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Equestrian
Vaulters Awarded Championship Titles |
Livermore,
CA - The dust has settled and the vaulters and horses have returned
home with the knowledge that dreams can come true. The American
Vaulting Association highest honors have been awarded in 17 divisions
to equestrian vaulters. National Champions and Reserve National
Champion status to be coveted for the next year, until the opportunity
to defend their titles occurs in Denver, Colorado in August, 2002.
Titles are awarded in Individual, Pas de Deux and Team events divided
into levels distinguished by the gait of the horse and earned levels
of the vaulters.
Crowds
of up to 1,000 were awestruck by the spectacular performances inspired
from gymnastics and dance performed to music with the moving horse.
Many spectators made the trip to the Robertson Park Equestrian Center
to view the sport for the first time. After seeing the six A-Teams
perform their freestyle (Kur), Jan Hart of Livermore, CA made her
way to the AVA booth to make a donation to assist the championship
team with their trip to the World Equestrian Games in Spain. Hart
stated, "It's absolutely amazing to see the vaulters working
with their horses - it's a beautiful sport to watch"!
In
the A-Team division, Mt. Eden struggled in selection trials but
overcame obstacles to secure the Reserve National Champion title.
The Free Artists - Creative Equestrian (FACE) team of Moorpark,
California continued to own the division, and used this opportunity
to distinguish themselves one last time before the fans and judges.
The group left for the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain immediately
following the National Championship competition. Jaclyn Adkins (15)
of Milford, Delaware is a member of the F.A.C.E. team headed for
Spain. A member of the United States Pony Club, she began vaulting
at the age of 8. She quickly fell in love with the sport of vaulting.
"Vaulting is so exciting! You can really feel the horse and
you know you and the horse are like one thing working together!
It's a fantastic feeling AND I love the crowd's reaction. They (the
crowd) totally give you so much back." Adkins, who also competes
in dressage events added, "My dressage scores went up immediately
after I started vaulting and my seat got so much better"!
In
the Women's Gold Division, Mari Inouye (17) of Woodside, California
was a favorite entering this competition. She was disqualified after
equipment difficulties in the first round. Pam Geisler rose to the
occasion to capture the Women's National Championship title with
a stunning performance. Geisler along with Reserve Champion, Jill
Main, will also head to Spain to compete at the World Equestrian
Games IV.
There
were few surprises in the Men's Gold Division with Devon Maitozo
regaining the championship title from Kenny Geisler of Diamond Bar,
California. Scoring in the men's division was tight, but all three
top men will also go on to represent the United States at WEG IV
next month.
American
vaulting was born in California almost 30 years ago, and vaulters
from California have historically dominated the sport. This year
Championship Titles were also awarded to vaulters from Colorado,
Georgia, New Mexico, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia. Fifteen of the
33 vaulting clubs participating in this California event traveled
from outside the state to attend representing 14 states. The sport
continues to grow throughout the United States.
The
American Vaulting Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
for the education and promotion of vaulting. Vaulting is the sport
of gymnastics and dance performed on and in harmony with the equine
partner. For more information about vaulting please visit our website
at www.americanvaulting.org.
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