50 October 2014 • USDF ConneCtion

Region 7 young rider wins team,

individual, freestyle gold medals

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Triple Play for Chamberlain at NAJYRC

PRETTY AS A PICTURE: NAJYRC YR team, individual, and

freestyle gold medalist Catherine Chamberlain on Verdicci

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USDF ConneCtion • October 2014 51

Dressage rider Catherine Chamberlain paid three

visits to the gold-medal podium at the 2014 Ad-

equan/Fei north American Junior and Young

Rider Championships presented by Gotham

north, July 15-20 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

Chamberlain, 19, of Murrieta, CA, rode her twelve-year-old

Dutch Warmblood gelding, Verdicci, to Young Rider team

gold with USDF Region 7 and then claimed top honors in

the YR individual and YR Freestyle competitions.

Chamberlain’s Region 7 teammates in the USDF/Plati-

num Performance north American Junior and Young Rid-

ers Dressage Championship were Anna Bufni, 20, San Di-

ego, CA, on Sundayboy; Lindsey Brewin, 16, San Ramon,

CA, on Vaillant; and Cassidy Gallman, 19, Poway, CA, on

Grand Makana. Te Region 7 riders earned a total team

score of 206.737.

Te YR team silver medal went to Canada/Quebec, with

a total of 201.395: Laurence Blais tetreault, 17, Montreal,

QC, on Michaelango; Julie Channell, 21, Montreal, QC, on

Furstin Anastasia; naima Moreira Laliberté, 17, Montreal,

QC, on nao Guimeraie; and tanya Strasser-Shostak, 19,

Ste-Adèle, QC, on Action tyme.

With a total of 197.026, USDF Region 8 won YR team

bronze: Giulia Cohen, 17, new York, nY, on Lasserre; Hope

Cooper, 18, Concord, MA, on Don Diamond; elizabeth Fell,

18, Winooski, Vt, on Superstarr; and Hannah McCabe, 18,

Lee, nH, on Valparaiso.

With a score of 71.789 percent, Chamberlain took her sec-

ond gold medal, this time in the YR individual competition.

“i just started training with David [Wightman] and

Kathleen [Raine] last november, and they are so experi-

enced,” Chamberlain said afterward. “Tey’ve been to the

World equestrian Games and all over Germany showing,

so coming to their barn was a completely new experience

for me. i’ve had my horse for seven years now, but there’s

always so much more to learn, and working with them has

been working on the fne points.”

Te YR individual silver medalist was David Ziegler, 21,

of Beiseker, AB, who rode Peninsula top Man to a score of

68.289 percent. Aboard Critical Decision, an experienced

eventer previously competed by Missy Ransehousen, Ziegler

Check out our podcast about

NAJYRC at usdf.podbean.com.

PODCAST

Podcast Alert

The USDF congratulates the talented juniors

and young riders who qualifed for this year’s

NAJYRC:

USDF Region 1 Junior team: Barbara Davis/Feivel

Mousekewitz, Katie Lang/FA Patriot, Hannah Bauer/

Trustful, Molly Paris/Diamant Sky

USDF Region 1 Young Rider team: Kaitlyn Lingard/

Valentino, Amelia Lyon/Elfen String of Pearls, Arden

Wildasin/Mystery Whisper, Clare Green/Watson EH

USDF Region 2 Junior team: Kerrigan Gluch/

Lentisco XVIII, Helen McNulty/Checkmate, Katie

Knoechel/Marnix, Meghan Meagher/O’siris D’apardi

USDF Region 2 Young Rider team: Rosemary Julian-

Simoes/Proteus, Rebekah Mingari/Unico, Matthew

Manibusan/Hojvangs Moonlight, Kayla Barteau/GP

Ubilee

USDF Region 3/6 Junior team: Natalie Pai/Way Not,

Mallory Kent/Okidokie, Rachel Robinson/Ucarius,

Emily Park/Pretty Lady

USDF Region 4/5 Junior team: Elliana Madsen/

Robin Hood, Nathan Westfall/Wagnis, Inga

Fuengerlings/Milo, Lauren Asher/Lysias

USDF Region 5/6 Young Rider team: Erin McHenry/

Bailando, Devon Wycoff/Power Play, Sarah Cohen/

Vicaro dos Pinhais

USDF Region 6/7 Junior team: Heather Decent/

Norra, Danielle Bonavito/Wyoming, Olivia Zeilinger/

Stentano, Lauren Mack/Lada’at

USDF Region 7 Young Rider team: Anna Buffni/

Sundayboy, Lindsey Brewin/Vaillant, Catherine

Chamberlain/Verdicci, Cassidy Gallman/Grand

Makana

USDF Region 8 Junior team: Callie O’Connell/

Tribaldi, Bobbie Kerr/Alcazar, Nicole Nowak/

Deinhardt, Regan Salm/Karat EG

USDF Region 8 Young Rider team: Elizabeth Fell/

Superstarr, Hope Cooper/Don Diamond, Giulia

Cohen/Lasserre, Hannah McCabe/Valparaiso

USDF Region 9 Junior team: Anna Campbell/

Liebling, Cassie Schmidt/Velasquer, Bronwyn Cordiak/

Dschingis Blue, Allison Cyprus/Madoc Gareth

USDF Region 9 Young Rider team: Tylin Wittke/

Whispering Wind, Kalie Beckers/Carush, Caroline

Adams/Uniek, Janet Ashley/Roman B.

The 2014 NAJYRC Dressage Teams

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52 October 2014 • USDF ConneCtion

also took home an individual gold medal in the YR eventing

competition. He is the frst competitor in recent history to

ride in two disciplines in the same year at the nAJYRC.

