USA GYMNASTICS IN PRIMETIME THIS WEEKEND

USA Gymnastics Visa Championships and AVP Nissan Series Huntington Beach Open Air Saturday and Sunday On NBC Sports

NEW YORK -- August 11, 2005 -- USA Gymnastics' rising stars move into primetime as NBC Sports broadcasts the 2005 Visa Championships from Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Coverage of the women's competition begins Saturday at 8 p.m. ET and will conclude on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. The Visa Championships is the first major competition in preparation for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The men's competition will be broadcast on NBC next Sunday, August 21 at 1 p.m. ET.

The Visa Championships is USA Gymnastics' national championship and will help determine the U.S. Men's and Women's National Team members who will represent the United States in upcoming international competitions.

Al Trautwig, Elfi Schlegel, Tim Daggett and Andrea Joyce will provide commentary.

AVP Men's and Women's Finals Saturday and Sunday, 4:30 PM ET

The hottest rivalry on the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour heats up this weekend when Olympic Gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh take to the beach at the AVP Nissan Series Huntington Beach Open, with the men's finals set for Saturday and the women's finals on Sunday, both beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.

May-Treanor and Walsh, who recently had their 50-match winning streak snapped by Rachel Wacholder and Elaine Youngs at the Cincinnati Open, are currently leading the overall points standings by a slim margin over Wacholder and Youngs. This potential championship match would be the sixth time these two teams have squared off in the finals this year, with May-Treanor and Walsh owning a 4-1 advantage in head-to-head play.

On the men's side, Dax Holdren and Jeff Nygaard hold a slim lead over the second-place team of Jake Gibb and Stein Metzger. Matt Fuerbringer and Casey Jennings, currently in third, are within striking distance and could take over first place with a victory at Huntington Beach.

NBC's Chris Marlowe will call the action from Huntington Beach alongside analysts Mike Dodd and Karch Kiraly (if not playing in final) with Heather Cox reporting.

Kiraly and 2004 AVP MVP Mike Lambert will reunite as teammates this weekend. Kiraly and Lambert were named AVP Men's Team of the Year in 2004, when they captured three tournament titles and finished second twice.

The AVP's new Nissan Championship Series format mirrors NASCAR's successful "Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup" campaign. The new format will give players double points for the first four events and the finale will award triple points. The overall winning men's and women's teams will be crowned champions and receive $375,000 and a Nissan Xterra.

USA GYMNASTICS IN PRIMETIME THIS WEEKEND

USA Gymnastics Visa Championships and AVP Nissan Series Huntington Beach Open Air Saturday and Sunday On NBC Sports

NEW YORK -- August 11, 2005 -- USA Gymnastics' rising stars move into primetime as NBC Sports broadcasts the 2005 Visa Championships from Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Coverage of the women's competition begins Saturday at 8 p.m. ET and will conclude on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. The Visa Championships is the first major competition in preparation for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The men's competition will be broadcast on NBC next Sunday, August 21 at 1 p.m. ET.

The Visa Championships is USA Gymnastics' national championship and will help determine the U.S. Men's and Women's National Team members who will represent the United States in upcoming international competitions.

Al Trautwig, Elfi Schlegel, Tim Daggett and Andrea Joyce will provide commentary.

AVP Men's and Women's Finals Saturday and Sunday, 4:30 PM ET

The hottest rivalry on the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour heats up this weekend when Olympic Gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh take to the beach at the AVP Nissan Series Huntington Beach Open, with the men's finals set for Saturday and the women's finals on Sunday, both beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.

May-Treanor and Walsh, who recently had their 50-match winning streak snapped by Rachel Wacholder and Elaine Youngs at the Cincinnati Open, are currently leading the overall points standings by a slim margin over Wacholder and Youngs. This potential championship match would be the sixth time these two teams have squared off in the finals this year, with May-Treanor and Walsh owning a 4-1 advantage in head-to-head play.

On the men's side, Dax Holdren and Jeff Nygaard hold a slim lead over the second-place team of Jake Gibb and Stein Metzger. Matt Fuerbringer and Casey Jennings, currently in third, are within striking distance and could take over first place with a victory at Huntington Beach.

NBC's Chris Marlowe will call the action from Huntington Beach alongside analysts Mike Dodd and Karch Kiraly (if not playing in final) with Heather Cox reporting.

Kiraly and 2004 AVP MVP Mike Lambert will reunite as teammates this weekend. Kiraly and Lambert were named AVP Men's Team of the Year in 2004, when they captured three tournament titles and finished second twice.

The AVP's new Nissan Championship Series format mirrors NASCAR's successful "Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup" campaign. The new format will give players double points for the first four events and the finale will award triple points. The overall winning men's and women's teams will be crowned champions and receive $375,000 and a Nissan Xterra.