'Toughest Sport In the World' Competes In Chesterfield This Weekend

The annual St. Louis Gymnastics Centre Open Invitational, 2012 Meet Me In St. Louis, kicks off this weekend, January 7 and 8.

The high-powered gymnastic meet in Chesterfield, at The Club in the Swingley Ridge Rd., typically draws more than 5,000 fans, as well as competing gymnasts from across the nation.

Gymnastics has been called the "toughest sport in the world" and consistently garners the most viewers in Olympic competition.

The host, St. Louis Gymnastic Centre (SLGC), is located in Webster Groves and is the oldest private gymnastic gym and training center in the Midwest. It is home to competing state, regional, national, and international champions, SLGC said.

See profile of Olympic medalist who will be mingling at the two-day competition.

SLGC is an official member of USA Gymnastics (USAG) and annually hosts this largest, USAG-sanctioned, co-ed meet in the country. 

In the very competitive Region III Men’s and Region IV Women’s divisions, SLGC teams consistently rank at or near the top. 

Some of the best gymnasts coming out of the St. Louis Gymnastic Centre go on to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Centre, and competed at the Junior Olympics Nationals. 

SLGC coaches are members of the U.S. Elite Coaches Association and are USAG-Certified.

Patch is one of the mega-event's sponsors.

For those in the know, here's what to expect from the weekend competition:

Competition Levels
USA Gymnastics Sanctioned:
Men’s Levels 4 - 10
Women’s Levels 3 - 10 & Prep Opt / Xcel

US Gymnastics Unsanctioned:
Boys’ Levels 4 - 10
Girls’ Levels 2 - 10 & Prep Opt / Xcel

Competition Format
Modified Capital Cup
Multiple Competition Gyms
Equipment Provided by UAI

Awards
Individual medals to top 60 percent of gymnasts
Participation gift for all gymnasts

Teams in the meet:
ACROS                               Evansville, IN
All American                       St. Louis, MO
Barron Gymnastics              St. Louis, MO
Champaign County YMCA     Champaign, IL
Champions                          Louisville, KY
DeVeau's                            Fishers, IN
Didion Athletics                   VanBuren, AR
Dynamics Gymnastics          Springfield , MO
Edge Gymnastics                 Liberty, MO
Emerald City Gymnastics      Overland Park, KS
Flip Side Gymnastics            St. Charles, MO
GAGE Gymnastics                Blue Springs, MO
G.T. Performance                 St. Charles, MO
Gym Quarters                      O'Fallon, MO
Heartland Gymnastics          Cape Girardeau, MO
High Energy                        Chesterfield, MO
McCracken's                        Olathe, KS
MEGA                                 Kansas City, MO
Meyer's Gymnastics             Ellisville, MO
MidCounty YMCA                 St. Louis, MO
NGA Twisters                      O'Fallon, MO
Olympiad Chesterfield          Chesterfield, MO
Olympiad Ellisville               Ellisville, MO
Olympiad Festus                 Festus, MO
Olympiad MidRivers             St. Peters, MO
Olympiad North                  Florissant, MO
Olympiad West                   Manchester, MO
Planet Gymnastics              Union, MO
Rebound                            Blue Springs, MO
SLGC                                 Webster Groves, MO
St. Louis Spirits                  St. Louis, MO
Show-Me Gymnastics          Columbia, MO
Spectrum                                           Cape Girardeau, MO
Springfield Gymnastics                        Springfield, MO
Southern Illinois Gymnastics Academy   Marion, IL
Stacey's Gymnastics                            Wentzville, MO
Team Central Gymnastics Academy       Maryland Heights, MO
Tiger Academy of Gymnastics               Columbia, MO           
TNT Gymnastics                                  Hollister, MO
Tri-Star                                              Nolensville, TN
World Class                                        Belleville, IL
Xtreme Gymnastics                             Poplar Bluff, MO
YMCA of Edwardsville                          Edwardsville, IL