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SKIDMORE WINS COMFORTABLY ON OPENING DAY Greenfield, NY - The cover of the show program showed a photo of the 1990-91 Skidmore Thoroughbreds at Hollins University in May of 1991 having won IHSA Nationals on the campus of what was then known as Hollins College. The caption read "Congratulations to the 1991 IHSA National Champion Equestrian Team on their induction into the Skidmore Athletics Hall of Fame, September 24, 2011." Between May of 1990 and May of 1999 Skidmore won five IHSA National hunter seat titles and in 2010 added another one. If today's event inside the Van Lennep Riding Center is any indication of things to come, Skidmore College will once again represent Zone 2, Region 3 at Zone 2 Zones and with anything resembling good luck with the horse draw will likely advance back to Nationals. Skidmore riders won 17 of 32 undergraduate classes (eight of the 15 classes which Skidmore did not win did not have a Skidmore rider entered). Three Skidmore riders won twice and at least one Skidmore rider in each division earned a blue ribbon. At the end of the day the host Thoroughbreds lived up to their nickname once again, posting a 46-32 win over both Hartwick College and Morrisville State College. Chelsea Jones, a senior from Kailua, Hawaii won both of her open classes to take the early lead in the Region 3 hunter seat open rider standings. Nicole Cahill-Yi, a senior from New York City won of her novice classes while Catherine Luckhardt was the third Thoroughbred to post two blues. A senior from North Stonington, Massachusetts who goes by "Maggie," Luckhardt was a winner in both intermediate flat and novice fences. Because it became a rather long day Skidmore Head Coach Cindy Ford let the horses punch out at 5:16PM without a ride-off to break the tie for high point rider.
Among the other winners for Skidmore were Jennifer Parke (senior, from Abington, Pennsylvania), whose win in advanced walk-trot-canter was also her IHSA debut; Whitney Steele (freshman, Fairfield, Connecticut), who achieved the same thing as Parke; Kayla Kleinman (sophomore, Boston, Massachusetts), who won the walk-trot class which concluded the day, and Emory Wonham, whose year and hometown we forgot to write down, who won the seventh and final section of novice flat. Hartwick College had several highlights as one of the two runner-ups. Alison Ferraro (senior, from New York City) was second in both of her open classes. Julia Ready, a freshman from Mansfield, Massachusetts who pronounces her last name "Ree-Dee" won Hartwick's first blue ribbon of the year and her first IHSA ribbon in novice flat. Four other Hartwick riders received red ribbons, including 2010 IHSA Nationals qualifier Laura Lamoureaux. The senior from Croton-on-Hudson was second to Jones in the first open fences class of the day. Last season's Region 3 Reserve Champion Team Morrisville State College earned three blue ribbons and five red ones, with Heather Norman second in both of her novice classes for the Mustangs. Breaking from the traditional format of most stories written about IHSA shows on Campus Equestrian, we brought our laptop to the Van Lennep Riding Center and asked nearly every rider who won a class if they would be kind enough to type something about their ride, their coach or their team. Save for some spelling and punctuation errors and the inclusion of a few coach's last names, their comments are presented verbatim...
"I was so excited when I drew Ametelli. He is an amazing equitation horse with a smooth stride and soft mouth. He is so sweet and I feel so lucky to not only be able to ride him but to have him at Skidmore as a school horse!" - Chelsea Jones, Skidmore College, who won the first section of open fences. "I drew one of my favorite horses here at Skidmore, Carloni! He is a very fun jumper ride and he gets very excited at horse shows. I knew when I drew him that no matter how my course went I would have lots of fun, and the win is just the frosting on the cake!" - Kelly Campbell, Skidmore College (senior, Cohoes, New York), who won the second of three sections of open fences. "My IHSA debut began on a good note. Firstly, I felt very privileged to have been given the opportunity to compete for Skidmore in this intercollegiate equestrian league. Secondly, having drawn Leroy, one of the more experienced and favoured horses in the Skidmore barn, it definitely helped support my confidence and performance in the ring. This frist experience was great fun and I hope to compete more in the near future!" - Jasmine Lai, Skidmore College (sophomore, from Hong Kong), who made it a clean sweep for the Thoroughbreds in the open fences division. "Starting off senior year with a great draw like Marty made the first show very enjoyable, I think Siena is going to have a great year!" - Jen Boniello, Siena College (from North Salem, New York), who won the first section of intermediate fences. "I drew Gunner for the first show of the season, which was a new horse to the Skidmore show and I was a bit skeptical because not many of the handlers knew much about him however watching him go assured me that he was still a great draw which proved true! He was a big horse which for a tall rider like myself is much more enjoyable. My coach had been drilling forward and straight into my head all semester and this pulled through with Gunner. He is a wonderful draw for anyone and I hope he sticks around Skidmore for a while!" - Cameron Banks, State University of New York at Cobleskill (sophomore, Pomona, New York), who won the middle section of intermediate fences. "Today I won my class on our new horse, Gunner, who I had never ridden before. He was such a superstar! This was my first, blue ribbon place and I have been very privileged and grateful to work with such a wonderful support group of coaches and teammates." - Kiira Lizza, Skidmore College (junior, Millington, New Jersey), who won the third and final section of intermediate fences.
