Kentucky Vaulting Cup Comes To A Close

The wonderful week of vaulting came to a close today with Mt. Eden Vaulting Club sweeping the CVI2* competition. They took first in the team compeition as well as the Men's and Women's Individual Competiiton.

The Kentucky Cup is the vaulting test event for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, on Sept. 25-Oct. 10, 2010. The World Championships for vaulting and reining will be held in the brand-new, 5,600-seat indoor arena used this weekend.



Benjamin, 21, of Saratoga, Calif., earned her division’s top scores in all but the first phase of the four phases and climaxed the Kentucky Cup in today’s freestyle with the competition’s highest score (8.127). Her overall score of 7.974 put her ahead of Mt. Eden teammate Mary McCormick (7.823) and Annalise van Vranken (7.562).



Geisler, 28, of Sunnyvale, Calif., won all four phases of the men’s competition to finish .525 points ahead of second-placed Mikkel Vandrup of Denmark. Geisler’s balletic freestyle was nearly flawless as he demonstrated strength and control. Geisler’s regular mount was unable to compete, so he shared Hudson with third-placed Kristian Roberts, 16, of Moss Beach, Calif. Roberts is from the Pacific Coast Vaulters, owners of Hudson.



Mt. Eden Sun Team’s solid performance earned them a victory over the Woodside Vaulters, reversing the standing’s from Saturday’s one-star team competition. In the two-star team division, Mt. Eden scored 6.512 to Woodside’s 6.154.



The Mt. Eden Sun Team members are: Kenny Geisler, Tasha Thorner, Alicien Thrasher, Kalyn Noan, Lizzie Ioannou, Heidi Rothweiler and Makayia Clyne. Jessica Ballenger is the coach, and Jodi Rinhard longed Sampson. They were also the American Vaulting Association 2009 A team national champions.



The Mt. Eden Sun Team also had exciting news as Kenny Geisler and Kalyn Noan are due to be married on Aug. 22.



The Woodside team members are: Patrick Stevens, Katherine Wick, Alyssa Bonora, Yvonne Greenen, Kathryn Jaggers, Janie Salsbury and Gabe Aniello. Their coach is Krista Mack, and Erik Martonovich longed Badger.



Cassidy Palmer, 16, of Half Moon Bay, Calif., and Marissa Hamar, 20, of Visalia, Calif., were the winner of the CVI2* pas de deux. Although they live several hours apart, the put together an enjoyable performance to the Beach Boys’ classic song “Surfin’ USA.”



More than 2,200 people attended the Kentucky Cup Vaulting or watched the online streaming video. More than 300 volunteers helped the staff produce this competition, the second of seven test events planned to prepare for the 2010 World Equestrian Games

Kentucky gruesst Europa!!

Seid ihr jemals aus dem Kuehlschrank in die Sauna gehuepft?! So geht es uns, wenn wir aus der klimatisieren brandneuen WEG Arena in den Sonnenschein treten. In der Warmup Halle dreht sich ein riesiger Ventilator – und ja, er ist wirklich riesig- und nein, die Pferde haben keine Angst davor! In Wirklichkeit lieben die Pferde ihre Ventilatoren, besonders, wenn man sie ihnen direkt an die Boxentuer haengt. Also, wenn ihr naechstes Jahr alle kommt, es lohnt sich sehr, besonders, wenn ihr euren eigenen Ventilator mitbringt!!! Das Wetter ist toll, das Essen lecker, die Leute soooo nett und der Kentucky – Horsepark ist unglaublich!



Have you ever walked out of a refrigerator into a sauna?! That is what it is like when you leave the new climate controlled indoor arena that will be used for next year’s World Equestrian Games, to walk into the Kentucky sunshine. In the warm up ring there is a huge fan that keeps the horses and vaulters cool and yes, it is huge but no, the horses have no problem with it. In fact, the horses love the fans especially when they put it right in front of their stall door. So next year, when everyone comes they will have to make sure to bring their fans with them. The weather is great, the food is delicious, the people are nice and in Kentucky – the horse park is unbelievable!



Etes vous deja sorti d'un frigo pour rentrer dans un sauna?! C'est ce que ca fait quand vous quittez le nouvel espace indoor climatisé des Jeux equestres Mondiaux (or JEM) pour le soleil du Kentucky .
Dans le paddock de détente il y a un enorme ventilateur qui permet aux chevaux et voltigeurs de rester au frais, meme s'il est enorme ca ne pose pas de probleme aux chevaux. En realite, les chevaux adorent les ventilateurs, et particulierement lorsqu ils sont places devant leurs portes de boxes. Donc l'annee prochaine, tout le monde devra venir avec son ventilateur! Le temps est genial, la nourriture delicieuse, les gens sont tres sympa et le site des JEM est incroyable/ extraordinaire.

CVI1* Winners Are Honored At Prize Giving Ceremony Saturday Night

The CVI1* concluded by giving top honors to the winners of the Men's and Women's Individual Competitions as well as the Team and National Pas-de-Deux Competitions.

In the Men's Individual Competition Joey Gadd held his place in the top spot through the second round, putting in strong performances together with his horse Lanson 16. Shawn Ricci of equiBalance vaulters took second on Rubin and Clay Tomas with Beau Monde took third.

The Women came on strong today but the top ladies held their ground to remain on the podium after Round 2. Rachel Bublitz with her equine partner Oliver didn't let up as she grabbed the top spot with a three tenths of a point lead over Kyra McCarty who moved up to second. Kyra performed with her horse Vermeer and Kathryn Jagger vaulting on Pepper Jack took third.

The team division wrapped up with Woodside putting in a strong freestyle performance and taking the top spot as they performed with Giovanni. Mt. Eden's Eclipse team vaulting with their horse Sir James took second.

