Athletes will take pictures, sign autographs and award tickets to the Aurora Games gymnastics competition at Latham Dunkin’ on Wednesday, August 21
LATHAM, NY; – Former UCLA star gymnast and internet sensation Katelyn Ohashi, two-time Olympic figure skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan and seven-time Olympic gymnastics medalist Shannon Miller will make a special appearance at the Dunkin’ restaurant at 1003 Troy-Schenectady Road in Latham on Wednesday, August 21 from 10 to 11 a.m.
The appearance will take place just hours before Ohashi competes for Team Americas in the gymnastics event at the Aurora Games, which will begin at 7 p.m. at the Times Union Center in downtown Albany. Dunkin’ is the official sponsor of the gymnastics competition.
During the meet and greet, Ohashi, Kerrigan and Miller will take pictures with fans, sign autographs and award tickets to the gymnastics competition.
The Aurora Games is a six-day, six-sport, all-women’s international sports and entertainment festival being held August 20-25 at the Times Union Center in Albany. Approximately 150 world-class athletes, including Olympic medalists and national champions from around the globe, are set to compete in the Aurora Games. In addition to gymnastics, the Aurora Games will feature competition in women’s tennis, basketball, figure skating, ice hockey and beach volleyball, along with a table tennis exhibition at the Albany Capital Center.
The gymnastics competition, presented by Dunkin’, will feature five separate events including power tumbling, balance beam, parkour, aesthetic gymnastics, and artistic floor exercises.
Dunkin’ is also partnering with Latham-based World Class Gymnastics, one of the Northeast’s top gymnastics training academies, to award five young gymnasts the opportunity to take part in a clinic being conducted by Miller and five-time Olympic gold medalist Nadia Comaneci. The gymnastics clinic will be held at the Times Union Center on Wednesday, August 21, prior to the gymnastics competition.
In addition, Dunkin’ is donating 20 tickets from the gymnastics competition to children attending summer camp at the Capital District YMCA.
“Dunkin’ is thrilled to serve as the presenting sponsor of the Aurora Games gymnastics competition,” said Dunkin’ Integrated Marketing Manager Eric Stensland. “We are honored to participate in this historic celebration of female athletes around the world and are excited to provide our guests with the opportunity to meet some of these legendary athletes at one of our Dunkin’ locations in the Capital Region.”
Ohashi, whose floor exercise routine lit up the internet during her recently completed final season of collegiate competition, will be joined on Team Americas by former Louisiana State University standout McKenna Kelley, who is the daughter of 1984 Summer Olympics gold medalist Mary Lou Retton. Team World will be represented by the British-born Danusia Francis, who currently competes for Jamaica in international competition.
The gymnastics competition will conclude with a group number choreographed by Valorie Kondos Field, the longtime University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) gymnastics coach who recently announced her retirement and will oversee the competition.
Individual session tickets for the Aurora Games are on-sale now at www.Ticketmaster.com. Tickets are available starting at just $15. Children may qualify for half-price tickets based on seating selection. Group sales can be reserved by contacting Carrie Berger at (617) 688-6128. All Fan Zone activities being held in the Albany Capital Center are free.
For up-to-date information about the Aurora Games, visit AuroraGamesFestival.com or follow the Games on Twitter @AuroraGamesFest.
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ABOUT DUNKIN’
Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ is America’s favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin’ is a market leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavored coffee, iced regular/decaf/flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin’ has earned a No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for 13 years running. The company has more than 12,800 restaurants in 44 countries worldwide. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin’ is part of the Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.
ABOUT THE AURORA GAMES
Aurora Games Festival, LLC owns and operates the Aurora Games and holds all of the rights and intellectual property associated with the Games. The Aurora Games were conceived of and created by Jerry Solomon. Mr. Solomon has been one of America’s top sports marketing executives for more than 30 years. The Aurora Games, named in honor of the Roman goddess of the dawn, will be held every two years beginning with the inaugural edition at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY, August 20-25, 2019. Designed to celebrate the best in women’s sports, entertainment and culture, the Aurora Games will welcome all-star athletes, as well as coaches and trainers, representing more than 15 countries to downtown Albany to compete in an international competition of teams comprised of the Americas vs. the World. The six-day event will include team and individual competitions in basketball, tennis, figure skating, gymnastics, ice hockey and beach volleyball. Fans will also enjoy musical performances, food tastings, sports clinics, autograph sessions and seminars in the Aurora Games Fan Zone at the Albany Capital Center. For up-to-date information about the Aurora Games, visit AuroraGamesFestival.com or follow the Games on Twitter @AuroraGamesFest.