Parker, CO - August 21, 1998

Riders representing the United States completed a sweep of all Gold Medals at this year's North American Young Riders' Championships (NAYRC) held at High Prairie Farms in Parker, Colorado on August 5-9. The NAYRC is run under Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) rules and is the premier competition for Young Riders, age 16 through 21, in the Olympic equestrian disciplines of dressage, show jumping, and three-day eventing.

This year's NAYRC was designated an official USA Junior Olympics - Equestrian event, the first time the Junior Olympics program has recognized an equestrian competition. Riders were invited to compete from throughout North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

In the Team Dressage competition, the talented Region 7 team from California repeated its 1997 Gold Medal performance. Team members Amanda Cargile of Laguna Hills, Jennifer Coyne of Hollister, Nicole Perry of El Cajon, and Louise Labrucherie of Santa Rosa posted a combined score of 3759 points to decisively win the Championship.

The team Bronze Medal was awarded to the Region 1 team of Amy Gimbel from Oldwick, NJ, Tanya Kelly from Vincentown, NJ, and Rebecca Kuzma and Brooke Green, both from Greensboro, NC. The individual Dressage Championship presented some of the finest riding ever seen at a NAYRC. Returning 1997 winner Louise Labrucherie thought that this year "was just as exciting as last year. I felt some pressure coming back as Champion, but Artiste's trot work was great today. We've formed a better partnership over the past year and we know each other a lot more." In capturing the individual Gold Medal for the second straight year, Labrucherie and her mount, Artiste, an East German Warmblood, posted a score of 65.263%, and received the Fiona Baan Pursuit of Excellence Trophy.

Nicole Perry, 20, Labrucherie's Region 7 teammate, scored 65.053% with her horse, Masterpiece, to take the individual Silver Medal. Perry credited the United States Equestrian Team's (USET) Developing Riders Program with improving and helping her performance. Scoring 64.684%, Ryan Hites of Redmond, WA brought home the individual Bronze Medal riding Staatsmann.

The team Show Jumping Gold Medal was awarded to the US Zone 2 team of Heather Caristo of Hauppauge, NY, and Amanda and Jill Gumberg of Pittsburgh, PA. They accomplished a stunningly low total of 17 faults. Zone 2 competed with only three team members, as the fourth team member withdrew prior to the competition. "Without a fourth team member, there was added pressure because we did not have the luxury of a drop score," explained Caristo. "But, we pulled together and did our best." Caristo also won the individual Bronze Medal riding Virgil while Amanda Gumberg and Mont Blanc won the individual Silver.

The US Zone 10 team from California of Jill Prieto from San Mateo, Nicole Padilla from Del Mar, Guy Thomas from Burson, and Megan McDannold from Palos Verdes Estates won the team Silver Medal with 32 faults. Additionally, McDannold triumphed in the individual Show Jumping Championship with her mount Get a Clue and won the individual Gold Medal.

The team Bronze Medal was awarded to the Mexican Team of Ricardo Retteg, Andres Gomez, Hector Perez, and Juan Carlos Rodriguez who finished with 38.25 faults. They narrowly edged out the US Zone 4 Team who scored 38.50 faults.

The CCIYR** Three-Day Event provided excitement and many examples of fine horsemanship. The Washington state based US Area 7 team of Katie Cyr of Gig Harbor, Kristen Bond of Gig Harbor, Maren Foster of Fox Island, and Duschka Fowler-Dunning of Redmond galloped off with the team Gold Medal with a score of 278.05 points. Taking the team Silver Medal was the combined US Area 1/9 team of Jeanine Allred from Ketchum, ID, Mary O'Connell from Millbrook, NY, Joseph Backer from Belfast, NY, and Chad Geetter from Strafford, VT with 293.85 points. The US Area 3 team of Jesse Akers from Ormond Beach, FL, Ashley Mozingo from Jackson, MS, Deanna Weber Moore from Reddick, FL, and Nathalie Bouckaert from Dalton, GA scored 307.15 to bring home the team Bronze Medal.

Bouckaert also captured the individual Gold Medal for the second year in a row. Riding Budget, a Thoroughbred-cross formerly ridden by her father, Carl, she turned in a low score of 63.00 points to clinch her Gold Medal. Bouckaert won the individual Gold in 1997 riding her horse Co-Pilot II.

Chad Geeter and his bay Trakehner mare, Kokett, captured the individual Silver Medal with 70.80 points. Scoring 73.40 points, Rachel Brickman of Gig Harbor, WA and her mount, Bolero, took the Bronze over Hawley Bennett and Livingstone from British Columbia, Canada.

The CCIYR* Three-Day Event team competition was won by the US Area 3 Team. Jesica Heidemann of US Area 7 and her horse, Gaily Gifted, won the individual competition over Kim Goto and Mystikel Illusion. Although the CCIYR* is not an official division of the NAYRC, it is offered as a way to prepare Young Riders for future challenges.

Dressage rider Kristin Kara from Westwood, MA of the Region 8 team and show jumper Jill Prieto from San Mateo, CA of the U.S. Zone 10 team were honored as co-winners of the Captain Andrew B. De Szinay Memorial Sportsmanship Trophy. The award is presented at each NAYRC to the Young Rider who best personifies the high standards and virtues of integrity, sportsmanship, honor, courage, team spirit, good temper and unselfishness.

On August 10-15, 1999, the NAYRC will return to Tempel Farms in Wadsworth, Illinois, for the 12th time in the last 15 years.