|
||||||
|
KING, FOLK ARE MULTIPLE WINNERS AT FIRST-EVER WESTERN ALUMNI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS Hilltown, PA - This writer has attended IHSA shows since chance circumstances put me at an IHSA event in March of 1991. Until 1997 I had never seen anything but hunter seat IHSA shows, this due to the fact that Western was not held in the part of the country I live in at that time. My first time ever seeing western was at 1997 IHSA Nationals at the Mount Holyoke College Equestrian Center (Believe it or not Western was not held in that part of the country during the regular season at that time either). It was not until the fall of 1998 that, by coincidence, both the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas started holding IHSA Western shows. From that point forward I saw a few regular season Western shows on a yearly basis. In the fall of 2002 I saw a Tournament of Champions invitational event for the first time (a pre-season event hosted by the University of Connecticut). These invitational events brought together schools from different regions, something that otherwise only happens at Zones, IHSA Nationals events and a few geographically-based events like the All-Ivy League Invitational and the Zone 3 Invitational. While there have been many hunter seat Tournament of Champions events since 2002 there have been no Western invitationals of any kind since sometime around 2002 or 2003. While interest in the hunter seat tournament of champions series grew throughout the first decade of the 21st century the Western equivalent was discontinued at some point due to a limited amount of interest. For roughly a decade there was no event other than Semifinals, Zones (prior to the creation of Semifinals for the 2006-07 season), IHSA Nationals or 'the Derby' (held after IHSA Nationals for the top five riders in the individual open reining class) where Western IHSA riders crossed regional boundries to compete against one another. In 2012 the first-ever Alumni Tournament of Champions event was held (though the name 'Tournament of Champions' is used the alumni events are not associated with Jim Arrigon, who runs the regular Tournament of Champion events in cooperation with Beckett Run Farm, Inc.). This event, held on the campus of Valley Forge Military College in Wayne, Pennsylvania on July 29th of that year, saw 18 alumni from various IHSA regions in the Northeast take part in five different classes. This event was hunter seat only, just like all other recent invitationals at the time. Almost a year later the same english Alumni Tournament took place at Centenary College, with twice as many riders entered. With the hunter seat alumni tournament a clear success, alumni tournament organizers Lena Andrews and Jamie Windle decided that in 2014 there would be two such alumni events - one for hunter seat and for the first time one for Western. I would finally get to see a Western event using IHSA riders (or rather former riders) in an invitational or off-season event.
Just as the first hunter seat alumni tournament event was held in Pennsylvania, the inaugural Western Alumni Tournament of Champions was held not far away in Hilltown, Pennsylvania (north of Philadelphia) on Saturday, July 19th. Due to a few scratches there were a total of 13 riders participating, only slightly fewer than the first hunter seat tournament event nearly two years earlier. Marianne England, who showed as an undergraduate at Midway College but earned graduate degrees from Middle Tennessee State University was the first rider into the indoor at Red Wing Farm at 8:55AM for the reining phase of the Alumni Cup division. After all eight alumni cup entries had performed the pattern the first class which would produce the first ribbons of the day took place. Advanced Horsemanship was the second class of the day, with five riders entered. Unlike most IHSA shows riders were asked to perform their horsemanship patterns when they entered the ring rather than first going out on the rail and walking, jogging and lopping. When advanced horsemanship was completed 2013 Lafayette College graduate Rebecca Folk had earned the first blue ribbon ever awarded at a Western Alumni Tournament of Champions event. University of Tennessee at Knoxville graduate Kimberly King was reserve champion but would later improve on that ribbon. England was third, Delaware Valley College's Cassie Clark fourth and University of Delaware graduate Sara McCoy Palmer fifth. Though she rode at many hunter seat alumni events the previous two seasons McCoy Palmer last rode alumni western on a regular basis during the 1999-2000 season. McCoy Palmer may have shown western once in 14 years to fill a class but otherwise was entered today for the enjoyment of it. Though ten riders were originally scheduled to compete in the Alumni Horsemanship division only eight actually took part due to scratches. This division was divided into two heats of four with the top four called back later in the show for a work-off. Prior to the show the order of classes listed 'class 3 and 4 combined' but in actuality the two were held separately. Class 3 was Alumni Reining and was made up of six riders. Six different regions were represented, with 2012 Morrisville State University graduate Andrea LaManque (Zone 2, Region 3) the first to hear her name as she was sixth. Lauren Budniewski of the University of Colorado at Boulder (Zone 8, Region 5) had not traveled all the way from the Mountain time zone but rather from Maryland where she lives. Budniewski, who used to train with Red Wing Farm owner Amber Jewell, was fifth. Alexis Plavocos, who rode for nearby Bucks County Community College during the early 2000's, was fourth representing Zone 3, Region 2. From Zone 3, Region 5 recent Temple University graduate Bianca Lupo was third while 2013 Ohio University graduate Sarah Todak (Zone 6, Region 2) was the reserve champion. It would not be the only time Todak would win a red ribbon. Top prize went to Folk (Zone 3, Region 4), who was not entered in the next two classes to be placed. Folk remained undefeated with one more ride still to come.
