 |
National
Disability Sports Alliance Conducts Successful Forum on Judging
Dressage Riders With Physical Disabilities |
Kingston,
RI—April 3, 2003—Following up on the success of its
initial judges forum last November, the National Disability Sports
Alliance (NDSA), in association with USA Equestrian (USAE), held
a forum on judging dressage riders with physical disabilities
at Quiet Oaks Farm in Winter Garden, FL, March 17-19, 2003.
The
forum, recognized by the International Paralympic Equestrian Committee
(IPEC), was designed to provide judges with an overview of all
aspects of judging dressage for riders with disabilities. It included
discussions of criteria for becoming an IPEC international judge,
IPEC rules and dressage tests, USAE programs, and descriptions
of recognized disabilities. There were also demonstrations and
actual opportunities for judging riders with disabilities.
IPEC
Chairwoman Jonquil Solt and IPEC Master Judge Alison Mastin led
the forum and there was a total of seven judges who participated.
Three of these participants qualified to be named I.P.E.C. candidate
judges, three were named I.P.E.C. provisional judges and one was
designated a National Judge.
“Once
again, we got tremendous response to the judges forum,” said
Denise Avolio, NDSA Equestrian Program Manager who, along with
Andrea Ice of USAE, coordinated the forum. “Our goal here
is to provide new opportunities for riders with physical disabilities
to compete. One way to do this is to open doors at established
shows by expanding the pool of judges qualified to judge these
riders.”
In
IPEC classes, riders with disabilities are judged with able-bodied
rules, but allowances are given for compensating aids. For example,
in an IPEC class, special reins that can be held in one hand would
not be penalized.
The
NDSA hosted a similar judges’ forum in November 2002 at the
United States Equestrian Team (USET) Olympic Training Center in
Gladstone, NJ. That forum was a tremendous success, leading to
the call for more forums and another one now is being planned
for next year on the west coast.
The
IPEC is the international governing body for equestrian sports
for riders with disabilities. It is responsible for international
rules, sanctioning of international competitions, and for Paralympic
Games and World Championships. For more information about the
IPEC, please visit their website at www.ipec-athletes.de or contact
Jonquil Solt by email at jonquil@solt.demon.co.uk.
The
National Disability Sports Alliance is the national governing
body for equestrian sport for equestrian athletes with disabilities.
The non-profit organization is responsible for the development
and selection of riders for national championships and international
competitions, including World Championships and the Paralympic
Games, and provides training, competition and advocacy for riders
of all levels with physical disabilities. For more information
about NDSA and opportunities to support the programs, please visit
our website at www.ndsaequestrian.org
or contact Denise Avolio at (914) 949-8166 or diavolio@ndsaonline.org.
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