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U.S.
Team Named for 2003 I.P.E.C. Dressage World Championships
for Riders With Disabilities |
Kingston,
RI—July 16, 2003—The National Disability Sports Alliance
(NDSA) has named the six-member team that will represent the United
States in the fifth International Paralympic Equestrian Committee
(I.P.E.C.) Dressage World Championships, September 2-7, 2003 in
Moorseles, Belgium. The team includes Robin Brueckmann of Summerfield,
NC; Barbara Grassmyer of Placerville, CA; Kathryn Groves of Winter
Garden, FL; Rebecca Hart of Erie, PA; Cynthia Ruiz of Houston,
TX; and Lynn Seidemann of Coppell, TX.
Brueckmann,
a member of the U.S. Paralympic Team in Sydney in 2000, earned
two Gold Medals and a Bronze at the I.P.E.C. World Championships
in 1999. Grassmyer placed second overall in her grade at the Open
Belgian Invitational last year and is a two-time NDSA Champion
at the Bayer/U.S. Equestrian Team (USET) Festival of Champions,
presented by State Line Tack.
Groves,
a United States Dressage Federation Bronze Medalist, was the Reserve
Champion in the “Own Horse” division at the 2002 Inner
Vision Championships for Riders with Disabilities. Hart earned
a fifth place finish in last year’s Belgian Open Championships
as well as a team Gold Medal in the Mills Team Challenge at the
2002 North American Young Riders’ Championships.
Ruiz
rode hunters and jumpers at the national level until a car accident
several years ago left her paralyzed. She began riding dressage
three years ago and recently tied with Seidemann for eighth place
in the NDSA Championship for Riders with Disabilities at the 2003
Bayer/USET Festival of Champions, presented by State Line Tack.
Seidemann was also a member of the U.S. team at the 2000 Paralympic
Games in Sydney.
The
U.S. riders will join the more than 125 others with similar disabilities
from 35 countries expected to compete at the four-day World Championships.
Participants will compete in Individual Championship tests and
Musical Freestyles as well as a Team test. Competitions will be
open to riders at all four recognized Grades of physical disability.
In
addition to the prestige of winning at such a high-level competition,
top-finishing teams and individuals at the I.P.E.C. World Championships
will earn places for their country’s athletes to participate
in the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.
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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