GK’s 2009 Fall Winter collection features new signature leotards from Nastia.

Nastia presents her latest Gold Medal Collection of gymnastics leotards. The Fall Winter Nastia Liukin Leotards feature 6 new styles. Be sure to follow Nastia on Twitter for your chance to win one of the leotards from the recent lines of Nastia’s Gold Medal Collection. Click here to visit GK’s website and check out the entire collection!

GK is the world’s leading supplier of gymnastics apparel and is recognized around the world for superior variety, quality, fit and service. GK is proud to have been chosen by adidas® to manufacture the US National Team Competitive apparel for USA Gymnastics since 2000 and is the sole producer of adidas® brand gymnastics apparel in the USA. Based in Reading, Pennsylvania, Elite Sportswear, L.P., the company behind the GK brand, continues its commitment to American-made quality and continuous innovation in designs for Gymnastics, Cheerleading, Dance, and Drill Team apparel. For more information about GK visit http://www.gk-elitesportswear.com or contact Kelly Christman at 610-921-1469.

In other news, Nastia updated her Of The Moment list. Be sure to visit the Favorites page to see her new choices! We have also updated the Charities page with a number of organisations that Nastia supports. Become a champion. Raise Awareness. Inspire Action. Be the Change. Join Nastia in giving your support to these worthy charitable organisations.

Hi everyone!

Xoxo-Nastia

Nastia travelled to Copenhagen, Denmark today as part of the delegation supporting Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games. Also in the delegation are President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and thirteen other influential Olympians including Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Nadia Comaneci, Bart Connor and Michael Johnson. Before she left she posted a message to her fans on WOGA.net. Click here to view her message.

Hey everyone! Hope you are all doing wonderful… SO much going on right now, I will update you guys very soon on everything!!! But I did want to tell you guys about this right now…

My best friend, Jordan Pruitt, has turned me on to the Alzheimer’s Association charity walk. This is a very great charity that helps try to find a cure for the disease. Jordan and I really want to raise money for this awesome cause and her friends have started a team. This is the link to their team:
http://memorywalk09.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=302539&lis=1&kntae302539=9C74AA4FF0A14B4397B01C9DA7E9C8D1&team=3500005&tlteam=0

It would be amazing if you could donate. You can donate either under Jordan Pruitt or General Team Donations. Any amount is greatly appreciated.
Thanks SO much! This means a lot to me & Jordan

XOXO
Nastia <3

P.S. Check out Jordan on Myspace @ www.myspace.com/jordanpruitt & on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jordansblog

More exciting news following last week’s launch of Nastia Liukin Cup. Universal Sports has announced that they will televise the competition! Nastia said that she was honoured that USA Gymnastics’ official cable and digital media partner would broadcast the competition which is scheduled for 5 March 2010 hoping that “millions of gymnastics fans can watch some of the country’s top rising gymnasts as they develop into Olympic contenders and maybe champions.”

As announced last week the Nastia Liukin Cup will be held on the eve of the 2010 Tyson American Cup and will provide the nations best Level 10 athletes the experience of competing on a podium. Athletes will qualify to the meet in early 2010 at a number of invitationals that comprise the Nastia Liukin Cup Series. Proceeds from the Nastia Liukin Cup will go into the Nastia Liukin Fund, a charitable fund within the National Gymnastics Foundation. In the first year, net revenues from the Nastia Liukin Cup will be utilized as scholarships for young gymnasts who show ability and have a financial hardship through the Nastia Liukin Fund.

Nastia celebrated the one year anniversary of her Beijing triumph by taking another step in her return to competition, a performance on balance beam in front of a home town crowd in Dallas at the VISA Championships. Having originally planned to compete two events at the Championships Nastia decided during podium training before the event that she was still a little underprepared to perform on the uneven bars saying, “I didn’t feel confident enough to just chuck a routine. I’m just not that kind of person. I’m doing my full routine, except for the dismount separate. But I feel like it’s my event and I don’t want to go out there and perform it if I don’t feel confident and ready. It just isn’t worth it. Don’t get me wrong, Nationals are very important, but there are more important things that lie ahead this year, like Worlds. I’m on the right track, I just have to keep pushing this way. I have a few more months.”

While she is also not yet competing full difficulty on beam she did debut a new skill (aerial cartwheel), an upgraded dismount from her recent Covergirl Classic performance and proved that even Olympic Champions get nervous … especially when competing in front of a hometown crowd telling Inside Gymnastics after prelims, “When they announced my name and hearing the crowd—knowing it’s a home crowd too—everything kind of boils up and comes together.” Nastia scored 14.450 in the prelims and a 14.700 in finals to earn 4th place on the event saying of her performance, “There’s nothing to hide. I’m not in shape yet. I’m not ashamed of that. I’m proud of my accomplishments and everything I’ve done. Do I wish I was more in shape? Of course. What athlete wants to go out there and perform not at their best? But given the circumstances and all the obligations that I’ve had, this is where I have to be right now.” Her performance was enough to secure a place on the 2009/10 National Team and an invitation to the world team selection camp later in the year where the next chapter of her comeback will unfold.