"I was really happy to draw Best Boy today, I hadn't ridden him before but some of the other girls on the team had and told me great things about him. They were right and he was an excellent horse to ride. It was a great way to start of the IHSA season!" - Sarah Pozzolano, Oneonta State College (sophomore, Mattituck, New York), who won the first section of novice fences. "Today I rode Griffendor for the first time; I was so nervous but I liked him a lot! Thank goodness for my teammates and coaches who were there for support; I don't know what I would do without them! =) It was a great experience and I had so much fun!!" - Ashley Bliss, Morrisville State College (senior, Walworth, New York), who won section 4B of novice fences. "I was really excited when I drew Ramiro. He is an awesome horse and lets you focus on your position. Both Cindy (Ford) and Belinda (Colgan) helped boost my confidence and once I was in the ring I knew Ramiro and I were in sync!" - Molly Parker, Skidmore College (senior, South Salem, New York), who won the third section of novice fences. 'I am so fortunate to have drawn Best Boy and to compete for Skidmore. Skidmore Riding provides us with so many opportunities, and I'm grateful to be a part of it!" - Nicole Cahill-Yi, Skidmore College, who won section 4D. "Today started off on a great note, being able to be at the barn with all my amazing teammates, our team horses, and of course our experienced coaches. When the draw came out I was so happy to see I had drawn such a loyal horse; Gryffindor. I was very nervous before my ride, but with the support of my teammates and coaches they were able to get a laugh out of me before I went into the ring. I rode just how I had hoped and owe it all to Gryffindor, my coaches, captains, and teammates and could not be having a more amazing day. Thank you to everyone for such an incredible privledge! - Sandrine Couldwell, Skidmore College (junior, Salt Lake City, Utah), who made it three in a row for the Thoroughbreds. "We started the season today with a home show. I won my class on Armani, who is a great horse to practice keeping your leg solid on. Our whole team, our wonderful coaches and captains have come together to prepare and it's so rewarding to see it pay off!" - Maggie Luckhardt, Skidmore College, who made it four in a row in novice fences for the home team by winning section 4F.
