Feb. 2, 2006

Las Vegas, Nev.- UIC senior Nick Stavros (Hawthorne Woods, Ill./Stevenson H.S.) is in Vegas this weekend, but he's not in town for the array of entertainment.

Stavros, one of the nation's best pommel horse competitors, is there to compete in the prestigious Winter Cup Challenge, the annual national extravaganza that features 80 of the world's best gymnasts as they seek to qualify for the 2006 United States Senior National Team.

Stavros is the first-ever competitor in UIC's illustrious gymnastics history to qualify for the Winter Cup.

The reigning Eastern College Athletic Conference pommel horse champion, Stavros has already won four events in six attempts this season, including the Windy City Invitational pommel horse crown.

The 2006 Winter Cup Challenge, which takes place at the Sports Center Arena, is the first U.S. men's national event to use the new scoring system adopted by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) last year.

The new scoring system incorporates credit for the routine's content and execution, and a gymnast's score no longer is limited to a maximum of 10. In the United States, this system will be used at all elite level events, while men's Junior Olympics and collegiate gymnastics are using a modified version.

The competition schedule will feature two individual event finals and all-around qualification sessions on February 2. All-around finals take place on February 4. The initial day of competition will feature 80 gymnasts, with the top 42 advancing to the all-around finals.

Based on the competition's results, the top six from the all-around finals automatically qualify for the 2006 senior national team. Six more gymnasts will qualify based on a points system established by the Men's Program Committee. The Men's Program Committee will select the remaining two gymnasts.