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Young
Riders Gain Vital Team Experience At NAYRC
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Old
Mill Creek, IL— May 28, 2002—In most equestrian competitions,
riders compete as individuals. But at the North American Young Riders'
Championships (NAYRC), presented by State Line Tack, which takes
place in Old Mill Creek, IL on August 6 – 11, 2002, Young Riders
get the chance to participate in highly rewarding and exciting team
competition.
The
North American Young Riders' Championships, presented by State Line
Tack, is the premier equestrian
competition
in North America for Young Riders, age 16-21. Young equestrians
come from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the
Caribbean Islands to vie for team and individual Championships in
the three Olympic equestrian disciplines of Show Jumping, Dressage,
and Eventing.
Many of the riders competing will use the experience they gain from
riding on a NAYRC team in the future if they go on to represent
the United States or their respective countries at World Championship
events. Olympic Silver Medalists Greg Best and Karen O'Connor, as
well as Megan Johnstone, Lauren Hough, Elise Haas, Buck Davidson,
Abigail Lufkin, Alison Firestone, Chris Kappler, Nicole Shahinian
Simpson, Ray Texel, Chris Pratt, Lisa Carlsen Lubitz, Kathleen Raine,
Heather Mason, David Wilson, Tiffani Loudon, Mara DePuy, and Julie
Gomena are all NAYRC alumni who have gone on to compete internationally
for the U.S. or Canada.
For
many riders, the competition is their first experience riding on
a team, as well as competing under the rules of the Fédération
Equestre Internationale, the international governing body for equestrian
sport. The NAYRC also carries with it the prestige of being designated
as an official USA Junior Olympic-Equestrian event.
“The
NAYRC was the greatest experience—it gave me confidence, team
experience and my first taste of international competition,”
said Frankie Chesler, a member of the Canadian Equestrian Team (CET)
and six-time Nations Cup competitor, who got her start at the NAYRC
in 1997, where she and her horse Bravehart earned team and individual
Silver Medals in the show jumping division.
“It’s
incredible. It was the beginning of such a personal growth experience
for me and thus far has been the most rewarding experience of my
life. It was the stepping stone of my riding life,” Chesler
said.
Since
first riding for the CET, Chesler has continued to support the NAYRC.
“If one has the opportunity to qualify for the NAYRC—go
again and again, it is well worth it,” she concluded.
2002
also marks the fourth year that the Mills Team Challenge, a dressage
competition for young riders with disabilities, will be part of
the NAYRC. The Mills Team Challenge is coordinated by the National
Disability Sports Alliance, the national governing body for equestrian
sports for riders with disabilities.
The
NAYRC began in 1974 as an eventing challenge between the United
States and Canada. A Dressage Championship was added in 1981, and
Show Jumping debuted in 1982. The first complete NAYRC was held
in British Columbia, Canada in 1982. Tempel Farms has hosted the
Championship 12 times since 1985.
For
more information on NAYRC activities, please visit www.youngriders.org.
At the NAYRC website you will find zone, region, area contact information,
a competition schedule, Tempel Farms information, and many other
details pertaining to the event.
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