During the course of the Championships Nastia, her father Valeri and WOGA were all honoured by USA Gymnastics. On the first night of women’s competition, USA Gymnastics honoured the Olympic accomplishments of WOGA. WOGA gymnasts have earned an impressive 21 world and Olympic medals, including Carly Patterson’s two world and four Olympic medals and Nastia’s nine world and five Olympic medals. “Nastia and Carly’s back-to-back accomplishment is virtually unprecedented,” said USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny. “It is one thing for athletes to come from the same country, but another for them to come from the same country, city and club. It is important to bring special attention to this unique achievement.” Nastia then joined all of the 2008 Olympians on the final night of competition in a celebration of their achievements last summer. At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the US team amassed its greatest medal haul since the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The 10 medal tally – two gold, six silver and two bronze – is the most earned by the USA in gymnastics in a non-boycotted Olympic Games. As is tradition USA Gymnastics announced its annual awards at the conclusion of the Championships. Nastia was presented with two awards; USAG Athlete of the Year and USAG Sportswoman of the Year (as voted by her peers) while Valeri was named as USAG Coach of the Year.

Nastia and USA Gymnastics have joined forces to provide a competitive opportunity for the country’s top Junior Olympic gymnasts, the Nastia Liukin Cup.

The inaugural Nastia Liukin Cup is scheduled for March 5, 2010, at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass and will be held the evening prior to the prestigious Tyson American Cup using the event’s podium. Gymnasts will be chosen to participate in the Cup from a series of invitationals known as the Nastia Liukin Cup Series. The Series will be promoted throughout the competitive season with individual meets each selecting a minimum of two athletes to compete in the Cup from their respective fields. The events already committed to participate in the NLCS are listed below.

•CGA Parents Club Coaches Spectacular, Covington, Ky., Jan. 15-17
•Cereal City Classic, Kalamazoo, Mich., Jan. 22-24
•Parkettes Invitational, Allentown, Pa., Jan. 29-31
•The Fiesta Bowl Classic, Chandler, Ariz., Feb. 5-7
•WOGA Classic, Plano, Feb. 13-14
•Buckeye Classic, Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 19-21
•Circle of Stars, Indianapolis, Ind., Feb. 19-21
•Excalibur Cup, Virginia Beach, Va., Feb. 19-21
•IGI Chicago Style Meet, Chicago, Ill., Feb. 12-14
•Pikes Peak Cup, Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 19-21
•Presidential Classic, Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Feb 19-21
•The Long Beach Open, Long Beach, Calif., Feb. 26-28.

Gymnasts who qualify for the Nastia Liukin Cup will receive a Nastia Liukin-designed leotard and a warm-up from GK Elite; two tickets to the Tyson American Cup and recognition during the event; and the opportunity to meet Nastia Liukin and participate in a team photo.

“I love gymnastics, and it has given me the opportunity to achieve my dreams and goals … and now I want to give back to the community that has supported me for my entire career. I am excited about the development of the Cup, which will give athletes an elite competitive opportunity, and the creation of the Nastia Liukin Fund that will enable me to help others through scholarships or charitable support.”

Proceeds from the Nastia Liukin Cup will go into the Nastia Liukin Fund, a charitable fund within the National Gymnastics Foundation. In the first year, net revenues from the Nastia Liukin Cup will be utilized as scholarships for young gymnasts who show ability and have a financial hardship through the Nastia Liukin Fund.

At today’s press conference Nastia reflected on her excitement at the prospect of providing this opportunity to young gymnasts in the US. “I couldn’t be more excited to have this announcement of the Nastia Liukin Cup. When we thought of this idea it was kind of like a dream. I never would have thought I would have a competition in honor of me, and what I’ve accomplished. Just to see the logo and the pink little me next to it, was just so amazing.”

“I wanted to make sure it wasn’t for the Elite athletes,” Nastia added of her original wishes for the competition that bears her name. “The Level 10 girls might not ever get the experience to compete on the podium, or may later in their career, so it’s so cool that they’re going to be able to start that early on. From the 12 competitions they’re going to be choosen, the Nastia Liukin Cup is the grand finale, and I’m just so excited to be partnered up with USA Gymnastics. I couldn’t thank them enough for always being behind me.”

USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny said that the organisation “is honored to partner with Nastia in creating this unique opportunity for young gymnasts. Nastia’s gymnastics accomplishments are incredible. She is known and respected for her integrity, sportsmanship and sense of fair play. Her interest in helping others and dedication to gymnastics led to the creation of the Nastia Liukin Cup and Nastia Liukin Fund.”

The latest episode of AT&T’s Behind the Team series has debuted. The first episode “A Chance to Reflect” features interviews with Nastia and many of her Olympic teammates and also takes a look at what lies ahead for USA Gymnastics in the next quad! Be sure to visit “AT&T Fanzone and view the episode! Look out for three more episodes in 2009!