WELLINGTON, FL – October 29, 2003 – As riders align for the upcoming Sidelines Equestrian Triathlon®, one team has not only locked in its players but a sponsor as well. The imposing threesome of dressage Olympian Bent Jensen, show jumping Olympian Nona Garson, and six-goal polo player Martin Estrada will be competing as Team RV Sales of Broward.

Gigi Stetler, owner of RV Sales of Broward, is a first-time sponsor of a Triathlon team. “I did it for the charity mainly,” said Stetler. “And I like putting the three disciplines together – it’s very challenging and a good way to raise money for the cause.”

The Sidelines Equestrian Triathlon will be held on December 27, 2003, in the Internationale Arena at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club, in Wellington, FL. Presented by Outback Steakhouse and Village Animal Clinic, the Triathlon will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida. The charity will grant a wish to a child with a life-threatening disease. The Triathlon features 12 top riders on four teams of three, with a specialist in dressage, show jumping and polo on each team. The teams compete against each other in three phases – a dressage freestyle to music, a hit-and-hurry jump course, and two chukkars of polo. The winner of the Triathlon is the team that accumulates the highest number of total points from all three phases.

Stetler’s sponsorship has its roots in the March 2003 Triathlon where the two Olympians were also team mates. Stetler loaned one of her jumpers to friend Nona Garson, and Bent Jensen rode him to the high score in the jumping phase. Though Stetler was unable to attend then, she has big plans for her company’s presence at the December 2003 Triathlon, including an RV display area. Stetler’s RV Sales of Broward is located at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club show grounds, offering a campground and RVs for horse show participants during the Winter Equestrian Festival. Exiss Horse Trailers, which builds trailers for Stetler’s company, is supporting RV Sales of Broward in the Triathlon team sponsorship “We do a lot of good business in the horse show world and I’d like to put money back into the sport,” noted Stetler. “Basically everything I make in the trailer sales I put back into the sport.” Stetler is also an active competitor and sponsor in the Adult Jumpers. But there is one more reason Stetler chose to sponsor a Triathlon team. “Mainly for fun!”

The December 2003 Sidelines Equestrian Triathlon will feature a holiday theme with activities for the whole family including a raffle, pony rides, clowns, hair braiding for kids, and shopping at vendor booths. A parade will kick off the event and a half-time show will entertain before chukkars. Wrapping up the festivities will be an Olympic-style awards presentation for the athletes and a wish presentation to one of the Make-A-Wish children.

Part of the fun of the Triathlon is watching top riders demonstrate their skills in disciplines not their own – the polo player and jumper ride the dressage test, and the dressage rider and polo player jump the course; and while all the riders play polo, only the dressage rider and jumper are allowed to score.

Bent Jensen, a member of the Danish dressage team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, is now an American citizen. He has won many Grand Prix classes at prestigious US CDIs. He has participated in all three previous Triathlons – in fact, an article in Sidelines about Jensen and 10-goaler Memo Gracida trading lessons in each other’s disciplines inspired the first Triathlon in 2001.

Nona Garson, a member of the US show jumping team at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, has represented the US on many occasions including Rotterdam, where she was a member of the winning team in the 1997 Nations Cup and Buenes Aires, where she was a member of the Bronze Medal team at the Pan American Games. Garson is also a consistent winner in Grand Prix classes across the US.

Martin Estrada, rated at six goals, has played on renowned polo teams such as Isla Carroll, Hartmoor, and Templeton, and has won many prestigious tournaments including the 1997 US Open, the 22-goal Sunshine League, and the 20-goal Monty Waterbury Cup. Estrada is also a well-known polo instructor and operates the Palm Beach Polo Academy Polo Club in Wellington. This is his first Triathlon.

The Sidelines Equestrian Triathlon starts at noon on December 27, 2003. VIP tables are available at $750, which includes seating for six, the Outback Steakhouse lamb-and-shrimp buffet, and a ringside view. Non-reserved seating in the VIP pavilion will be available at $150 per person and includes the buffet. General admission tickets are $10, with children 12 and under admitted free (they must be accompanied by an adult). Triathlon sponsorship packages are available. For more information, contact Sidelines, 11320 Fortune Circle, Suite G-14, Wellington, FL 33414; Tel: (561) 790-6506; Fax: (561) 790-6686; Email: sidelinestriathlon@earthlink.net; Website: www.sidelinesnews.com

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