On Jan. 11-12, the Central Oregon Gymnastics Academy will host the inaugural Central Oregon Classic at the Riverhouse Convention Center in Bend.

More than 400 gymnasts and 1,300 spectators will make their way to Bend’s Riverhouse Convention Center for a two-day gymnastics meet.

The Central Oregon Gymnastics Academy will host the inaugural Central Oregon Classic, a USA Gymnastics regional event drawing competitors from Oregon and Washington on Jan. 11-12.

The meet will be the first meet of its kind to be held in Central Oregon.

“There have been meets on a smaller scale, more in-house gymnastics meets,” said Jordan Bailey, the owner of Central Oregon Gymnastics Academy in Bend. “For all intents and purposes this is the largest USA Gymnastics sanctioned competition (in Central Oregon).”

“We’ve got a pretty amazing turnout for a first-year meet. The response has been great,” said Jordan’s husband Jacob Bailey, co-owner of Central Oregon Gymnastics Academy. “We didn’t know what to expect. We have 440 athletes registered and that is going to draw a lot of different spectators as well. It has been great for a first meet.”

USA Gymnastics has 10 different levels with the ages ranging from 7 to 18. The competitions will run all day Saturday and Sunday, starting at 8 a.m. and concluding at 9:30 p.m.

The Central Oregon Classic is a sanctioned regular-season meet. Athletes that receive high enough marks in their events will qualify for state meets, where they will have chances to receive qualifying scores for regional meets. From there, they can qualify for national meets.

The main reason that the Baileys worked to bring this meet to Central Oregon is to give a chance for gymnasts and their families to not have to travel to the Willamette Valley, where nearly all the competitions are held.

“Our competitive teams compete in eight to 10 regular-season meets,” Jordan Bailey said. “All those meets are tough to travel to in the valley. Gymnastics can be travel-heavy. We are really excited to bring a local gymnastics competition that is open and available to the region here in Central Oregon, and to feeder programs in places like Klamath Falls and Eastern Oregon. A lot of these gyms are excited to have a competition that is a little bit closer.”

With participation expected to exceed expectations in the first year, the Baileys are hoping that this meet can continue to grow past the inaugural event.

“We plan to do this year over year on the same weekend, that is how you build strong participation,” Jordan Bailey said. “Most gymnastic meets that go the distance are on the same weekend year after year. We are planning to build year after year and bring a large-scale competition in-house, which is very exciting.”