"For the first show of the season I drew a horse by the name of Fression. He was not a new horse to me seeing as I had drawn him in the past. I rememberd getting along with him very well and was excited to see that I drew him again this year. My coach has been working with me on keeping my head and neck relaxed as well as having my leg strong underneither me. I am excited to see how the rest of the season is going to plan out seeing we have a strong team this year! Thank you so much to my coach for pushing myself and our team the extra mile!" - Amberly Ondria, State University of New York at Cobleskill (junior, Poultney, Vermont), who won the second of two sections of open flat. "I felt so lucky to draw Bear in the Intermediate Flat class today. He is truly a wonderful horse with a big heart. I felt so fortunate to have all the support from my coaches and teammates today. Our horses are absolutley wonderful and I'm so proud to be part of the Skidmore College Riding Team!" - Emily Phalen, Skidmore College (senior, Goshen, Connecticut), who won the first section of intermediate flat. "I'm so glad (coach) Lisa (Foley) has been drilling me without stirrups the past few weeks, it really paid off today for my first flat win! Moonshine was a great draw too. He really was a blast to ride! Go RPI!" - Hannah Strobel, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (senior, Charlestown, Rhode Island), who won the third section of intermediate flat. "Today is the first home show at Skidmore College and the first show of the season. I drew a horse I had never ridden, Lance. He is a large beautiful bay and despite the uncertainty that comes with riding any horse for the first time, I had my calm, confident coaches and teammates cheering me on. It is always a great experience to do intercollegiate shows, not just for the joy of riding but also for the great team bonds you form while competeing. I can't wait for the rest of a great year and my final season!" - Michelle Bakker, Skidmore College (senior, New Canaan, Connecticut), who won the first of seven (!) novice flat classes. "Today was my debut as a member of the Hartwick equestrian team. I rode a horse named brownstone, a fun and comfortable ride, a all around good boy. This summer was the begining of concentrating my riding on equtation. I come from an eventing backgroud and have been riding my off the track throughbred. I am very excited to be a memeber of the Hartwick team. I have been warmly welcomed by the girls as well as our amazing coach Tammy Sousa. She instructs us positively; her knowledge is vast and impressive. I am overjoyed to be riding with her in my first year as well as it being her first year as head coach. Hopefully todays first place is a patern I can continue for the rest of the season." - Julia Ready, Hartwick College (freshman, Mansfield, Massachusetts), who was making her IHSA debut today which included a win in section 3B of novice flat.
"I am very pleased with my perforance today seeing as it's the first show of the season and I haven't shown since last year with IHSA. I got the chance to ride Tyler a second time and improve a great deal from last semester. I come from an eventing background, so my trainer and I have been doing a lot of work "finessing" my position. I am glad to see that the hard work has started paying off!" - Alexis Sims, University of Albany (sophomore, Raleigh, North Carolina), who won the fourth section of novice flat. "For my success in the first show of the season I have to thank my coaches, Erin Eldridge and Lisa Eklund for their upholding support and constant discapline in helping me to always become a better rider and team member, win or lose!" - Allison Soukup, Morrisville State College (senior, Pine Bush, New York), who won the fifth section of novice flat. "Great way to start off the show season. I would like to thank Lisa Eklund and Erin Eldridge for all their time they have worked with me to get me to this point and thanks to my awesome teamates!" - Kathryn Galyon, Morrisville State College (Pearl River, New York), who won the sixth section of novice flat. "I graduated from Syracuse University in 2010 and decided to show IHSA by doing the Alumni division because I had such a great experience during my undergrad years at Syracuse with Denise Van Patten. I now ride with Skidmore while at home and owe my win to their fabulous training and support. I'm so happy to be back showing!" - Jessica Fontanelli, 2010 Syracuse University graduate and alumni flat winner. "Making the Colgate Equestrian Team as a freshman was very scary at first. I wasn't sure what to expect. Coming to my first show today made this whole process even more real. It was calming to think that my coach, Anna, would know all the horses and how to ride them. So you can imagine how nervous I was when I pulled a new horse. He was pulled from jumping at first but they decided to let him do the flats so I was even more nervous right before I went in the ring. Once I got on, I remembered how much I love riding and that it shouldn't be scary. And Noah carried me through the class. He was so brave for being so nervous at first and I'm proud of both him and myself for getting over our fears. This was the best way to start out my riding career at Colgate!" - Kayla Weinstein, Colgate University (freshman, Princeton, Massachusetts), who won the second section of advanced walk-trot-canter. "I've really enjoyed my time being on the Colgate Equestrian Team. Our coach, Anna (Hackney), is great at motivating us to do better and helping us become better riders." - Steffy Parver, Colgate University (senior, Washington, District of Columbia), who won the fourth section of advanced walk-trot-canter.