Class 4 was identified as Advanced Reining. This division had only four riders, making it the smallest class of the day. After each of the four riders took their turn Clark turned out to be fourth, McCoy Palmer third, Arcadia University graduate Rebecca Del Pizzo reserve champion and King the blue ribbon winner. Del Pizzo had inquired of this writer if she was the only rider to have competed in each of the three hunter seat alumni tournaments and today's Western tournament. This is in fact the case as McCoy Palmer and Del Pizzo were the only riders entered today who had shown in a hunter seat alumni tournament event. McCoy Palmer, who coaches both the Villanova University and Valley Forge Military College teams in Zone 3, Region 5, schooled horses at the 2012 hunter seat alumni tournament but did not compete in it. The Alumni Cup Rail Phase was next, with everyone performing their pattern and then working on the rail as a group. These riders were then excused and would wait to see which four would be called back for a work-off if necessary. Four riders (Todak, Plavocos, Lupo and another Temple graduate, Samantha Cronce) were called back for the Alumni Horsemanship final. Each rider performed their pattern, then went through the walk/jog/lope route on the rail (and then some!), lined up, dismounted and headed for the photography area outside. Two riders who had not been invited back for further testing still received top six ribbons. 2008 Temple graduate Laura Kolibabek was sixth while LaManque was fifth. Former Owls Lupo (fourth) and Cronce (who graduated in 2010) gave Temple three of the six ribbons awarded in this division. Todak was again a reserve champion while Plavocos was three places higher than her previous time out. Plavocos was one of five riders to have shown at both 2014 IHSA Nationals and the 2014 Western Alumni Tournament of Champions (along with Folk, Todak, King and McCoy Palmer, the latter of whom was entered at Nationals in alumni over fences). The final group of riders to show were the four callbacks for the Alumni Cup. King joined three riders who had just competed in Alumni Horsemanship (Plavocos, Todak and Cronce) for a work-off involving many twists and turns on the rail. Everyone seemed to do something very right and perhaps something forgetable leaving the audience to guess who might be the first recipient of the Alumni Cup. When everyone had lined up for the photo the ribbons were announced (which included all eight riders, as this division is awarded down to eighth place). England, who had traveled with King by car from Tennessee the day before was eighth. Del Pizzo was seventh while Budniewski (who had Buffaloes hunter seat teammate Karly Hobbs along as support) was sixth. Folk did not go undefeated for the day with a fifth. Cronce, who is also the Zone 3, Region 2 alumni representative was fourth. Todak did not win a third red ribbon but rather a yellow with third place. Either Plavocos or King was destined to win for the second time today. Plavocos heard her name announced next which meant she was reserve champion. King, perhaps the most shocked rider at any time all day, could not believe after her 14 hour journey a day earlier that she would go into the record books as the first Western Alumni Cup Champion.
