Officials hopeful gymnastics event gives boost to Olympic bid

Arlington Heights' native David Sender starred on the Stanford University gymnastics team and even won the 2008 all-around national championship.

But an ankle injury before last year's Olympics trials help keep him off the Beijing team. With his Olympic dreams dashed at age 23, Sender needed time away from the sport to cope with his disappointment. During that period, he started looking into veterinary school.

But vet school will have to wait, at least until after this weekend. Sender's focus Saturday will be to show off his routines to a hometown crowd at the Tyson American Cup at the Sears Centre arena in Hoffman Estates. He hasn't competed here in years.

"It's nice to be back in Chicago. I have plenty of family and friends. It's a nice little homecoming," Sender said. "At least I can put on a good show for them."

The annual international competition - being held for the first time in the Chicago area - has foreshadowed Olympic success for such greats as Mary Lou Retton, Kerri Strug and Nastia Liukin. All three are scheduled to be on hand Saturday to sign autographs, along with men's star Paul Hamm. NBC will televise the event live, giving Chicago a chance to show itself off as an Olympic-caliber city.

"We get to showcase our passionate sports fans," Chicago 2016 spokeswoman Mica Matsoff said. "We also get to showcase the bid's commitment to youth in sport."

For Olympians, 2009 marks the start of a new quadrennium, the four-year cycle before the 2012 London Games. Saturday's crowd could receive a glimpse of the next Olympic success making their international debut.

One of those athletes is 13-year-old Jordyn Wieber, who many mentioned in the same breath as last year's Olympic team silver medalists Liukin and Shawn Johnson. The crowds will also get to see Joseph Haggerty, a member of the men's bronze medal team from Beijing.

Sender, a 2004 Buffalo Grove High School, said he feels like he's been able to clear his head since missing the Olympics last year.

"I think I've been able to do that and move forward," he said.

Jon Corbitt of Hawthorn Woods will judge three of the men's events. The former Fighting Illini gymnast now works for Motorola, and this is the first international-level competition he'll judge.

"Usually, you're going to Japan or Moscow or somewhere else around the world," Corbitt said. "To have it here in Chicago is pretty neat."

The gymnastics scoring system typically gets tweaked between Olympic Games, and Saturday will give the sport a better of idea on how those will be implemented, he said.

Although Chicago's Olympic bid book - unveiled last week - excluded the Sears Centre, arena Executive Director Jeff Bowen is hopeful it could eventually host Olympic-related events.

"We're good for gymnastics and volleyball, we're a good venue for other competitions," Bowen said.

Matsoff said athletes need a place to train before the Olympic torch is lit, which would provide opportunities for the Sears Centre, Allstate Arena in Rosemont and other facilities.

Ticket sales, which Bowen said have been robust, are one way to measure the event's success. But Matsoff said there are other indicators.

"The athletes should have a good experience competing here, and the international athletes should experience all the greatness the Chicago metropolitan area has to offer," she said.

While USA Gymnastics made an aggressive push with local club and high school teams to attract them to attend Saturday's event, there is a scheduling flaw: The state girls gymnastics meet ends Saturday at Palatine High School. Teams like the top-ranked Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire will be concentrating on their own routines.

Beyond the Olympics, attracting the American Cup was a big score for Sears Centre officials. Since opening in 2007, the facility remains looking for its niche.

"It's very important to us right now," Bowen said. "We're on the cusp of hopefully bigger things to come."

How to catch the Tyson American Cup

Live at the Sears Centre: The elite gymnastics showcase starts at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21 with a "Celebration of Champions" autograph-signing; competition starts at 1:30 p.m. at the Sears Centre, north of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway off Route 59. Tickets are $19.50-$125; call (888) SEARSTIX or go to searscentre.com; also available at the door.

Live on TV: The competition will air live on Universal Sports from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. and on NBC from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.