"Mean Girls Super 16 Gymnastics Championships" on January 5-6

A Partnership Between Paramount's Iconic Mean Girls Franchise and the Biggest Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Competition of 2024

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mean Girls Super 16 Gymnastics Championships are coming to the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on January 5-6, 2024, marking the biggest regular season event in collegiate gymnastics history. In this second annual event, 16 NCAA teams and over 300 gymnasts, including Olympic, World and National Champions, are scheduled to compete.

This year's event is a strategic partnership with Paramount Pictures and their upcoming release of the iconic Mean Girls franchise. This exciting and innovative collaboration resonates with the athletes and the Gen Z audience alike.

The two-day competition has four sessions with team, all-around and event champions for each session. The Mean Girls Super 16 Gymnastics Championships is the official opening day of collegiate competition. The athletes will be treated to a special advance screening of Mean Girls before the competitions begin, preceding the film's opening nationwide on January 12. The entire Mean Girls Super 16 Gymnastics Championships will be imbued with the film's spirited essence, ensuring that every aspect of the competition echoes its iconic vibe.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association team champions for the last seven years are competing -- Oklahoma (2023, 2022, 2019, 2017, 2016), Michigan (2021) and UCLA (2018). The competition features 7 of the top 10 pre-season collegiate teams, as ranked by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association.

Schedule and Teams:

Friday, January 5

1:00 PM PT

• University of Denver
• University of Illinois
• San Jose State University
• University of Washington

7:00 PM PT

• University of Kentucky
• University of Michigan
• Michigan State University
• University of Oklahoma

Saturday, January 6

12:00 PM PT

• Brigham Young University
• University of Minnesota
• Oregon State University
• Southern Utah University

6:00 PM PT

• University of Alabama
• Auburn University
• University of California, Berkeley 
• University of California, Los Angeles

Tickets for each session range from $15.00 to $45.00. "All-Session" tickets are $100.00 (plus taxes and fees). Tickets may be purchased through Orleans Arena Website. For Group or Gym Club tickets please contact Group Tickets America at 702.943.1515 X1 or by email at [email protected]

To get the latest on the Mean Girls Super 16 Gymnastics Championships go to www.Super16Gymnastics.com or @super16gym on Instagram.

WHAT SUPER 16 ATHLETES AND COACHES ARE SAYING ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP:

GYMNASTS:

It's not every day that an iconic movie like Mean Girls joins forces with our iconic sport. This partnership is a game-changer – it's vibrant, it's fresh, and oh, so fetch! We're not just kicking off our season; we're making a statement.

Luisa Blanco, University of Alabama
2021 SEC Gymnast of the Year and NCAA Beam Champion; competing in 2024 Summer Olympics for Colombia

Mean Girls changed pop culture; we're doing the same for gymnastics. Our team, known for resilience and peak performance, aligns perfectly with this iconic collaboration. It's not just a team-up; it's an infusion of energy and style into our sport. This partnership elevates women's gymnastics, showcasing our strength and grace to a wider audience. We're proud to lead this dynamic moment at the Super 16.

Ragan Smith, University of Oklahoma*
2X NCAA Champion; 2016 Olympics Alternate
*2022 and 2023 National Champions

On Wednesdays, we wear pink." We may not all be wearing pink leos or competing on an actual Wednesday, but it's safe to say the Super 16 is something you won't want to miss. This meet goes to show that gymnastics and pop culture go side by side. I've loved watching this sport grow & this is only keeping the ball rolling!

Sierra Brooks, University of Michigan
2021 NCAA National Champion; 2x Big Ten Gymnast of they Year; 2023 AAI "Gymnast of the Year"

Mean Girls has been my Roman Empire my entire life! Pairing with the Super16? Now this is really going to be a movie! It's gonna elevate our game, not just to a higher level, but right smack into the heart of the cultural convo. We're talking major spotlight on our sport, blending pop culture with our fierce gymnastic moves. It's about to get real lit!

