Press Release : The Canadian Dressage Athlete Assistance Program (C-DAAP) congratulates the Canadian Silver Medal winning Pan American Games team and Individual Bronze medalist Chris von Martels after impressive rides in the prestigious competition. The dressage portion of the 2015 Games, held in Toronto, Ontario, was an exciting fight to the finish and team members Brittany Fraser, Megan Lane, Belinda Trussell, and Chris von Martels excelled in the ring. It was a hotly contested competition with the U.S. (460.506 points) edging out Canada (454.938 points) for the Team Gold medal, and Von Martels of Ridgetown, Ontario, capturing the Bronze medal aboard Zilverstar in the Individual Freestyle on July 14. “I think this paints a clear picture that we are really competitive on an international scene,” Von Martels said. “Not only here in Canada, but in Europe or the U.S. We have proven in this competition that we are absolutely right on track with the rest of the top countries in the world.” Canadian Chef d’equipe Alison Martin was pleased with the team’s performance. “They rode exceptionally well,” she said. “So many personal bests were achieved this week. They fought hard and I really feel they came out with an excellent experience.” The team members were energized with the hometown crowd behind them, and Canada’s support was appreciated. All four riders on the team have benefited from the funding of the Canadian Dressage Athlete Assistance Program, which provides for the support and advancement of Canada’s high-performance dressage athletes in their pursuit of excellence. The non-profit organization offers 100 percent of its net proceeds from fund-raising events to the riders to offset the cost of training and competing in high performance dressage on an international scale. More than $130,000 has been awarded to seven riders since 2012 to help them achieve their goals, with another $80,000 slated for distribution this summer. “I was thrilled to see all four C-DAAP recipients represent Canada at the Pan Am Games,” said C-DAAP’s founder, Deborah Miculinic. “It shows how important it is to provide our riders with the necessary programs and funding so they can compete at the very top of their sport. Congratulations to each of these riders on achieving such a remarkable accomplishment. They made Canada proud!” Other Canadian high-performance dressage athletes interested in obtaining funding through C-DAAP can access the funding criteria for 2015/2016 at www.cdaap.ca. The deadline for applications is July 31, and recipients will be announced on August 17. For more information about C-DAAP, visit www.cdaap.ca. Photo: The Canadian 2015 Pan American Games Dressage Team wins Silver. From left to right: Chris von Martels, Brittany Fraser, Megan Lane, and Belinda Trussell (Photo courtesy of Cealy Tetley)
