US Set to Defend Saddle Seat World Cup Wins
Sunday, October 8, 2006
The United States Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup teams are preparing to head to South Africa in defense of the double gold medal performances turned in by Team USA in 2004. The teams, selected at a trials event held at William Woods University in March, will depart in early December en route to Parys, South Africa. The new Parys Indoor Arena is the host site for the International Saddle Seat World Cup, to be held December 4-10, 2006. Approximately 50 Americans will make the trip to South Africa for the week-long event.
The United States teams will be working hard to repeat the strong performances turned in by the 2004 teams, which captured the gold medals and coveted World Cup trophies in both the three-gaited and five-gaited divisions when the event was hosted at Lexington’s famed Kentucky Horse Park in October of 2004.
The U.S. teams will face competition from Canada, Great Britain, Namibia and South Africa. All five countries compete in the three-gaited event, while Canada and Namibia will join the U.S. and South Africa for the first time in the five-gaited competition. Representing the United States will be:
THREE-GAITED
Jacqueline Beck (Aliso Viejo, CA)
Michelle Krentz (Hartford, WI)
Alexis Scott (Des Moines, IA)
Sarah Taylor (Davison, MI)
Deveau Zubrod (Versailles, KY and Westerville, OH)
Mandy Martin (Alternate) (Diamondhead, MS)
Renee Biggins – Coach (Simpsonville, KY)
Chuck Herbert – Manager (Evansville, IN)
FIVE-GAITED
Ashley Alden (Deer Park, IL)
Jamie Bender (Springfield, NE)
Brooke Jacobs (Georgetown, KY)
Ali Judah (Louisville, KY)
Cristina Sloan (Hallsville, MO)
Cydni Simmons (Alternate) (Burlington, KY)
Lynda Freseth – Coach (Oconomowoc, WI)
Liz McBride-Jones – Manager (Raeford, NC)
Americans Cecile Hetzel-Dunn of Lady Lake, Florida and Sandy Sessink of Lenexa, Kansas will have the honor of marking cards as part of the five-member panel of officials set to score the competition. The 2006 event will employ a five-judge panel and will utilize a high-low system for the first time as the result of majority vote of the members of the International Saddle Seat Equitation Association (ISSEA). ISSEA, which includes representatives from all five participating nations, is the international sporting body for the Saddle Seat discipline and governs the International Saddle Seat World Cup event. The organization will meet during the 2006 event to continue planning for the 2008 and 2010 competitions.
The USWC welcomes donations from individuals and organizations who wish to contribute in support of Team USA as they work to defend their 2004 titles and retain possession of the coveted Saddle Seat World Cup trophies. The mission of the U.S. Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup is to expand the presence of Saddle Seat Equitation on both national and international levels through team-based competition and promotion of the discipline by U.S. athletes and officials. The U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup is a registered 501(c)(3) corporation. For more information or to make a contribution, contact Executive Secretary Christy Judd O’Donnell at WCEquitation@aol.com or 813.760.0465. To learn more about the organization and the history of the event, visit www.saddleseatworldcupusa.com.
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