Other blue ribbon winners not already mentioned were Katie Ruvolo of Siena College (senior, Bellemore, New York) in walk-trot; 2009 Albany graduate Rebecca Danz in alumni over fences and both Maeve Rice and Susan Day of the State University of New York at Cobleskill. Day, a junior from Oxford, North Carolina won her IHSA debut in beginner walk-trot-canter while Rice (junior, Cambridge, Massachusetts) won the beginner walk-trot-canter section which followed to raise the Cobleskill blue ribbon count to a healthy four for the day. That's loyalty: Some may have noticed that Skidmore's top two open riders of 2010-11 - neither of which were soon to graduate - are missing from the Region 3 open rider standings through one show. This is because Flavia D'Urso is spending a semester abroad while last season's Region 3 Cacchione representative Olivia Cameron is taking advantage of a unique agreement between Skidmore College and Dartmouth College. Cameron will spend this season with Dartmouth, then return to Skidmore for a year and then attend (and likely ride for) Dartmouth in 2013-14. Cameron will receive a degree which lists both schools (the current Dartmouth rider has a chance to qualify for the Cacchione Cup on three consecutive occassions without any streak of two straight appearances for the same team!). Though neither was present for the Region 3 season opener, D'Urso's Father showed up to root on the Skidmore team and even brought the D'Urso family dog along for even more support. Brownstone solid as a rock: Over 34 classes (including the alumni divisions) a total of 22 horses were under saddle for blue ribbon winners. While "Leroy,", "Gunner," "Best Boy," "Gryffindor," "Cedar," "Paulie," "Tyler" and "Noah" each carried two riders to victory the draw of the day was "Brownstone." Only a winner during the flat classes, "Brownstone" won five classes over the course of 14 consecutive sections.
Shameless plug number one: At least two individuals took photos of the Skidmore riders for various purposes. One of them is Danielle Maczynski, known to many simply as "Dani Mac." Since she is a regular at the Skidmore shows we thought we would plug her website, which is http://danimacphotography.zenfolio.com. Dani Mac can also be reached by e-mail at dani-mac@live.com. Dani Mac is based in New Jersey and her work is not limited to equestrian. However perhaps half the galleries in her site are horse-show related. Shameless plug number two: This writer will see a total of 20 IHSA shows between September 24th and December 4th. When planning ahead of time which shows he becomes especially pleased when certain shows fit into the schedule if only for the food available in the area. While normally I think about where I will eat afterward, in the case of Skidmore shows I am especially happy to encounter what I consider the best mobile food concession in the Northeast. After enquiring today I found out they are known as 'The Mobile Kitchen' and are based in Niskayuna, New York. It is not so much that they offer fresh-cut fries or sweet potato fries for that matter, it is because the food simply tastes better from this concession. Also few would accuse the Mobile Kitchen of small portion sizes. The Mobile Kitchen (their e-mail is THEMOBILEKITCHEN@hotmail.com) is my current number one though when Goucher College in the Baltimore area has the concession with the barbequed spare ribs and chicken they are hands down a close second. What's Next?: Hartwick College will host the second Region 3 hunter seat show of 2011-12 one week to the day after the Skidmore show. Skidmore will aim for their tenth consecutive regular season win. Not since before the mid-2010 region realignment have the Thoroughbreds lost (to a Cornell team now found in Zone 2, Region 1) a show prior to the post-season. It is worth noting that Skidmore has already surpased their widest margin of victory in 2010-11, when they won by 15 points on two occasions. In their run of nine straight regular season wins the Thoroughbreds have scored in the 40's every time. Sooner or later the streak will come to an end (the University of Kentucky and Delaware Valley College had their streaks that stretched back to 2009-10 halted on October 23rd), but for now this is one of the most impressive active win streaks nationally on a show-to-show basis. ---Steve Maxwell Show Incidentals: Cloudy skies, with temperatures reaching the upper '50's. Entire show held indoors. Start time: 8:49AM. Finish: 5:16PM - Includes 74 minute lunch break/Coaches and Captains meeting plus additional schooling breaks totaling over 30 minutes. Point cards posted in this region? Yes. Alumni classes held in this region? Yes. Judge: Beth Stoltz. Stewards: Eklund/Morrisville State College, Hackney/Colgate University and Northrup/Oneonta State University. Team Totals: Skidmore College (High Point Team) 46; Hartwick College (TIE - Reserve) 32; Morrisville State College (TIE - Reserve) 32; Colgate University 29; Siena College 29; State University of New York at Cobleskill 23; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 22; Oneonta State College 20; State University of New York at Albany 15 and Union College 7. High Point Rider - TIE between Chelsea Jones, Skidmore College; Nicole Cahill-Yi, Skidmore College and Catherine "Maggie" Luckhardt, Skidmore College.
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