Gladstone, NJ-Young riders from the United States won team and individual Gold Medals in eventing and dressage at the 2000 North American Young Riders' Championships (NAYRC), Presented by State Line Tack, a showcase of the top young riders from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico going head to head in eventing, dressage, and show jumping at High Prairie Farms Equestrian Center in Parker, CO. Canadians also made their presence felt by capturing both the individual and team championships in show jumping.

Eventing
U.S. Area 2 staged a stunning sweep of the team and individual medals in the CCI-YR**. Sara Kozumplik of Middleburg, VA with What You Will, Holly Payne of Oldwick, NJ with The Federalist, Sean Brescia of The Plains, VA with Von Otto, and Mary Grantham of Charlottesville, VA with Ides of March, won the team Gold Medal. "This is the best day of my life," said Kozumplik, 21, who also captured the individual Gold Medal with 63.6 penalties. "We've been a very close team, so it means a lot to do this together."

Taking the individual Silver Medal was Brescia with 68.2 penalties, while Payne brought home the Bronze with 73.8. Grantham was fourth individually. The CCI-YR** team Silver Medal went to the combined U.S. Areas 6/9/2 team of Kate Weil, Doug Payne, Jolie Sexson, and Adam Weiser. The U.S. Area 3 team of Kimberly Haynes, Aaron Stuckey, Amy Stegman, and Jesse Akers earned the team Bronze Medal.

In the CCI-YR*, Maisy Grassie of Unionville, PA and Heyday moved from fifth place into first place with a clear show jumping round . They scored a total of 55.6 penalties to claim the win. Grassie's horse, Heyday, is well-known as Bruce Davidson's 1996 Olympic horse. Scoring 61.4 penalty points, Lindsay Smith of U.S. Area 7 finished second in the CCI-YR*.

Dressage
The U.S. Region 3 team of Jodie Kelly, 17, of Destin, FL and Jericho, Amber Walker, 19, of West Palm Beach, FL and Rabelais, Katherine Poulin, 21, of Deleon Springs, FL and Winter's Impression, and Gwen Poulin, 19, of Deleon Springs, FL and Herb Commander, took the team Gold Medal with a combined score of 3836 points. "We knew we would have to work really hard to achieve victory," Walker related. "The quality of riders and horses here is tremendous."

"I'm ecstatic!" stated Gwen Poulin. "And, as a team, we're really proud of what we have accomplished." The team not only worked hard at perfecting their riding, but also spent a lot of time fundraising and looking for sponsors to enable them to compete at the NAYRC. Both Gwen and Katherine are the daughters of Michael Poulin, a U.S. Equestrian Team veteran and 1992 Olympic team Bronze Medalist.

Louise Labrucherie of Santa Rosa, CA led the U.S. Region 7 team to the Silver Medal. Riding for Region 7 with Labrucherie were Maurine Frey of Riverside, CA, Nicole Diesel of Highland, CA, and Amanda Barr of Reno, NV. The team secured the Silver Medal with 3782 points.

Scoring 3760 points, the 1998 and 1999 Silver Medal team, U.S. Region 2, finished in third earning the team Bronze Medal. The Region 2 team was comprised of Jacqueline Paxton of Cincinnati, OH, Joanne Chmiel of Northbrook, IL, and sisters Reese and Lindsay Koffler of Lexington, KY.

In the individual dressage competition, Louise Labrucherie made NAYRC history by winning her third individual Gold Medal as well as the Fiona Baan Pursuit of Excellence Award. The Fiona Baan Award is given to the dressage rider who receives the highest average percentage score of all the rides at the NAYRC.

Scoring 68.55% in the Prix St. Georges Freestyle, Labrucherie left no doubt that she would again be victorious and stand on the top of the medal podium. She previously captured Gold in 1997 and 1998 on her other horse, Artiste. Labrucherie now holds the record for most individual Gold Medals won in NAYRC dressage competition.

"This time is the most special for me," Labrucherie, 21, stated of her third Gold Medal. "I'm just thrilled." Labrucherie and her Hanoverian/Thoroughbred cross gelding, Picone, train with U.S. Equestrian Team veteran Debbie McDonald, the 1999 Pan American Games individual and team Gold Medalist.

Gwen Poulin of Deleon Springs, FL took the Silver Medal after receiving a score of 67.328% in the Freestyle. "I did not expect to win an individual medal," she commented, "but I was hoping to!"

The Bronze Medal went to Joanne Chmiel of Northbrook, IL. Chmiel moved up from fifth place to third overall with a strong performance in the Prix St. Georges Freestyle. In the Freestyle, she choose a medley of Polish folk songs that showed off her horse's gaits and personality to the best advantage. Chmiel's parents are originally from Poland, and her choice of music "made them very proud" she happily related.

This was the first year that a Prix St. Georges Freestyle was included in the Dressage Championship. The Prix St. Georges Freestyle was compulsory for the top 15 competitors after the individual dressage test.

Show Jumping
The CSIOY team championship was decided by just 4 1/4 faults, with British Columbia scoring 30.25 faults to triumph over U.S. Zone 10 - Nina Herrera, Claire Prieto, Jennifer Williams, and Rebecca Wolfson - who took the Silver Medal with 35.50 faults. Ontario earned the Bronze Medal with 41.50 faults. Riding for the British Columbia team was Lindsay McLean, 18, of White Rock and her horse, Caldero, Briana Hughes, 20, of Edmonton and her horse, Pele, Sandra Hardy, 19, of Victoria and her horse, Keepsake, and Cathleen Calvert, 18, of Vancouver and her horse, Shania.

"We're thrilled," said Hughes. "It hasn't sunk in yet!"

The CSIOY individual Gold Medal in show jumping was awarded to Lindsay McLean, while Ricardo Nizri of the Mexico North team and his horse, Inocente, galloped home with the individual Silver Medal. Jennifer Williams of Oakland, CA and her mare, Mariska, won the Bronze Medal.

Carly Campell-Cooper and Rex Get Busy of the Ontario team won the individual CSI-JY competition. Second place went to Kiera Steele from U.S. Zone 9, and third place to Randy Sherman of U.S. Zone 10.

High Prairie/ACORD Team Challenge
Riding I Believe in Magic, Schoena Townsend won the individual championship in the High Prairie/ACORD (American Competition Opportunities for Riders with Disabilities) Team Challenge. Megan Strigh and That's a Rocket finished second, while Chris Lipe and Halloh were third.

In the team competition, the Gold Medal was taken home by Team Vail. The Silver Medal went to Team Loveland, while the Bronze Medal was awarded to Team Copper.

The Captain Andrew B. De Szinay Memorial Sportsmanship Trophy The 2000 Captain Andrew B. De Szinay Memorial Sportsmanship Trophy, known fondly as the Captain Andy Award', was presented to dressage rider David Marcus of Lincoln, NE.

NAYRC Facts
The premier equestrian competition in North America for young riders, age 16-21, equestrians come from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean Islands to vie for the Championships. NAYRC riders compete in the three Olympic equestrian disciplines of Show Jumping, Dressage, and Eventing. The competition is run under rules of the FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale, the international governing body for equestrian sport).

The 2001 North American young Riders' Championships will be held at Tempel Farms in Wadsworth, IL.

The United States Equestrian Team is a non-profit organization that selects, trains, equips and finances equestrians of the highest possible standard to represent our country in major international competition, including the Olympic Games and the World Championships. To accomplish this the USET seeks out and nurtures the development of talented athletes - riders, drivers and horses - and provides the support and guidance they need to help them attain their fullest potential. For more information on the USET, please call (908) 234-1251, or visit USET ONLINE at www.uset.org.