Zone 10 Edges Tight Battle for Pre-Junior Team Gold
Zone 10 was the big team winners of Friday’s exciting slate of competition at the Gotham North FEI North American Youth Championships, presented by USHJA, first earning the gold medal in the Pre-Junior category to kick off the day’s team events.
Led by Chef d’Equipe, Michael Endicott, Zone 10 athletes Grace Wahlberg, Ripley Ehrlich, Brookelyn Roy, and Vincent Lin put in highly competitive rounds to finish on just 2 faults for the day, bringing their total team score to 7.94 penalties and taking the top spot on the podium. Ehrlich and Roy both jumped double-clear efforts, with Wahlberg jumping clear over all fences as well, but every team member’s performance was valuable in contributing to their overall low score.
All Zone 10 athletes agreed that the team experience was incredibly rewarding, however it could be stressful at times.
“Competing on a team has been really exciting because you have a support system and get to be with a group,” Ehrlich shared about her experience this week. “But I also think it’s hard because you’re watching everyone and there is so much pressure on the last rider, and on all of us. I really liked the whole team and it was so fun to be with them.”
Roy had the daunting task of serving as the anchor rider for her Zone 10 team, and she delivered the clear round needed for gold, because the second-place finishers were only a hair behind them.
“I was really nervous going in but I was saying to myself that whatever happens it was still such a cool experience to ride for this team,” Roy remarked. “My horse [Carlo DC Stables Z] is great; he took care of me through the course and I knew I’d be okay.”
Zone 10’s cheering squad included the traveling reserve athlete, Ellington Vasan, who wasn’t competing but came out to show team support and help her teammates rise to the occasion.
In the silver-medal position, just one time fault off of Zone 10’s score for Friday and on 8.83 total penalties, was a combined team from Zones 5, 8, and 9. The athletes — Campbell Cauthen, Honor Coulter, Anabelle Deyoung, and Samantha Siler — didn’t have the luxury of ever competing together on a team before, but the special activities at NAYC and their overall team spirit helped build their team camaraderie quickly.
“With the combined team, we don’t really know each other because we’re from different places so it’s really about building that team spirit and being there for each other,” Cauthen explained. “Campbell had a clear round and we all ran out and congratulated her. Being nice teammates to each other is really important and it strengthens the bond.”
Siler and Deyoung pointed out the importance of activities like the opening parade and poster decorating as ways to bond with their teammates before competition got underway.
Zone 4 captured the bronze medal, with all four team members – Ryan Haselden, Sophia Segesman, Sterling Pollard, and Hailey Guidry – all jumping clear in round one. They tried to seize the momentum and ultimately finished on a total score of 4, pushing them just below Zones 5, 8, and 9 but still earning them a podium placing.
“My proudest moment was all of us jumping clear in the first round,” Haselden reflected on their performance. “I thought that was really cool for us. And then Hailey jumping clear in the second round was really important for us to be able to secure a medal.”
Guidry didn’t end up exactly where she wanted to be after the first qualifier, but she became one of just two athletes on her team, Pollard included, to jump double clear on Friday. She felt this performance was vital so she could deliver the best possible result for her team, especially coming in as the anchor rider.
“My proudest moment is going into the ring today and going clear in both rounds,” Guidry shared. “Yesterday I didn’t have such a great day and I was really nervous, so going clear was really important to me.”
Zone 10 Completes Golden Day with Young Rider Victory
With Zone 10 continuing its dominance Friday, the team assembled for the Young Rider category of the Gotham North/FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships, presented by USHJA, took home the gold medal as well.
Zone 10 athletes Della White, Emmeline Adamick, Grayson Pacelli, and Cameron Trimino put in consistent rounds for the winning performance of the day, once again led by chef d’equipe Michael Endicott.
“It feels great to have a gold medal, especially with Zone 10 returning as defending champions,” Adamick remarked after their awards ceremony. “It’s a really cool feeling. I’m proud of myself and my teammates for doing so well.”
Trimino echoed the sentiment, also noting what a special achievement it was for her horse, who handled the highly technical course extremely well in both rounds.
“It is an incredibly rewarding feeling to be holding the gold medal right now, especially alongside this incredible team,” Trimino shared. “To represent Zone 10 is always a privilege and to have brought up my horse since he was a 7-year-old to this level, with him not having seen a course like this before and handling it so well, it’s amazing.”
Zone 10’s score over the two days of competition so far put the team on 34.23 penalties, which ended up being very close to both second and third places for the day. The entire event was highly competitive, but the final few rounds were especially nail biting as the placings were finalized.
Zone 4 walked away with the silver medal, led by Chef d’Equipe Kim Land. Athletes JJ Torano, Olivia Sweetnam, Isabelle Ehman, and Jole Kosloske delivered consistency as well, but ended up just shy of the winning position, ultimately on 39.26 collective penalties.
“We don’t get to see team competitions very often in the U.S. so this is pretty special,” Torano, who joined Kait Meggenhofen as the only two clear efforts in the first round, said. “We can say we’re competitors but we’re all friends outside the ring. It’s great to come to these rare team events in the United States and be able to compete with our friends.”
Ehman stressed the importance of communication, which she believed contributed to her team’s success and landing them a spot on the podium.
“What was really important for us today is that we had good communication and really wanted the best for each other,” Ehman noted. “We are all friends and some of us have done teams together before. We know what to expect from one another and we know we all have our strengths and weaknesses. Knowing how to support each other and really being in communication was a big takeaway and a pro for us.”
Zone 7, led by Chef d’Equipe Mary Ann Thomas, secured the bronze medal by only a small margin, finishing on 41.44 penalties. Athletes Eleanor Rudnicki, Philippa Ammann, Mary Rose Canterbury, and Campbell Brown staged an impressive comeback, posting low scores in round two and landing just over two penalties behind second place.
“It was a very close competition so it was exciting that we all got to be on the podium together,” Brown reflected. “I love this group and it’s always fun to be on a team, but knowing these people so well I know they always have my back. I didn’t have my ideal first round but my teammates had strong rounds and we were able to keep ourselves in the game and make the podium.”
In round two, there were only two clear rounds, delivered by Zone 10’s Adamick and Zone 7’s Rudnicki.
“This was my first Young Riders so I was really excited to be on the team and be able to root for everyone else,” Rudnicki shared about her experience. “We learn to keep fighting until the end because you never know how everyone else is going to do. We kept trying to produce the best rounds we could for our teammates.”
On Saturday, Children’s and Junior athletes will return for their respective Individual Finals.
On Saturday, the NAYC Children’s Individual Final kicks off the day, followed by the $25,000 Junior Individual Final, and the feature senior international event, $116,500 The Dexter CSI3* Grand Prix. Fans and competitors can view full schedules, results, and live updates through the Traverse City Horse Shows Mobile App.
