2008 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Coaches Promoting Strength at Austin Hotel

    /24-7PressRelease/ - AUSTIN, TX, September 04, 2008 - For a special stop in town after their Olympic adventures, two United States Olympic Gymnastics Coaches will stop through Austin this Saturday to share their experiences with the community and promote the vast number of talented Texas gymnasts that recently represented the U.S. in Beijing.

Head Coach of the US Men's Bronze Medal Team, Kevin Mazeika, and the National Team Coach for the Women's Silver Medal Team, Tamera Biggs, will be available for photos and questions. Also in attendance will be JC Phelps, member of the 1996 Olympic Gold Medal Team who will share her experiences from 1996 - 2008. The special event and autograph signing will be held on Saturday, August 30, 2008 from 9-11 am at the Renaissance Austin Hotel in the Wedgewood Room, located at 9721 Arboretum Blvd in Austin. The event is open to the public and anyone can stop by and congratulate these great coaches who led the US Gymnastics men's and women's teams to winning 18 medals at the recent Olympic Games. With 3 of members of the US Men's and Women's gymnastics team coming from Texas, this marks a special salute to this unique Texas talent. And, these great Texans also train at the National Team Training Center outside of Huntsville, Texas.

The coaches were invited to town for the special event where they will be hosted by the Gymnastics Association of Texas (GAT) and the Renaissance Austin Hotel. They will be also be honored, give lectures at our Austin Conference Center and share their Olympic experiences. The timing is also key since GAT holds its annual conference in town this Labor Day weekend at this Renaissance luxury Austin hotel. The GAT is organized exclusively as a professional gymnastics association whose primary purpose each year is to educate gymnastics coaches and judges in Texas.

Cheryl Jarrett, Director of Education for GAT, stated "What an exciting time for gymnastics! With the Olympic gymnastics medal count being higher than ever before and with the success in the men's and women's programs, the gymnastics schools around the country will be filling up. Our Texas conference is proud to be at the forefront of education and we will be assisted by Beijing's best. We might say "Texas", but we influence the entire country with our talent - we are Texas Proud and leading the way in gymnastics!"

The Men's gymnastics team was written off when the top 2 male gymnasts, the Hamm twins, were injured and not able to compete. Then, their Texas replacements stepped up - Raj Bhavsar of Houston/Team Chevron (coached by Mazeika) and Jonathon Horton also of Houston/Team Chevron, both proud to represent Texas. Bhavsar and Horton will not be in attendance at the GAT conference but Coach Mazeika will describe their wins and experiences at the special meet and greet event on Saturday morning at the north Austin hotel. Coach Mazeika will also be honored at a special ceremony on Saturday night during GAT's conference where he will be presented with the Gold Honor Award for representing Texas at an Olympic Games. Coach Biggs for the women's team will discuss some of the action from the gold and silver medal wins made by Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin.

"The Gymnastics Association of Texas has done a terrific job letting fellow Texans know that we were well represented by Texas gymnasts in the Beijing games." said Rob Gillette, General Manager of the Renaissance Austin Hotel. "We are thrilled to be a part of the coaches visit to Austin on their stop back from the Olympic games so they can share with our community."

Guests who stop by to see the coaches can also experience a heightened level of luxury surroundings when they visit the hotel since it recently completed multi-million dollar renovations. The changes now lend to a more "high-tech, high-touch" feel for guests at this truly authentic and upscale 10-story atrium hotel. The new cyber caf , @ustinbytes, offers a variety of foods and beverages during the day including: Starbucks coffee, gourmet coffees, specialty wines and beer, fresh-baked pastries, fresh pizzas and sandwiches, and gourmet desserts. Wireless service is available for guests in the open "great room" atmosphere where computers are set up in workstations with a private, yet relaxed environment. The hotel also has a new state-of-the-art fitness center with the latest equipment, and Austin accommodations feature a new bedding package which includes plush pillow-top mattresses and a 300-count linen package. The hotel's restaurant, Banderas - A Texas Bistrot, serves three meals daily featuring a Texas-style Hill Country cuisine.

About the Renaissance Austin Hotel
The Renaissance Austin Hotel is located just 11 miles or fifteen minutes from downtown, nestled in the scenic hills of northwest Austin and a gateway to the Texas Hill Country. The Austin, TX hotel is the cornerstone to the upscale entertainment complex, the Arboretum, which is a 95-acre park-like setting filled with over 80 shops, boutiques, restaurants, movie theaters, walking and jogging paths. With 65,000 square feet of function space, including a recently-renovated 30,000 square foot exhibit hall, and another 5,000 square feet of meeting space in Glass Oaks, opening summer of 2008, the hotel will be the largest in-house Austin meeting facility. The hotel is an attractive destination for both business and leisure travelers. For more information, visit our web site at www.renaissanceaustin.com

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