“i have a great team behind me—my parents, my chefs

d’équipe, my coaches, my grooms,” Ziegler said. “Tey’re

all keeping me on track and making sure i’m everywhere i

need to be.”

Region 8 competitor Hope Cooper won the YR individ-

ual bronze medal on a score of 67.263 percent.

in the YR Freestyle competition, Chamberlain was back

atop the medal podium, winning gold with a score of 72.525

percent to her routine to music from the Harry Potter mov-

ie soundtrack.

“it was the frst time performing this freestyle, and it was

really fun,” Chamberlain said. “i tried to make it difcult.

in past i have had more simple freestyles, and i wanted to

show of a more difcult freestyle.”

Region 5’s Devon Wycof, 20, of Boulder, Co, on Power

Play won silver with a freestyle set to music by the hip-hop vi-

olinist Lindsey Stirling. Wycof earned a score of 70.975 per-

cent. Bronze went to Canada/Quebec’s Laurence Blais tet-

reault, who rode Michealango to a score of 70.625 percent.

Junior Competitionin the Fei Junior division of the USDF/Platinum Performance

north American Junior and Young Riders Dressage Champi-

onship, the team gold medal went to USDF Region 1 with a

total score of 199.784: Hannah Bauer, 15, Purcellville, VA, on

trustful; Barbara “Bebe” Davis, 16, Bedminster, nJ, on Feivel

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YOUNG RIDER TEAM GOLD MEDALISTS: Region 7 riders Anna

Bufni, Cassidy Gallman, Catherine Chamberlain, and Lindsey Brewin

USDF Region 1 junior/young rider chef d’équipe Debbie

DelGiorno is the 2014 recipient of the Albers Award per-

petual trophy. DelGiorno received the award during this year’s

USDF/Platinum Performance North American Junior and Young Rider

Dressage Championships at the Adequan/FEI North American Junior

and Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North,

Lexington, KY.

“I can think of no better person to win this award,” said Roberta

Williams, USDF FEI Jr/YR Committee chair. “Debbie works tirelessly

on behalf of the Region 1 team, both before and during the event. The fact that Debbie stepped into the Region

1 chef d’équipe position to fll Patsy’s shoes after her untimely passing makes this even more special.”

The Albers Award is named in memory of the late USDF Region 1 chef Patsy Albers.

Region 1 Chef Debbie DelGiorno Receives Albers Award

HONOREE: Region 1 chef d’equipe Debbie

DelGiorno (right) receives the 2014 Albers Award

from Jeremy Steinberg

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USDF ConneCtion • October 2014 53

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Mousekewitz; Katie Lang, 18, Chesapeake, VA, on FA Patriot;

and Molly Paris, 19, Charlotte, nC, on Diamant Sky.

With a total score of 197.785, Canada/ontario won Ju-

nior team silver, represented by Vanessa Creech-terauds, 14,

Caistor Center, on, on Finja; Alexandra Meghji, 16, toronto,

on, on iliado ii; Sophie Potter, 16, Kleinburg, on, on Fris-

bee; and Liza Wilson, 16, Collingwood, on, on Fleurina.

USDF Region 6/7 won the bronze medal with a total

score of 196.584: Danielle Bonavito, 15, Danville, CA, on

Wyoming; Heather Decent, 14, Gig Harbor, CA, on norra;

Lauren Mack, 17, Monte Sereno, CA, on Lada’at; and olivia

Zeilinger, 16, Danville, CA, on Stentano.

in the Junior individual competition, the gold medal

went to Camille Bergeron, 14, of Mascouche, QC, who rode

Lowelas to a top score of 70.342 percent. Region 1’s Molly

Paris, 18, Charlotte, nC, and Diamant Sky won Junior in-

dividual silver with 68.868 percent. Te bronze medalist,

with a score of 67.711 percent, was Alexandra Meghji, 16,

toronto, on, riding iliado ii.

in the Junior Freestyle, Bergeron won her second gold

medal, piloting Lowelas to a winning score of 71.275 per-

cent. Piano music accompanied Cassie Schmidt’s trip to the

silver-medal podium. Representing Region 9, Schmidt, 17,

of Aledo, tX, rode Velasquer to a score of 70.725 percent.

According to Schmidt, her horse dislikes powerful mu-

sic. “eventually [freestyle designer Karen Robinson] tried

the piano music, and he just took a deep breath and felt so

good,” she said.

Molly Paris and Diamante Sky made a return trip to the

podium for the Junior Freestyle, this time winning bronze

for their Marlene Whitaker-designed routine to music from

the Harry Potter soundtrack, which earned them a score of

69.825 percent. s

JUNIOR TEAM CHAMPIONS: Katie Lang, Hannah Bauer, Bebe

Davis, and Molly Paris of USDF Region 1

Region 7 young rider Catherine Chamberlain,

Murietta, CA, is the recipient of the 2014 Fiona Baan

“Pursuit of Excellence” Memorial Trophy, presented

during the USDF/Platinum Performance North American

Junior and Young Rider Dressage Championships at the

Adequan/FEI North American Junior and Young Rider

Championships presented by Gotham North.

The trophy is awarded to the young rider who earns the

highest combined average score in the three YR dressage tests at the NAJYRC. It is named in memory of Fiona Baan,

who for nearly 30 years worked tirelessly for the United States Equestrian Team (USET), including as the US dressage

team leader for the 1976 Montreal Olympics, the 1987 Pan American Games, and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Chamberlain Awarded Fiona Baan Trophy

EXCELLENCE ACHIEVED: Gold-medal-winning young rider

Catherine Chamberlain with USDF FEI Jr/YR Committee

chair Roberta Williams and USDF executive director Stephan

Hienzsch

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