Las Vegas, NV—March 17, 2003—Local Nevada riders will have their moment on the worldwide stage when the first annual Nevada Team Jump Invitational is held on Wednesday, April 16, 2003, the first day of the Show Jumping World Cup Final, Budweiser World Cup 2003. The competition will begin at approximately 4:15 PM, immediately following the World Cup Warm-Up Classes.
Team Captains will be appointed by the Nevada Team Jump Committee. The captains will propose riders, who must be residents of Nevada, to the Committee. The Committee will extend invitations at the Committee's sole discretion. The Committee will secure acceptance of ten riders. Interested riders may contact Kathy Strelau at Las Vegas Events at 260-8605.
Each Team will consist of a Captain and five amateur riders, one of which must be a junior. Each Team will be assigned a World Cup Rider as Celebrity Co-Captain, who will advise and counsel the Captains on dividing the ten invited riders into two teams as nearly equal in ability as possible.

Practice sessions are planned on Monday April 14 and Tuesday April 15 in the late afternoon.
The order of go will alternate between teams, with the first team to go being decided by a coin toss.
Assignment of riders to a Level, and order of go within each Level, will be decided by the Captains, with the advice of the Co-Captains. Level 1 riders will jump first, then Level 2, and finally Level 3.

“The World Cup Committee is excited to give local Nevada riders this opportunity to compete in the same arena at the same event as the best show jumpers from around the

world,” said Bob Maxey, Chairman of the Budweiser World Cup Committee. “The 2000 World Cup Final injected new enthusiasm for the sport into Nevada’s equestrian community. This is an opportunity to show off what our state’s riders can do and we anticipate a large turnout of Nevada equestrian enthusiasts to cheer them on. In anticipation of and to encourage this local interest we have scheduled the Team Jump for after-school hours at 4:15 pm, and are offering a special ticket for Wednesday only at a price of $10.00.”

All-Session ticket packages for Budweiser World Cup 2003 are still available and include seats for the warm-up competition and Nevada Team Jump Invitational on Wednesday afternoon, the Grand Prix of Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon, and all three legs of the World Cup Final itself, to be contested on Thursday and Friday evenings plus Sunday afternoon. These packages are available in Plaza Level Priority Seating for $300 per person or Balcony Level Priority Seating for $150 per person. Exclusive VIP Packages are also available for $1,000. They include one premier All-Session seat, access to the private VIP hospitality area complete with complimentary deluxe food/beverage each day, and preferred parking.

Individual daily tickets are also available for each of the five days with prices ranging from $10 to $85 per ticket depending on the session and seat location.

In 2000, the Budweiser World Cup grabbed the attention of the show jumping world with laser light shows, fast-paced entertainment acts, and performances by Las Vegas showgirls and celebrities such as Susan Anton and Clint Holmes. Other highlights included bull riding, buffaloes, the world famous Budweiser Clydesdales, and a dressage demonstration by 1999 Pan American Games double Gold Medalist Debbie McDonald. World Cup riders Rodrigo Pessoa, Mario Deslauriers, John Whitaker, Leslie Howard, Ian Millar, and Ludger Beerbaum paired up with six World Champion barrel racers in a spectacular barrel racing competition that thrilled the packed arena.

Of course show jumping’s biggest names were there and they can be expected to be on hand when the World Cup returns to Las Vegas this April. Three-time World Cup champion Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil appears well on his way to a return trip to Las Vegas where he won the Final in 2000.

Pessoa currently leads the World Cup standings of the Western European League, considered by many the world’s most competitive. Pessoa became the first World Cup rider ever to “three-peat” when he won the World Cup Final at Budweiser World Cup 2000. He had previously won the title in 1998 in Helsinki, Finland and in 1999 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

“Las Vegas put on a fabulous World Cup in 2000,” said the Brazilian superstar. “Las Vegas was definitely one of the best World Cup Finals I have ever seen.”

Las Vegas Events, Inc., organizer of the Budweiser World Cup, is a private, not-for-profit corporation whose charge is to bring special events to Las Vegas to support Southern Nevada’s tourism efforts and increase economic impact. In its 21-year history, Las Vegas Events has produced, presented, or supported more than 203 events including the National Finals Rodeo, NASCAR Winston Cup racing, Motocross racing, the Mountain West Conference Basketball Tournament, the Miss Universe Pageant, the Harley-Davidson Mile and a Half Tour, the CineVegas International Film Festival, the World Aerobic Championships and many others.

www.worldcuplasvegas.com

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