Team Day at NAJYRC here in Kentucky. Early this morning the fog lingered on the damp ground, and the horses in the pastures were mere shadows. However, the jumps set in the ring for the first round of the Junior Team Championship were solid and imposing. Ten teams showed up for the challenge and several proved up to the task. Zone 4 took a commanding lead with only one fault after four rounds of jumping, and Zones 5 & 9 were on their heels with four faults. Mexico North remained in contention with eight faults, and the rest all carried double digits. Zones 3 & 6 and 1 each carried 16, Mexico South and Zone 2 had 18, with Zone 10 (21), Canada (25), and Zone 7 (36) out of the second round since only the top six teams could return to decide the medals. While the riders continued into the second round in order to earn individual scores, seven teams came back for the second round since there was a tie in sixth. However, Zones 3 & 6 and 1 were both eliminated when they failed to have at least three team members complete the second course. Zone 2 started off strong with a clear round from Madison Goetzmann on Wrigley, but their fortunes quickly turned when their remaining riders added numerous penalties to the score. Finishing with a score of 30, the usual Zone 2 juggernaut was not going to medal this year. Mexico North gave a valiant effort, but clear rounds eluded them and they settled for the bronze medal. Zone 4 looked solid gold, but Zones 5 & 9 kept the heat on. If Daisy Farish could post a clear round a gold medal was in their sites, but a rail late in the course gave Zones 5 & 9 silver, and Zone 4 was gold even before anchor rider Sophie Simpson posted a clear round and a final team score of 1. Zone 4 1 point Zones 5 & 9 12 points Mexico North 20 points Zone 2 30 points Mexico South 37 points Scores from the team competition carried to the Junior Individual Championship, and Vivian Yowan (Zone 5) took the lead after three rounds by a narrow margin with a score of 3.08. Sophie Simpson (Zone 4) is on her heels with 3.50. Juan Pablo Gaspar (Mexico) dropped to third after lowering a rail in the second round of the team competition for a three round total of 4.00. Fourth is Eve Jobs (Zone 10) with 4.75 and fifth is Madison Goetzmann (Zone 2) with 8.54. The competition will be keen on Saturday for the individual medals. Young Riders took to the stadium shortly after lunch with six teams contesting the medals. The contest for medals quickly came down to three teams: Zone 2, Zones 3 & 5, and Zones 4 & 8. Often results of a Nations Cup competition becomes apparent during the third rotation of riders, but not today. The final team medals came down to the final rider on the final team. Zones 3 & 5 went first with Meredith Darst riding anchor. The team was hoping to drop Kalvin Dobbs’ score of 16 as their other two riders, Jacob Pope and Noel Fauntleroy recorded clear rounds. A final score of zero would leave them with their first round score of nine and make them unequivocal gold medalists. However, it was not going to be so easy as Meredith dropped a rail and gave the team a second round score of four and an overall score of 13. Zone 2 had eight faults and Lucy Deslauriers could better their score to four if she could put in a clear round and ensure her team of a gold medal with a final score of twelve. Unfortunately, two rails resulted in Lucy’s score serving as the drop and the team finished with a score of 16. Zones 4 & 8 already had twelve on the board, combined with eight from the first round, they were not going to stand on the top podium. Victoria Colvin gave it her all, but two rails prevented her from improving her team’s score and they settled for Bronze. A jubilant Zones 3 & 5 celebrated after holding their cumulative breaths while their other competitors rode. Zones 3 & 5 13 points Zone 2 16 points Zones 4 & 8 20 points Zone 10 38 points Canada 41 points My alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. for our 7:00 a.m. start time of the Individual Championships for Juniors and Young Riders. No fog this morning, and the insufferable heat and humidity are abated by a breeze and last night’s rain and lightning show. In the first round of the Junior competition clear rounds were hard to come by. Fernanda Rodriguez de Haene (Mex.) posted the first clear round, and it wasn’t until toward the end of the class that three more riders posted faultless scores: Madison Goetzmann (Zone 