerto Rico	East
Vincent Rettke	Madison, Ala.	Central
Josh Aughenbaugh	Laie, Hawaii	West

10-11 Year Old Division - Girls

Name	Hometown	Region
Cyd Melendez-Munoz	Cayey, Puerto Rico	East
Erin Young	Huntsville, Ala.	Central
Maddie Anderson	Thompson, N.D.	West

12-13 Year Old Division - Boys

Name	Hometown	Region
Chisu Edwards	Morristown, N.J.	East
Ryan Fedewa	Spring Lake, Mich.	Central
Greg Wischer	Grand Forks, N.D.	West

12-13 Year Old Division - Girls

Name	Hometown	Region
Anna Barber	Moultrie, Ga.	East
Ty Ana Williams	Milwaukee, Wis.	Central
Cindy Lim	Grand Forks, N.D.	West