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Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Olympic Selection Trials for Dressage and the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions

Junior and Young Riders Get a Taste of Media Attention at Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions
By Kathy Beal for DressageDaily.com - Photos by Christina Beal

Junior and Young riders at this year's Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions are getting the chance to experience the same treatment offered to elite international athletes. One of these unique opportunities is participating in a live press conference. After the honor rounds, the top tree finishers in each division were directed to the press tent where members of the local and national media interviewed them.

In the first session and still wearing their formal attire, Junior winner McKenzie Pooley, 15, Reserve Champion Brandi Roenick, 14, and third-place finisher, Catherine Chamberlain , 13, fielded questions from journalists about their horses, trainers and their goals.  All three were delighted that their horses were attentive today. The hometown girl, Pooley, feels she is on a great horse but said she can never take her performance for granted.

Arizonian Brandi Roenick said she feels that dressage is the most difficult of the equestrian sports but that her connection with her horse is what keeps her going. The other two riders echoed her response and stated that the rewards of the horse-rider connection and the moments when “things click” are what drive them on. Chamberlain articulately described her strategy during the test itself, where she could push, and where she played it safe.

Young Rider Team Test winner Kassie Barteau, reserve Laura Noyes and third-place finisher Holly Bergay followed the juniors’ press conference and also answered questions posed by the press about the rides, and their goals.

Barteau, 19, who had competed on three horses in the class, was delighted with her win on Gabriella. She credited the support of her mom and friends in helping her juggle three horses. Barteau rides ten horses daily, which helped her prepare for the Festival. Her goal is clear. “I would like to train horses and ride for the USA in international competition one day.”

Noyes, 21, is from Maine and had come the furthest to compete. “It helped to arrive early. We stayed with Debbie McDonald for a week and a half to get her help, which was great,” she said.

Bergay, 15, also worked with McDonald. Her goal is to compete internationally in both disabled and able-bodied competitions and she has her sights set on the WEG in 2010, which will offer a Para Olympic division.

Junior Rider Ashland DeGroot Continues the DG Bar Tradition with Jasper