Rising Stars/ Canada Youth National Championships
Judge, Joan McCartney stands for finalsalute from Esmee Ingham
Wendy Christoff, reserve rider for this years WEG Team has been very busy managing and putting on a wonderful competition for Canadian Junior riders. The show took place on August 27-29 and was a huge success again. Below is Wendy’s report and tomorrow I’ll add some great pictures taken during the weekend. I want to congratulate all the riders and commend Wendy and her fantastic volunteer group which has done so much for Canada’s youth!
The show is about kids with horses…all ages and all levels. Our mission statement is “To provide young riders, 21 years and under, the opportunity to participate in a dressage competition that is exclusively their own, in an environment that provides a fair playing field for junior riders of different age groups wherein each will compete against his/her peer group at all levels of skill, from beginners to advanced” .
In 2004 when our committee put on our first show we were told it would never fly as there are not enough youth riders to make a show pay for itself. We hoped we would get 50 riders and we had over 70 entries with over 70% of them riding in the Bronze show and the rest in the Gold show. Now – seven years later we are maxed out at 115 riders with more than 70% of them competing in the gold show and the rest in the bronze. We have a very large FEI youth division and this year with both the Nationals and the gold show we had 20 FEI competitors. Competitors came from all over BC, Alberta, and Washington state.
Our show is successful because it is all about kids and we have unique prizes and activities that go on all weekend long. Some of the prizes have been saddles, Konig boots, bridles, tack trunks, bicycles, and complete outfits for main prizes and a huge variety of other prizes such as bridle bags, garment bags, boot bags etc all with our lovely logo.
Activities have included interactive fire safety skills for the barn ( the kids got to try to hold a fire hose!); Rising Stars fashion show where the teams created outfits made from garbage bags and duct tape; education sessions such as proper helmet fitting; saddle fitting; judges perspectives on riding the levels and critical movements in a test; dressage rules and what they mean. Each year we have new and different activities for the kids and they all attend.
This year we felt we were big enough and had enough sponsors to host the Dressage Canada Youth National Championships. This is an annual show that is bid on by show organizers across the country and this is the first time for it to be in BC. We are proud to boast that we had the most number of competitors with 16 declared and qualified horse/rider combinations. This is the largest entry since the show was started in Ottawa six years ago with all four categories having entries ( 4 FEI Children ; 2 FEI Pony; 6 FEI Jr; and 4 Young Riders).
For some of the kids it was their first time riding in front of a panel of three FEI judges and is a milestone in their riding careers. Our riders impressed the judges and the scores reflected it. Joan McCartney wrote “I was soooooo impressed by your show; the organization and the number and caliber of your riders, especially the focus of your Jrs. It is little wonder that BC is producing all these talented juniors.” Jayne Ayers wrote” GREAT show! Thank you for inviting me” Rosina Franco said she was so impressed with the horses and caliber of riding, especially in the freestyles and she had to keep reminding herself that she was judging kids.
All in all it was a terrific show. Riders in all three shows, Nationals, Gold and Bronze were recognized in out parade of Champions with the spectator seating overfull from proud parents, grandparents, friends and fellow competitors . We pass the torch on to the next organizing committee for the DCYNC as we turn our Rising Stars energies towards a Can-Am challenge in 2011.
All the Best,
Wendy Christoff & Susan Holtby
Managers
Rising Stars