Everyone enjoyed today's National Pas-de-Deux class. Elizabeth Brigham and Anna Thomas took first with their performance on Janyck. Tessa Divita and Christine Herrmann took second on Pepper Jack.

Spotlight On Costume Design

Hollywood doesn't have much on equestrian vaulters, months are spent planning, designing and making the intricate costumes that vaulters wear for their compulsory, technical and freestyle tests. Careful consideration is taken to adhere to the FEI rules for competition attire and to make sure that it ties in with the overall theme of the vaulters music. The FEI rules state that, "dress must be formfitting and all articles of clothing, or parts thereof, must remain attached to the vaulters body at all times. Trousers must be secured to the foot and skirts may only be worn over tights or leggings."

Laura Loonstein from Italy tells us that she is wearing a brand new costume at this event. She had it designed specially for her; she wanted a costume that was feminine yet strong for her freestyle. As she lives in the fashion capital of the world, she had one of her mothers friends who is an Italian designer, Mirca Morselli, lend a hand during the design phase. It is a turquoise lycra with black and clear crystals on white stripes. She especially likes it because all of the lines on the uniform are continuous and the lines are beautiful.

Inspiration comes from many places for the vaulters, Anna VanVranken saw a card in an airport while she was traveling for vaulting that sparked her imagination for a new uniform design. The card had a beautiful black, blue and green butterfly on it as does her freestyle costume now. Her routine is choreographed to graceful music and so, the skirted butterfly costume really allows her to tell her freestyle story.

Kristian Roberts tells us that he tried to keep his uniform simple but themed in line with his music which is from the movie, "Narnia." His coach Jill Palmer made the costume for him, it's black Under Armor with some silver material added to look like armor. He thinks it adds to the overall ambiance and really makes the performance exciting to watch for the audience.

Laura and Mackenzie Jassowski are both designers of their own costumes. Laura said, "I really tried to make something that was dramatic and that no one else had. I designed the whole thing myself, down to the last stitch." Mackenzie tells us that she wanted something that would be bright and stand out from the crowd. It was also important to have something that was simple yet elegant to match with her music. She loves wearing her uniform and feels proud that she designed it herself.

The Standings Get a Shake Up At The Close Of Day 2

Style, grace, and artistry were front and center in today's day of freestyle in both the CVI* and CVI** competitions. Competitors fought to hold their positions as they presented their own unique routines choreographed to music of their choice. Spectators were entertained by performances from the Men, Women and Teams that ranged from classical to pop and everything in between.

Megan Benjamin moved into the top spot after putting in a smooth and elegant freestyle showcasing her strong artistic style. Mary McCormick had a tough go having had to make a horse change at the very last minute and struggled to find her usual rhythm, she stayed in medal contention taking the second place. Anna VanVranken moved onto the podium in third with her graceful performance.

In the One Star Women's Competition Rachel Bublitz moved into first place after delivering a solid go. Kathryn Jaggers moved up three places, from fifth to second, and Kyra McCarty dropped to third.

The Men managed to hold their places after the compulsory round, in the CVI** Kenny Geisler still leads, with Kristian Roberts in second and Mikkel Vandrup moving into third. The performances may have ranged from epic scores to pop tributes to a political statement, but across the board the audiences were entertained.

In the One Star Men's Competition, the standings remain the same. George Joseph Gadd increased his lead on second place Shawn Ricci by delivering a strong, clean freestyle round. Both Ricci and third place Clay Thomas had unfortunate falls within their routines.

The Team competitions continue to impress the spectators. The Mt. Eden Eclipse team continues to lead the CVI* competition with Woodside Vaulters second. In the CVI** Woodside won the freestyle with a solid performance and the Mt. Eden Sun Team came into second. Both Two Star teams had last minute horse changes which made for an interesting competition as both made adjustments to acclimate to their new teammates. Overall, Mt. Eden continues to lead the team competition after the first round.

In the CVI** competition Marisa Hamar and Cassidy Palmer, the competitions sole pairs competitors, displayed a fun and energetic routine that got the audience up and dancin!

For full competition results check out the "results" page.

Vaulters And Their Horses Applaud The Footing

The quote heard round the new indoor is that the footing is GREAT! So what exactly makes this the perfect surface for vaulting? The vaulters love that it is wonderful for their horses, very supportive with a touch of spring. These are exactly the same qualities that make it great for them as well, hard enough to get a great spring out of for mounts but soft enough to make for safe landings. Mary McCormick said, "This is the same footing that they have in Aachen, I love it. I'm so glad that it is what we're vaulting on here at the Kentucky Vaulting Cup." The Ottosport footing is a special mixture of three types of local sand and a felt textile imported from Germany.

Solid Compulsory Tests Spring McCormick and Geisler into the lead

After a tough round of compulsory competition, Mary McCormick of Mt. Eden Vaulters takes the lead in the Women's Individual CVI** competition with a 7.826. In a close second, Megan Benjamin also of Mt. Eden Vaulters, scored a 7.781 and Shannon Poer of Woodside Vaulters came in third with a 7.463. In the Women's Individual CVI* Competition Kyra McCarty won with a 6.3.

In the Men's Individual CVI** compulsory competition, Kenny Geisler of Mt. Eden Vaulters scored the top spot with a 6.644. Kristian Roberts of Half Moon Bay Vaulters came in second with a 6.4 and Erik Martonovitch of Big Horse Productions was third with a 6.244. In the Men's Individual CVI* George Joseph Gadd took the lead with a 5.878.

In the CVI* team competition, Mt. Eden's Eclipse Team took first with a 6.252 average and in the CVI** team competition Mt. Eden's Sun team won with a 6.143.

Check back tomorrow for the results of the exciting freestyle competition!