Bailey Blough of the Mercy upper school team (on right) was a winner in both of her varsity level classes at Alfred on March 12th. Mercy coach Peggy Gauger (on left) saw a combination of her upper school and middle school riders account for six blue ribbons that day.

MERCY UPPER SCHOOL TEAM WINS COMFORTABLY WHILE HIGH TIME NARROWLY RISES ABOVE ALFRED ON MARCH 12TH

Alfred Station, NY - If you are looking for a new word to add to your vocabulary how about 'Penultimate?' March 12th was the penultimate day of the regular season for IEA Zone 2 (penultimate means next to last). Though there were shows scheduled at two other sites for March 13th, the Alfred University Bromley-Daggett Equestrian Center at the Maris Cuneo Horse Park hosted the only IEA show scheduled for March 12th nationwide.

Being so late in the season, many of the current Zone 2 leaders (at least through the end of February) had already seen the majority of their riders use up their five shows of eligibility or were to compete in an event the next day. The Grier School high school team had 27 points entering March but were not at Alfred. Lake Effect had 26, and the team from outside Erie, Pennsylvania would have a respectable showing. Among the other upper school teams already into double figures who showed at Alfred included Heritage Stables, CNY (Central New York if you are new to this), co-host Manlius Pebble Hill, Stoney Brook and the Alfred University IEA team. Lake Effect, Stoney Brook, Heritage, CNY and Alfred University were among the current middle school entries already having reached double digits.

Yet at the end of the day both high point teams were not from the group already mentioned. 'Mercy,' coached by Peggy Gauger (whose University of Rochester IHSA Team used to ride head-to-head regularly versus the Alfred University IHSA team) was a thorough 38-25 winner over Alfred's upper school. High Time Stables pulled out a narrow 24-23 win over Alfred in the middle school competition. Ironically both High Time and Alfred are coached by Leigh Fischer, who also coaches the Alfred University IHSA team.

Travis Harvey (center) stands between his mother Tammy (on left) and Alfred University director of riding Nancy Kohler after he won the second section of varsity intermediate. The Alfred University IEA upper school scored 25 points and earned reserve high point team honors.

Mercy was led by Bailey Blough, a high school senior from Ontario, New York who won both her varsity open flat and open fences classes. High school freshman Emily Steiner won her junior varsity novice flat class, which was also her first-ever blue ribbon in IEA competition. Jena Sapere was the last upper school rider from Mercy to win a blue ribbon, the high school junior a winner in junior varsity beginner flat. The win was Sapere's third blue ribbon in three tries (twice she won in a class made up of eleven riders). All three were point riders for the Rochester, New York area team. Though the Mercy middle school team did not make the top six for the day, both Gina Capone (future intermediate over fences) and Morgan Panepento (future beginner flat) were blue ribbon winners.

Named for "Our lady of Mercy High School," not everyone on the Mercy roster in fact attends this institution. Gauger and Blough indicated the Mercy team only joined the IEA in the fall, and after having picked up 18 points in eight days (using the IEA numbering system that changes Mercy's 38 points to simply seven points for the day) the team which trains out of Way Farm in Penfield, New York now has 23 points and a trip to Zones back at Alfred March 25th through 27th.

Alfred University IEA knew a thing or two about the facility, earning 25 points on the point card but five on the IEA full-season scoreboard. Coincidentally the reserve high point showing gave Alfred 25 points for the 2010-11 season. High school junior Travis Harvey won the fourth class of the day. The grandson of Alfred University IHSA western coach Harry Hurd, Harvey was a winner in varsity intermediate flat. Sophomore Rebecca Bidlack was a winner in junior varsity novice flat. Three other Alfred riders were red ribbon winners. The Alfred middle school team also added five points to their yearly total. Elena Hurd, a seventh grader who is a cousin of Travis Harvey, won her future beginner flat class while two other Alfred riders were second. The Alfred Middle School team actually outscored the Alfred High School team by a 27-25 margin across the entire season, which was good enough for both to send a full team on to Zones.

Meghan Joyce of the Buffalo Equestrian upper school team poses with her Mother after winning the third section of junior varsity novice fences. Both Buffalo teams scored exactly 12 points though only the middle school team reached the top six for the day, earning fourth place.

Heritage Stables finished third in the upper school competition with 23 points. High school sophomore Molly Card, who was already qualified for Zones, won her varsity intermediate over fences while placing second in varsity intermediate flat. Junior Olivia Schutts was a winner in varsity intermediate flat while another junior, Alexis Cook, won her junior varsity novice over fences. Two other Herritage riders were red ribbon winners. Located in Skaneateles, New York and coached by Mike McGowen and Kaytlin Bell, Heritage Stables added four points to their yearly upper school total, which topped out at 43. In addition at least ten Heritage riders qualified for Zones (including each of today's blue ribbon winners) on an individual basis. Not only did they outscore all the competition in Zone 2 for 2010-11, Heritage did so in only their second season of IEA competition.

