Riders Across The Country Battle For Top Positions In North American League Standings

Annville, PA—June 12, 2002—Riders across the country are vying for their chance to qualify for the North American League (NAL) Finals, which will be held in October at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, PA.

NAL Series classes for the six divisions—Children’s Hunter, Adult Hunter, Children’s Jumper, Adult Jumper, Pony Jumper, and Open Jumper—are held at hundreds of horse shows across the United States and Canada and the 2002 season runs from September 1, 2001 through August 31, 2002.

The months of May and June were a busy time for riders in the six NAL divisions. In some division standings riders maintained their leads: in other divisions riders moved up to the top.

McLain Ward is one of the riders who continued to dominate in May and June. As of June 7, Ward, of Brewster, NY, continued to sit atop the NAL Open Speed Division, with an impressive 6000 points. Jeffery Welles of Ridgefield, CT moved into the second position in the standings, knocking Todd Minikus of Loxhatchee, FL to third place.

In the NAL Pony Jumpers, Sarah Tredennick of Littleton, CO and her mount, Just Have Fun, also continued to lead the pack with 450 points. Diana E. Detwiler of Elverson, PA and her mount, P.O.D.’s Southtown were not far behind with 383 points. Goldbug and Melissa Rudershausen of Kennett Square, PA were in third place with 312 points.

Also continuing to dominate in the NAL Adult Jumper standings was Julie Karpan from Micanopy, FL with her mount, Four Seasons. Karpan leads by over 700 points. Chris Richards from Arlington, TN with Foxtrot Echo moved into second place, relegating Nashea Powell from Jacksonville, FL with The Wiz to third.

In the NAL Children’s Jumper standings, Carolyn Kelly from New York City, NY and Brave Heart unseated Taryn Nolte as the leader. Nolte, from Gwynedd Valley, PA and her mount, Nacho Mama, were third with 2195 points behind Kelly with 2394 points and Susan Jeanette Clark of Birmingham, AL, and her mount, Indiana, with 2207 points.

In the hunters, Morgan Conroy of Fort Lauderdale, FL continued her impressive margin in the NAL Children’s Hunter Division with her mount, Joli Harmoni. Conroy had 2,812 points. Standing second and third were, respectively, Alexa Davis of Santa Rosa Beach, FL and Sister Act with 1482 points and Heather A. Padella of Traverse City, MI and Just Like Magic with 1410 points.

Clare Martin of Atlanta, GA edged into first place in the NAL Adult Hunter standings with Gratzi by a margin of only 15 points over Scho Me The Way and Leslie Cain of Franklin, Tenn. The leader after the winter circuits, Laurie Stevens of Long Grove, IL, and Double Click, fell to third place, trailing Martin by 57 points.

Riders will continue to compete in NAL classes all summer and it is not too late to join for the 2002 season. Riders need not be members of the NAL to compete in the qualifying classes, but only current members earn points towards the year-end finals. Membership applications must be received at the League Office within 10 days of the completion of an event for points from that event to count. The annual fee is $20 per rider.

For membership applications, class specifications, upcoming qualifying competitions, and current standings, please visit www.ryegate.com. For further information, please contact Ryegate Show Services at (717) 867-5643, fax to (717) 867-2174, or email NAL@Ryegate.com.

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