MINNEAPOLIS — After a fun week of gymnastics excitement, the Olympic trials are wrapping up in Minneapolis.
The city hosted thousands of gymnastics fans from across the country this week.
Sunday night the Incline Gymnastics team from Highlands Ranch Colorado waited in line nearly two hours to watch night two of the women’s trials.
“This will be our fourth night coming here and waiting in line,” a teammate says.
The trials are a ticketed event with assigned seating, so the only benefit of waiting in line for so long is to get into the Target Center a few minutes earlier than everyone else.
“We just want to be there for a few extra minutes so we can watch warmups and be around the athletes for longer,” another teammate laughs.
Two gates down from them Beth Lillstrom had the same idea.
“We’re here to see warmups every night and then we have been in our seats until they kick us out. So, we’ve been those people,” Lillstrom laughs.
Lillstrom is also from Colorado.
She started competing in gymnastics in 1985 at the age of eight.
“I competed all the way through high school, and I’ve been a fan ever since,” Lillstrom says.
She may never get a chance to see the Olympics in person, but she says the Olympic trials are the next best thing.
"I've been getting lots of very thoughtful, kind offers on Instagram to go to Paris and these amazing hospitality options that I cannot afford, but I can come to Minneapolis and see this for four days,” Lilltsrom laughs.
Loretta Wickins and her daughter Macy traveled all the way from Missouri.
“We’re from a tiny town called Koshkonong Missouri,” Wickins says.
“So, coming to Minneapolis is a big city for us, but it’s been fun.”
Wickins says this is her 2nd time watching a world class team trial in person.
She traveled to watch the Gymnastics World Championship trials in 1999.
“It was fun back then, but they really make it fun now. I think USA Gymnastics has done a good job trying to make it more fun and more of a spectator sport,” Wickins says.
USA Gymnastics says the Olympic Trials in Minneapolis was their biggest event ever.
It was the first time the organization has held their four main events all at the same time, in the same city.
Besides the Olympic trials the organization also hosted their annual trade show and several competitions at the Minneapolis Convention Center this week.
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