Athletes Selected to Attend  USHJA Emerging Athletes Program  National Training Session
USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Nationals to take place concurrently at Lake Erie College
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lexington, Ky. ---- September 12, 2017 ---- The United States Hunter Jumper Association is pleased to announce the 24 athletes (16 riders and 8 stable managers) selected to attend the 2017 Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session with Olympian Peter Wylde and renowned stable management expert Anne Thornbury, November 9-12, at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio.

Olympic Gold Medalist Peter Wylde will lead the mounted instruction of the 2017 USHJA EAP National Training Session at Lake Erie College. Photo credit: Tricia Booker/USHJA Archives
"The EAP National Training Session marries competition and education to create a dynamic opportunity for young, talented riders to learn and showcase their skills," said Sally Ike, chair of the USHJA Emerging Athletes Program Committee. "As we head into this year's National Training Session, I'm eager to see this talented group of 24 athletes get the most out of working with the industry's best teachers and leading professionals, and am even more eager to see what they do after the session."

More than 180 athletes participated in regional training sessions nationwide between the months of May and August. USHJA congratulates the following athletes selected to participate in this year's EAP National Training Session:

National Training Session Riders:
  • Nicole Beales, 15, Okland, Calif.
  • Kelsey Campbell, 17, Great Falls, Va.
  • Bella Canzano, 20, Grosse Pointe, Mich.
  • Maura Cherny, 18, Cazenovia, N.Y.
  • Kit Cunningham, 17, Thermal, Calif.
  • Gage Curry, 16, Star, Idaho
  • Kendra Duggleby, 17, Cleveland, N.Y.
  • Cecily Hayes, 16, Brentwood, Calif.
  • Isabelle Heckler, 18, Colts Neck, N.J.
  • Kelby Kane, 16, Lexington, Ky.
  • Cece Manze, 19, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
  • Owen McWilliams, 14, Austin, Texas
  • Caroline Molther, 19, Parker, Colo.
  • Ada Rohan, 16, Montpelier, Vt.
  • Sydney Shelby, 14, Santa Cruz, Calif.
  • Sydnie Young , 14, Loomis, Calif.
National Training Session Stable Managers:
  • Amanda Atkins, 18, Edmond, Okla.
  • Gabrielle Baker, 19, Phoenix, N.Y.
  • Alexis Di Pasqua, 17, West Chester, Pa.
  • Michael Golinowski, 16, Burke, Va.
  • Natalie Radosevich, 20, Farmington Hills, Mich.
  • Quinn Reed, 17, Batavia, Ohio
  • Sabrina Searles, 20, Winter Garden, Fla.
  • Elise Vandamme, 17, Bountiful, Utah
Ranked Stable Manager Alternates:
  1. Taylor Wohler, 16, Folsom, Calif.
  2. Drew Arnold, 17, Carmel, Ind.
  3. Jake Parker Wymard, 16, Glen Rock, Pa.
  4. Sydney Eller, 18, Ferguson, N.C.
  5. Shanna Beyer, 19, Collierville, Tenn.
     

     
Ranked Rider Alternates:
  1. Grace Towle, 18, Mill Valley, Calif.
  2. Catherine Moorhead, 16, Austin, Texas
  3. Elise Vandamme, 17, Bountiful, Utah

The EAP National Training Session and HQC Nationals will return to Lake Erie College's state-of-the-art George M. Humphrey Equestrian Center. The school is also offering horses on which the EAP riders will compete. The 86-acre facility offers a 100' x 225' indoor arena where the EAP National Training Session will be held, with seating for 700 spectators, and a Learning Center where the HQC Nationals will take place, that overlooks the main indoor ring. Auditing of mounted sessions is free and open to the public.

"All of us at Lake Erie College are delighted to welcome the participants in the National Training Session, along with their trainers, friends, and families," said Mary Pardee, assistant professor of equine studies and director of riding for Lake Erie College. "This is our second year hosting the EAP National Training Session and we plan to provide an excellent string of horses, a wonderful facility, and great lectures from our faculty and guest speakers to compliment the work of clinician Peter Wylde and stable manager Anne Thornbury."

EAP finalists are closely observed and evaluated during all phases of the four-day National Training Session, including flat work, gymnastics, related distances and course work, an intensive stable-management curriculum, and through a written test that gauges the horsemanship knowledge each finalist has gained throughout the year.

The EAP National Training Session concludes with a two-round Nations Cup-style competition, where riders are placed on teams of four to compete head-to-head. This team format offers the riders an opportunity to showcase their riding skills as well as their ability to perform under pressure. One rider will be named the overall USHJA EAP National Champion and will be awarded a $5,000 scholarship to Lake Erie College, a $3,000 grant to be applied toward the cost of advanced training, and a variety of additional products and gifts from USHJA sponsors.  Additionally, Lake Erie College will award a $3,000 scholarship to the participant named Outstanding Stable Manager and a $2,000 scholarship to the winner of the peer-nominated sportsmanship award.

Two finalists will each receive a coveted riding spot at the 2018 George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session, and three stable managers who excel at the EAP National Training Session will also be awarded a spot to attend the prestigious training session as stable managers. 

"Lake Erie College is an enthusiastic supporter of the USHJA Emerging Athletes Program since the program mirrors the goals of our School of Equine Studies - to develop educated and compassionate horse people who are thinking riders. As one of the oldest and largest nationally accredited programs of Equine Studies we have a long tradition of promoting quality horsemanship," continued Pardee. "We know that there are moments in your education that can be life changing and I am confident that this year's National Training Session will prove to be that for the participants."

The Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Nationals, presented by The Plaid Horse, will once again be held concurrently with EAP National Training Session. New for 2017, EAP and HQC finalists will participate in joint educational sessions including a sport's psychology session with leading equestrian sport psychologist Daniel Stewart, and a hands-on anatomy discussion with Lake Erie College Adjunct Instructor of Equine Studies Laura Stockhaus. Participants selected for the HQC Nationals will be announced soon.

For more information on the USHJA Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session, visit ushja.org/EAP. For more information on the Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Nationals, visit ushja.org/HQC.

The Emerging Athletes Program and the Horsemanship Quiz Challenge are supported in part by a generous grant from US Equestrian, as well as individual donors through the USHJA Foundation.

Media Contact:
Megan Lacy
(859) 225-6723

United States Hunter Jumper Association
3870 Cigar Lane
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