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| 04-20-2004 | Previous edition: 04-19-2004 |
        
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Printer-friendly version Equestrian team focuses on nationals
Staff Writer It’s a Purdue team accustomed to winning. That’s the best way to describe the Purdue equestrian team. The club sport completed another successful year with a regional championship. Now the team’s attention is focused on reaching the pinnacle of its sport by winning the national title at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association nationals May 6 to May 9, on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn. "We’re really excited," coach Jerry Steinmetz said. "It took awhile to calm down, we’ve been in kind of a drought. It’s been five years since we took a team to nationals." Steinmetz established the club in 1980 and the team practices weekly at Foxton Farms in rural Tippecanoe County. Since its inception, the team has conquered the region in collegiate equestrian riding. "We’ve dominated our region for a long time, every year since 1983," Steinmetz said. "We’re the best team Purdue doesn’t know exists." The Boilers have won 18 of the last 19 regional championships, including several trips to nationals. But the Purdue riders have had their share of tough losses in the competition between regionals and nationals, called a zone. "Two years ago, we got knocked out of nationals by one point," Steinmetz said. "Ohio University then went on to win the national title. "Last year, we were knocked out because we tied with Wisconsin. When you have a tie, you reach in a hat and have a ride-off." Intercollegiate horsemanship is divided into two riding areas: western and hunt-seat. At the collegiate level, riders are divided into different skill levels. What makes the sport more difficult is the fact that riders and horses are paired at random in competition. "It’s all the luck of the draw," senior Christina Walsh said. "You could get an amazing horse or a horrible one." With few shows in the season, the margin of error for a championship is slim. Individuals can also compete in the region and zone horse shows. For nationals, the team will bring seven riders to represent the team, while the three members will ride as individuals. The Riders The club members vary greatly in skill level and age. The riders range from a graduating senior with four years of collegiate experience to a freshman. "It’s such an honor to just be chosen to ride for the team," freshman Chelsea Robinson said. "As a freshman, it was awesome. It’s more than I would have expected." The freshman, who started riding after a friend started in the sport, will ride as a team member in the intermediate flat competition. "I started riding when I was 7 years old," Robinson said. "My best friend was doing it. I thought I was kind of stupid but I‘d tried it out once. My parents wanted me to do it because they thought I wouldn’t like it and I ended up liking it." For Walsh, her start in the sport began despite living in an urban area. "I’ve been doing this since I was a little kid, around the age of 8," Walsh said. "It’s just a fluke thing. (Living) in the Chicago area, the Northwest suburbs, (who would’ve thought)." Robinson and Walsh will be joined by teammates Robin Goodwin, Elizabeth Strehlow, Jessica Boyd, Christine Knowles and Lesley Maradik. Three additional members will ride as individuals — Katy Green in the advanced western, Ashley Fleck in the individual novice flats and Krista Steinmetz in the open individual flat. Extra Stress While going to nationals carries its own excitement and stress, an additional burden is the scheduling. The national tournament is the same week as final exams at Purdue, creating even more stress for some team members. "I have a final in my class and I’m working with the professor; that’s the only conflict in that week in order to lighten the load," Robinson said. "For the most part, everybody’s been pretty understanding about it." But Walsh believes not being recognized by Purdue creates a disadvantage for the team. "All my teachers have been really good either letting me take them before or after I get back," Walsh said. "I know a lot of girls are having difficulty with finals because we’re not the basketball team. A lot of teachers haven’t even heard of us." The dean of students office says the policy is the same for everyone. "There is nothing sports-connected that involves the rescheduling of finals," Dorothy Hughes said on behalf of Steve Akers, associate dean of students "It’s the instructor’s choice as to whether they reschedule or not," Hughes said. "It’s whatever the instructor wants to do." Steinmetz said the organization is trying to do its part to help. "I’ve already put out a letter and a lot of professors are being good about it," he said. "Most of them are pretty good about accommodating their schedules. "We’ve taken a team to nationals quite a few times, and we only have a few incidents." National Recognition The biggest issue the Boilers may face is the fact that other competitors at nationals have programs that are part of intercollegiate athletics, while Purdue’s remains a club sport. "We probably ride the least amount compared to other schools," Steinmetz said. "Varsity sports ride every day. We ride once a week, maybe twice a week." Despite not having the benefits of being a varsity program, Steinmetz remains content with his team’s status as a club sport. "I like the club setup," Steinmetz said. "When you go varsity, you have to try out and limit the team size. If I want to take 45 kids to show, I can take 45 kids." Robinson is optimistic about the Boilers’ chances despite having a young team. "I think we definitely have a great riding ability and potential," Robinson said. "Three of us are freshmen, so it’s a semi-young team. "We’ve all been riding for a while. It’s a matter of your riding ability. For the upperclassmen who have been to nationals, it’s nice because they know the type of competition to expect. As freshmen, I think we’re all pretty well equipped." Printer-friendly version |
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