T.J. Maxx Announces Sponsorship for T.J. Maxx 2004 Tour of Gymnastics Champions - Special Pre-Show Events with Athletes - FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- T.J. Maxx, the nation's largest off-price retailer, announces its title sponsorship of the 39-city T.J. Maxx Tour of Gymnastics Champions, featuring members of the 2004 U. S. Olympic Team. The high-flying T.J. Maxx tour format combines elements of Cirque du Soleil-style modern performance art with elite gymnastics to push the boundaries of athleticism and gymnastics to all-new levels. The Tour will run September 18-November 28. (see attached tour schedule) The top athletes set to perform include all six 2004 women's U.S. Olympic Team members: all-around gold medal winner Carly Patterson, Terin Humphrey (silver, uneven bars), Annia Hatch (silver, vault) Courtney Kupets (bronze, uneven bars), Courtney McCool, and Mohini Bhardwaj. On the men's side, team silver medalists Jason Gatson, Brett McClure and Guard Young will tour, along with team alternates Raj Bhavsar and Steve McCain. Rythmic gymnastics Olympian Mary Sanders, trampoline Olympian Jennifer Parilla, and world champion Sports Acro athletes Shenea Booth and Arthur Davis are also planning to participate. Also on the program are a pair of Cirque du Soleil veterans, aerial stuntman Russ Stark and aerial hoop-dance artist Emilie Therrien. "The T.J. Maxx Tour will be an amazing athletic and artistic spectacle like no other gymnastics tour ever conducted," said USA Gymnastics President Bob Colarossi. "This is an exciting opportunity for T.J. Maxx to continue its partnership with the pre-eminent sport in the Olympics movement," said Wendy Lohr, Manager of Event Marketing for T.J. Maxx. "We are thrilled to bring these world-class gymnasts to the fans during the 2004 T.J. Maxx Tour." The 2004 tour will continue T.J. Maxx's and USA Gymnastics' long-standing relationship with Special Olympics of America by featuring Team T.J. Maxx Special Olympic athletes in all but one of the performances nationwide. Team T.J. Maxx will play an active role in Tour shows, demonstrating gymnastics and distributing Special Olympics information to spectators. A generous contribution from T.J. Maxx will be donated to Special Olympics branches in each of the local tour markets. Special Olympics is an international program of year-round sports training and athletic competition for more than one million children and adults with mental retardation. Visit http://www.specialolympics.org/ for more information. As title sponsor, T.J. Maxx will be conducting retail and on-line promotions in addition to national advertising support. See below: * "Behind the Team" Pre-show event: Open to T.J. Maxx shoppers only, this is an unique opportunity for fans to hear about Athens from the athletes who were there, in a very special presentation before the performance. There will be a chance to ask questions, take pictures, and other contests and surprises. "Behind The Team" is open to all ticket holders, however, they must have a recent T.J. Maxx receipt (Aug-Nov, 2004) for admission and must have registered on-line to attend. * NBC Olympic Gymnastics Highlights DVD: Tour attendees will receive a flyer at the show directing them back to their local T.J. Maxx to pick up this DVD for free. Value of DVD $20. Visit http://www.tjmaxxgymnasticstour.com/ for the latest information on the Tour. Our special T.J. Maxx photographer will upload pictures and news from the tour twice a week in the "Pics from the Road" section. Tickets are on sale now for the T.J. Maxx Tour through arena box offices and other area outlets in all 39 markets. USA Gymnastics owns and operates the T.J. Maxx Tour of Gymnastics Champions, and will conduct the tour in partnership with the Arena Network. As in the highly successful 2003 Tour, the 2004 T.J. Maxx Tour will be under the creative direction of One Reel and The Howard Company, with support from Associate Sponsor Tyson Foods, Inc. and apparel provided by GK/Elite Sportswear. T.J. Maxx, the nation's largest off-price retailer, was founded in 1977 and has since grown to more than 750 stores in 48 states. T.J. Maxx offers brand name merchandise for the entire family and home at prices up to 60% below department and specialty store prices, every day. T.J. Maxx is a proud sponsor of USA Gymnastics and USA Gymnastics events, including the 2000 and 2003 T.J. Maxx Tour of Gymnastics Champions, and the 2001 T.J. Maxx International Gymnastics Challenge. Visit http://www.tjmaxx.com/ or http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/ for more information. For stock Tour and athlete photos, visit http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/pr/images/images.html. 2004 T.J. Maxx Tour of Gymnastics Champions Schedule as of Sept. 10, 2004 18-Sep Atlanta, GA Philips Arena 19-Sep Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center 22-Sep Raleigh, NC RBC Center 23-Sep Winston-Salem, NC Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum 24-Sep Norfolk, VA Norfolk Scope 25-Sep State College, PA Bryce Jordan Center 26-Sep Boston, MA Fleet Center 30-Sep Washington, DC MCI Center 1-Oct E. Rutherford, NJ Continental Airlines Center 2-Oct Bridgeport, CT Arena At Harbor Yard 3-Oct Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center 7-Oct Cleveland, OH Gund Arena 8-Oct Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center 9-Oct Rockford, IL Metro Centre 10-Oct St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center 12-Oct St. Louis, MO Savvis Center 14-Oct Green Bay, WI Resch Center 15-Oct Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse 16-Oct Chicago, IL UIC Pavilion 17-Oct Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena 19-Oct Memphis, TN FedEx Forum 22-Oct Phoenix, AZ America West Arena 23-Oct Anaheim, CA Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim 24-Oct San Jose, CA HP Pavilion at San Jose 28-Oct Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena 30-Oct Los Angeles, CA Staples Center 4-Nov Nampa (Boise), ID Idaho Center 5-Nov Spokane, WA Spokane Arena 6-Nov Seattle, WA Key Arena 7-Nov Portland, OR Rose Garden 10-Nov Colorado Springs, CO World Arena 12-Nov Salt Lake City, UT Delta Center 13-Nov Las Vegas, NV Thomas & Mack Center 19-Nov San Antonio, TX SBC Center 20-Nov Houston, TX Toyota Center 21-Nov Dallas, TX American Airlines Center 26-Nov Miami, FL American Airlines Arena 27-Nov Tampa, FL St. Petersburg Times Forum 28-Nov Tallahassee, FL Leon County Civic Center CONTACT: Laura McDowell (508)-390-2468 DATASOURCE: T.J. Maxx CONTACT: Laura McDowell of T.J. Maxx, +1-508-390-2468 Web site: http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/ http://www.tjmaxx.com/

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