Margzetta Frazier, UCLA
4X NCAA All-American

COACHES

It's a remarkable fusion of athletic excellence and entertainment. This partnership shines a light on Collegiate Women's Gymnastics and will serve as an inspiration for other media outlets to recognize the significance of women's sports in our cultural landscape.

Tanya Chaplin - Oregon State University

This partnership bridges the gap between this sport and pop culture, platforming the energy, passion, and personality of gymnastics in a generationally resonant format.

Ashley Johnston - University of Alabama

The Mean Girls Super16 Gymnastics Championships is a dynamic event highlighting the best teams in NCAA gymnastics while celebrating the premiere of this highly anticipated blockbuster sequel!

KJ Kindler - University of Oklahoma

Being from Los Angeles, we love that a big Hollywood movie is part of this event. This comedy has entertained audiences for years, much like NCAA Gymnastics! The themes in the new rendition of the film promote mental health and women's empowerment making it a wonderful partnership with collegiate gymnastics.

Janelle McDonald - UCLA

This is an exciting development not only because it provides our student athletes premiere competition experience, but also because it offers a truly unique connection between these athletes, their fans, and culture broadly. It's the perfect blend of Sport, Art, and Entertainment.

Jeff Graba - Auburn University

We were very excited to hear about the collaboration. Bringing in such a highly anticipated film is a promising way to grow the sport of collegiate women's gymnastics and showcase the incredible student athletes competing in the event.

Beverly Plocki - University of Michigan

We are thrilled to be part of this tremendous weekend, pairing the excitement of College Women's Gymnastics with Mean Girls, a movie that our young women identify with as they balance the challenges of being student athletes at the highest level. 

Jenny Hansen - University of Minnesota

I am excited for this partnership! This event's pop culture tie-in is a great way to grow the sport of women's gymnastics and highlight the remarkable talent of these young women. I hope we see more partnerships like this in the future.

Guard Young - Brigham Young University

We are very excited to be collaborating with another media powerhouse on this event and showcasing the phenomenal talents of our student athletes.

Liz Howell - University of California, Berkeley

I can't imagine a better partner for the Super 16. Mean Girls centers on women and carries a message of empowerment, exactly what we try to do in the world of women's gymnastics. There should be more of these kinds of partnerships that highlight the tenacity of these young women on a national stage. 

Joanne Bowers - San José State University

Mean Girls, despite its name, is a story about young women overcoming obstacles thrown at them. In college gymnastics, there are always challenges and a temptation for teammates to selfishly value their own differences. Here at Illinois, our program has a focus of uniting as a team to depend on each other and set aside differences to overcome adversity. 

Natalie Walsh - University of Illinois

Mean Girls' partnership with a women's collegiate gymnastics competition is a well-deserved sign of recognition of all the hard work these student athletes put into their studies and their training. This is a new benchmark for the kind of partnerships that help make women's sports more visible.

Scotty Bauman - Southern Utah State University

This innovative partnership helps generate visibility and exposure and continues to propel the growth of collegiate women's gymnastics which serves as an inspiration and motivation for future generations.

Melissa Kutcher - University of Denver

Michigan State University is thrilled to be participating in the 2024 Super 16 Championship in partnership with the movie Mean Girls! The Spartans are eager to step onto the podium joining some of the top Collegiate Gymnastics Teams in the country! What a way to kick off the 2024 season.

Mike Rowe - Michigan State University

This competition brings together Collegiate gymnastics and Mean Girls, highlighting women and women's sports in a unique and powerful combination for a wide audience to enjoy.

Tim Garrison - University of Kentucky

ABOUT MEAN GIRLS: From the comedic mind of Tina Fey comes a new twist on the modern classic, MEAN GIRLS. New student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called "The Plastics," ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp) and her minions Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika). However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina's ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), she finds herself prey in Regina's crosshairs. As Cady sets to take down the group's apex predator with the help of her outcast friends Janis (Auli'i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all: high school.

ABOUT PARAMOUNT PICTURES: Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Paramount Global, a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Paramount Pictures has some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, and Paramount Players. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

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SOURCE Mean Girls Super 16 Gymnastics Championships