In the back row from left are Christi Burrington, Megan Carter, Lacey Werczynski, Rachel Linares and Dora Bernardi. In the middle row from left are Tracy Nolte, Stacey Mahlmeister and Savannah Craddock. Kneeling in front is Jessica Harbour. Each of these riders took part in alumni western at the Zone 6, Region 2 season opener hosted by Midway College on September 28th. Considering that one year earlier there had been no alumni in Zone 6, Region 2 for four years the large turnout was quite an accomplishment (photo courtesy Megan Carter).

WESTERN ALUMNI THRIVING IN ZONE 6, REGION 2

Way back on September 16th this writer received an e-mail from Megan Carter, a University of Kentucky graduate who also is the 2008-09 Zone 6, Region 2 alumni rep. Carter was very excited about the upcoming season, and that alumni was back for a second consecutive season in Region 2.

"This year marks the second consecutive year that Zone 6 Region 2 has offered alumni classes in many years. Last year only (western) horsemanship was offered and this year the region is offering reining and horsemanship," wrote Carter. "Would you be interested in doing a story about the alumni in this region? Last year our first alumni rider went (to IHSA Nationals) for horsemanship and won reserve. This would be a great way to get the alumni presences back for this Zone/Region."

Carter had managed to scoop me! Several years back Zone 6, Region 2 discontinued alumni, and it seemed likely that it would be a very long time before alumni returned there. However when I got to 2008 Nationals I noticed that former Kentucky Wildcat Lacey Werczynski was qualified to compete in the alumni western horsemanship. I was taken aback as I didn't recall her riding anywhere in particular during the regular season. I mistakenly assumed she was riding in Zone 5, Region 3, where I had encountered difficulty obtaining the alumni standings. Werczynski went on to earn Reserve National Champion honors in alumni western horsemanship behind Codi Burris of the University of Wyoming. However after I returned home from Nationals it became apparent that an extra alumni rider had emerged from the Laurinburg, North Carolina Semifinal. Until I received Carter's e-mail I had been unable to put two-and-two together.

In my reply to Carter I let her know that I was unaware Region 2 held any alumni classes during the 2007-08 season. I also enquired as to if hunter seat alumni classes were also held. While explaining that I had nearly finished an article on IHSA alumni which would list all the reps for the new season, I was interested in a story on Region 2 alumni, perhaps tied in with the September 28th Midway College show that would be the Region 2 season opener.

University of Kentucky graduate Lacey Werczynski (pictured) was second at 2008 IHSA Nationals in the alumni western horsemanship division. Through October 12th Werczynski had more points in alumni reining (with eight) than alumni horsemanship.

After the Midway show Carter responded. "I just wanted to give you an update on the IHSA show we had last Sunday at Midway College. There were a total of nine alumni that participated in the horsemanship and five in the reining. Five from the University of Kentucky, two from Midway College, one from the University of Louisville and one from the University of Cincinnati. The classes were extremely competitive to the point where the top three in the first horsemanship class had to go back out on the rail for a ride-off. This year tripled in participants from last year (three riders) to the nine we have now."

Among the other details Carter relayed were that Werczynski was again competing as was Savannah Craddock, another University of Kentucky graduate who is a past AQHYA president "and avid quarter horse enthusiast." Also entered was Stacey Mahlmeister, who is one of several riders in IHSA history to compete at Nationals more than once for the individual AQHA Trophy while doing so for different schools. Mahlmeister rode at 2007 Nationals while attending Georgia Tech but spent the 2007-08 season with the University of Louisville, where she placed fourth at Nationals in the AQHA class. Carter had not yet given me a heads-up as to if hunter seat was also offered.

I posted the current western alumni totals and asked again if Carter had any knowledge of English being re-enstated for the first time since the 2002-03 season. On October 15th Carter got back to me regarding the fate of hunter seat in the region.

"After discussing it with the Regional President and coaches, they decided to hold off on hunt seat alumni for the current year," said Carter. Though it seemed as if Zone 6, Region 2 was the only IHSA region with alumni classes exclusively for western riders, there turned out to be a second such region.

The re-aligned Zone 7, Region 2 held their first shows of 2008-09 at West Texas A & M on October 4th and 5th, and through the fall alumni in Region 2 was limited to western entries. West Texas A & M graduate Courtney Douglas won both alumni western classes that weekend and the alumni reining on October 5th. Though she did not compete in the North Central Texas College shows October 25th and 26th, Douglas was again undefeated in two western horsemanship classes at West Texas A & M on November 22nd and 23rd, and has thus qualified for Regionals in the division with only four rides. Auburn University graduate Meg Johnson has competed in all seven Zone 7, Region 2 western shows so far and has 37 points in alumni reining, including two firsts. Johnson, who rode at Auburn before they were exclusively a non-IHSA varsity program, is also the Zone 7, Region 2 alumni rep.

If you competed at least once in an IHSA show as an undergraduate and are interested in competing in the alumni divisions please contact a rep in your area of the country and get registered. Keep in mind that several regions are nearing the end of their regular season competition.

---Steve Maxwell

The following is a list of the current IHSA Alumni Reps by Region (only Regions currently offering alumni classes are listed; An asterisk * indicates the region is hunter seat only at this time. Two asterisks ** indicates that the western alumni divisions are the only alumni divisions offered in that region during the 2008-09 season):

ZONE 1, REGION 1*: Dirk Fogg - dirk.fogg@jwu.edu

ZONE 1, REGION 3*: Elizabeth Jacobson - elizabethjacobson@gmail.com

ZONE 1, REGION 4*: Anneke Bartelsman - abthebb106@gmail.com

ZONE 2, REGION 1: Sandra Sayre - sandrasandrajoy@aol.com

ZONE 2, REGION 2: Alicia Fereday Shiland - theshilands@gmail.com

ZONE 2, REGION 3: Angela Netoskie - asncdhjc@nycap.rr.com

ZONE 2, REGION 4: Rachel Kaczorowski - rmkaczorowski@gmail.com

ZONE 3, REGION 1: Justine Kobeski - jmkobeski@gmail.com

ZONE 3, REGION 2: Jamie Mast - orangeUBU@aol.com

ZONE 3, REGION 3: Laura Hetz - lostPC@aol.com

ZONE 3, REGION 4: Lena Andrews-Licata - Lena.Licata@yahoo.com

ZONE 4, REGION 1*: Jen Mehalko - JLmehalko@aol.com

ZONE 5, REGION 1: Marianne England - wubbie3me@yahoo.com

ZONE 5, REGION 2: Meg Donahue - mhdonahue@bellsouth.net

ZONE 5, REGION 3: Kristie McEvers - pony_gal@hotmail.com

ZONE 6, REGION 1: Melanie Baker - baker.756@osu.edu

ZONE 6, REGION 2**: Megan Carter - megcarter@deloitte.com

ZONE 7, REGION 1: Kristina Harkin - harkin@colorado.edu

ZONE 7, REGION 2**: Meg Johnson - mjohnson@tbjbs.com

ZONE 8, REGION 1: Rachel Hutchings - rshutchings@gmail.com

ZONE 8, REGION 2: Hailey Quirk - haileyquirk@gmail.com

ZONE 8, REGION 3: Meghan Sederholm - horsesgalore84@yahoo.com

ZONE 8, REGION 4: Dawn Salazar - dawn_salazar@hotmail.com

ZONE 9, REGION 1: Cameo Parrish - Cameo.Parrish@Navistar.com

ZONE 9, REGION 2: Jennifer Reed - ihsaalumni@yahoo.com

ZONE 9, REGION 3: Megan Salazar - megan.salazar@gmail.com