Co-host Manlius Pebble Hill was fourth place among the upper schools for the day. MPH (may we call them that?) scored 20 points, with Emily DePaulis leading the way. A high school sophomore, Depaulis was the only MPH rider to win a class (in varsity intermediate flat) and was one of three to place second (in DePaulis's case, in junior varsity novice fences). MPH added three points to finish the season with 17. Coach Mo Farrell, who was also a steward at today's show, indicated that Manlius Pebble Hill is one of the original New York State IEA programs. Unlike may of the teams entered today, MPH is in their seventh season of IEA competition.

Sixth grader Emma Bray (on left, with her Mother) was one of two High Time Stables middle school riders to win a class on March 12th. Bray won her future intermediate flat while High Time was high point middle school team by a point over Alfred.

By claiming reserve high point team honors on February 20th, The High Time Stables middle school team had earned five points which was their year-to-date total entering the Alfred show. However after Lissy Naber won both her future novice flat and fences while teammate Emma Bray won her future intermediate flat High Time had pulled out a narrow victory over the Alfred middle school. High Time finished the season with 12 points while their upper school team added two points to their previous total of one. High school junior Kaduk Sherpa won her varsity intermediate over fences to help the High Time upper school score 19 points which translated into fifth place.

CNY was the last school to earn a team point for their upper school. Erin Vieau, a high school freshman won the very first class of the day, giving CNY seven points in varsity open flat. Eventually the CNY upper school earned 17 points for sixth place while the middle school earned 12 points (without any rider placing higher than second) for fifth place. CNY's upper and middle schools finished the season with 20 and 12 points, respectively. Head coach Nicole Madonna (who competed for the Morrisville State College IHSA team) mentioned that CNY's upper school team won Zone 2 last season in what was only their second year of IEA competition. Madonna added that there are currently 38 teams in IEA Zone 2 which is more than double the number the Zone could claim when the 2009-10 season began.

Coach Joyce Petruzzelli's Horse Heaven team just missed the top six with 15 points. One upper school and one middle school rider each placed second for Horse Heaven, which had six riders split evenly over two sections of future beginner flat.

From left to right are Francie Damasceno, Kelly Tighe, Laura Wheeler and coach Lindsay Filley of the Lake Effect team. Lake Effect riders did well individually, with four blue ribbons (including one each for the riders in this picture) and two red ones for the day.

If you browsed the show program you might have thought it was a big day for Lake Effect, but in reality the team totals did not reflect this. Individually however it was a great day. Sophomore Maia Edwards-Borowicz needed a first in varsity intermediate over fences to go to Zones and got it. Freshman Kelly Tighe needed a third in junior varsity novice flat and received a first. Senior Laura Wheeler was a winner in junior varsity novice fences while Francie Damasceno was a winner in junior varsity novice flat. The upper school's 14 points did not earn them any team points on the yearly scoreboard though their ten middle school points (with no ribbon higher than a third) did give them one team point toward the yearly total. Now in their third season of IEA competition, Lake Effect finished with 37 upper school and 22 middle school points for the 2010-11 season.

Stoneybrook Equestrian Team (identified in today's program as Stoneybrook Farm) saw their upper school out of the ribbons with ten points while their middle school received 16 points and the third place ribbon. Stoneybrook accomplished this with no blue ribbons and only one red ribbon for the day. Overall the Stoneybrook middle school team earned 22 points while the upper school earned 12.

Though Buffalo Equestrian and CNY tied for fourth with 12 points each in the middle school competition, Buffalo won the tiebreaker and therefore received three team points added to their yearly total. Buffalo's high school team also scored 12 points, and coincidentally both received one blue ribbon each. Buffalo earned three of their four points for the season on this day.

Rounding out the scoring was Western New York (WNY) with seven points (upper school) and one point (middle school), Manners Ranch with six (upper school only) and North Star with four (also upper school only).

---Steve Maxwell

Show Incidentals: Sunny skies but cold, with temperatures in the low '30's. Start time: 9:03AM. Finish: 4:18PM - includes multiple schooling breaks. Judge: Kerry Kocher, Central Hall, PA. Stewards: Lindsay Filley, Lake Effect; Joyce Petruzzelli, Horse Heaven and Mo Farrell, Manlius Pebble Hill. Course Designers: Katie LeSuer and Nancy Kohler.

Team Totals - Upper School: Mercy (High Point Team) 38 (7); Alfred University IEA Team (Reserve) 25 (5); Heritage Stables 23 (4); Manlius Pebble Hill 20 (3); High Time Stables 19 (2); Central New York (CNY) 17 (1); Horse Heaven 15; Lake Effect 14; Buffalo Equestrian 12; Stoneybrook Farm 10; Western New York (WNY) 7; Manners Ranch 6 and North Star 4.

Team Totals - Middle School: High Time Stables (High Point Team) 24 (7); Alfred University IEA Team (Reserve) 23 (5); Stoneybrook Farm 16 (4); Buffalo Equestrian 12 (3); Central New York (CNY) 12 (2); Lake Effect 10 (1); Mercy 8; Horse Heaven 5; Heritage Stables 2 and Western New York (WNY) 1.