Kings' father Mark had joked during the day that if Kimberly won the grand prize that the trophy itself (which includes a Western hat made of crystal) should just stay in Pennsylvania for the year as it would not be easy to transport. However when both Kings were told that the Trophy must leave with the winner both Kimberly King and England decided to take it back with them in the car (Mr. King had traveled separately by airplane and would travel in a different direction on business). Immediately there was some joking that King and England should stop at each state line on the way home and photograph the Alumni Cup in every state for use on a Facebook page. With King living not far from where Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama all meet there was speculation that she could photograph the Cup in seven states by the time everyone went back to work on Monday! Fairfax one of a kind: The judge for the first Western Tournament was Kennis Fairfax, who is more commonly known by his nickname "Buttons" (he was listed as "Buttons" Fairfax on the cover of the show program). When the show was over Fairfax posed for a few photos with riders who competed in the Alumni Cup class. Unlike some judges who might have gone home quickly Fairfax stopped to talk with nearly every rider who took part, explaining what he did and did not like. Fairfax, who has judged many IHSA shows and non-IHSA shows, is one of very few people who can explain how someone is riding and inject so much humor that people wind up laughing themselves into tears. He compared one rider to the Incredible Hulk, even voicing sound effects! This still was both humorous and educational at the same time (with no hurt feelings). When he heard King was from Tennessee Fairfax mentioned that he has judged some sort of show in every one of the continental US States save for three - with Tennessee being one of them. Never saw this happen: Andrews, who served as the announcer at today's event, sent out an e-mail the night before with the show program attached for printing purposes. Andrews let everyone know that the printer who was supposed to print the actual show program had mechanical difficulties and that the only way people would have a program was to print it out themselves (Andrews likened it to making lemonade out of lemons). Andrews did print out one herself and posted all the pages on a dry-erase board at the show so everyone could follow along. Save for two occasions where programs had to be printed on the spot (just prior to the start of a show and at the facility of the show itself) this was the first time in 23 years this writer ever attended a show with an IHSA connection at which no one was given some sort of printed program, not even riders or coaches. And you know what? The show went on and it was a good show, completed in just over four hours with no major issues involving rider or horse. There is discussion of finding a facility which could handle both English and Western so that both Alumni Tournament of Champions events could be held on the same day or same weekend next year. One could only hope for a greater turnout and for things to run so well as they did at this inaugural Western event. What's Next?: With the conclusion of the Western Alumni Tournament of Champions the 2013-14 season has truly come to an end. The next scheduled IHSA-related events will be in September, with one of the earliest being the Pre-Season Tournament of Champions at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland on Saturday, September 20th. This will truly mark the begining of the 2014-15 season, which will include a record four undergraduate Tournament of Champions events. The Holiday Tournament of Champions will be December 6th at Stonegate Farm in Coolville, Ohio (where the Ohio University hunter seat team trains). There will be two Winter Tournament of Champions events a week apart, with Bridgewater College hosting on January 24th and St. Andrews University hosting on January 31st (It is not clear at this early date if schools will be able to compete at both of the Winter tourneys or if they will have to pick one or the other on a first come, first serve basis). And of course there will be regular IHSA events, as the organization grows to a record 39 regions thanks to half of Zone 7, Region 2 becoming a new region within Zone 5. Show Incidentals: Partly cloudy skies with temperatures reaching the mid 80's. Entire show held indoors. Start time: 8:55AM. Finish: 1:03PM. Judge: Kennis "Buttons" Fairfax. Advanced Horsemanship: 1. Rebecca Folk, Lafayette College. 2. Kimberly King, University of Tennessee at Knoxville. 3. Marianne England, Middle Tennessee State University. 4. Cassie Clark, Delaware Valley College. 5. Sara McCoy Palmer, University of Delaware. Alumni Reining: 1. Rebecca Folk, Lafayette College. 2. Sarah Todak, Ohio University. 3. Bianca Lupo, Temple University. 4. Alexis Plavocos, Bucks County Community College. 5. Lauren Budniewski, University of Colorado at Boulder. 6. Andrea LaManque, Morrisville State College. Advanced Reining: 1. Kimberly King, University of Tennessee at Knoxville. 2. Rebecca Del Pizzo, Arcadia University. 3. Sara McCoy Palmer, University of Delaware. 4. Cassie Clark, Delaware Valley College. Alumni Horsemanship: 1. Alexis Plavocos, Bucks County Community College. 2. Sarah Todak, Ohio University. 3. Samantha Cronce, Temple University. 4. Bianca Lupo, Temple University. 5. Andrea LaManque, Morrisville State College. 6. Laura Kolibabek, Temple University. Alumni Cup: 1. Kimberly King, University of Tennessee at Knoxville. 2. Alexis Plavocos, Bucks County Community College. 3. Sarah Todak, Ohio University. 4. Samantha Cronce, Temple University. 5. Rebecca Folk, Lafayette College. 6. Lauren Budniewski, University of Colorado at Boulder. 7. Rebecca Del Pizzo, Arcadia University. 8. Marianne England, Middle Tennessee State University.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
HOME
| CONTACT US |
||||||