2), Juan Pablo Gaspar (Mex.) And Vivian Yowan (Zone 5). Vivian has ridden very consistently throughout the Championship and is in contention for a medal. Sophie Simpson (Zone 4) dropped a rail, but remains in the hunt for a podium position. Eve Jobs (Zone 10) also acquired four faults and will have to post a clear round in the second round to earn a top ranking. The second round featured the top 15, and although the open water was not in the course, the oxer with green-yellow planks and poles was the final challenge, and what a challenge it proved to be. Riders accumulated faults in the first round, and in the second round a number of clear rounds became four fault rounds after jumping and lowering the final oxer. For the most part, scores improved as riders fought for a top finish. When Eve Jobs dropped five rails and Madison Goetzmann dropped one rail, the top three had a little more cushion from the rest of the field, but not among themselves. Sophie Simpson returned in third and she rode an accurate round, but the final oxer caught her and she added four to her score to finish with 11.50 points. Juan Pablo Gaspar has had a brilliant week and entered the ring in contention for gold. Unfortunately he just tipped the “C” element of the triple combination and with only his second rail of the week, the talented rider finished on eight points. Zone 5's Vivian Yowan rode in the pole position with a rail in hand, but undoubtedly wanted to post a faultless round. With determination and aplomb Vivian concluded her NAJYRC experience with a clear round and a gold medal. Juan Pablo earned silver, and Sophie Simpson was bronze. After a short break and course change, the Young Riders tackled their Individual Championship, and the top four riders were separated by no more than two points, with the next four on their heels. Fault-free riding was needed for a medal position. In the first round, clear rounds were hard to come by. Katherine Strauss (Zone 2) posted the first of the day, and Sydney Callaway (Zone 10) left all the jumps up but garnered a time fault. As the top six took to the course, Lucy Deslauriers (Zone 2) threw down the gauntlet when she posted a clear round. Carrying a score of 8.04 into the final round, Lucy moved into medal position. Brittni Raflowitz (Zone 4) and Noel Fauntleroy (Zone 3) answered the challenge with clear rounds of their own and scores of 4.15 and 3.49 respectively. A course change and imposing jumps set at 1.45 and 1.50 meters, the top fifteen returned to determine the 2015 gold medalist. Many riders improved their performances, but time proved to be more of a factor than it had in earlier rounds. Mackenzie Drazan (Zone 10) led off the second round and she posted a clear round with only two time faults. As the class came down to the final riders, Lucas Porter (Zone 7) dropped out of medal contention. Lucy returned and rode a beautiful round and added just one time fault to her score to finish on 9.04. That time fault could prove costly as it gave Brittni Raflowitz (Zone 4) and Noel Fauntleroy (Zone 3) a one rail cushion. Time would tell, literally. Brittni rode conservatively and a late rail and a time fault relegated her behind Lucy with a final score of 9.15. Noel was last and the pressure got to her as she lowered two jumps, added eight for a final score of 11.49, and settled for the bronze medal. Through determined, accurate, and stylish riding, Lucy Deslauriers found herself atop the podium wearing the gold medal as the Young Rider Individual Champion for show jumping. The judging panel was so impressed with Lucy’s riding that they also awarded her the Style Award. The 2015 North American Junior & Young Riders Championships came to a close with new champions and many riders returning home after facing challenging competition in a championship format. This year featured four riders whose parents have ridden for the United States and it was exciting to see the next generation. Lucy Deslauriers was accompanied by Sophie Simpson, and Alex and Lucy Matz. NAJYRC demands a lot from Junior and Young Riders and most proved up to the challenge. Some will return, some will move on to higher levels, and some will use their experience as the capstone of their youthful riding career. There is no doubt that we will see some of the riders in the U25 Program, Developing Rider tours, and I have no doubt one or two will represent the United States in major international competition.
