Wellington, Fla. – March 5

It was a day of chants.

U-S-A! U-S-A! 

Mex-i-co! Mex-i-co!

After a full day of competition spanning two rounds – one in the afternoon and one in the evening – the fourth-annual FEI junior Nations Cup series at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington saw the United States and Mexico take home gold medals for their underage riders. After sweeping the Children’s, Junior and Young Rider competitions last year, the United States continued their dominance, claiming gold in the Junior and Young Rider competitions and silver in the Children’s event, which was won by Mexico.

“These [riders] are our future, and this competition is one of the very most important markers as far as high performance is concerned in the United States,” said United States Chef d’Equipe DiAnn Langer. “Talking with the other chefs here with their young riders, they feel the same.”

In the $5,000 FEI Young Rider Nations Cup, the United States scored a commanding victory, accumulating just one fault throughout the two rounds of competition. The team, made up of Kelli Cruciotti, Alexandra Crown, Madison Goetzmann and Victoria Colvin, had their gold medal clinched after three riders in the second round. Goetzmann’s clear effort with her own Wrigley ensured that Colvin did not have to jump a second time.

“I think all of us riders have aspirations to compete on the higher levels with the seniors and do more difficult tracks, so competing as a team when we’re younger is an amazing experience,” Goetzmann said. “Standing on the podium and listening to the national anthem is definitely a great feeling.

“Two years ago I was competing on the Children’s team, last year I was on the Junior team and this year I was on the Young Rider team,” she continued. “DiAnn has done a tremendous job developing all of the riders to be more experienced and ride better together as a team.”

“I think you can say that America’s got talent,” Langer said. “It is extraordinary the talent that we have in this country. This is just an extraordinary group of girls. Their accomplishments are huge. We had many applicants for this team, and all of them were fantastic. This group of girls really brought it home, and when they were asked to step up and do this they said, ‘Yes, we are here,’ so I am really proud of them.”

Brazil, who entered the second round in contention with a four-fault score, added nine faults to their team total in Round 2 and ultimately finished a distant second. Ireland finished third.

Madison Goetzmann and Wrigley	It’s gold again for the United States in the FEI Young Rider Nations Cup

The $2,500 FEI Junior Nations Cup 

The $2,500 FEI Junior Nations Cup without question posed the most challenges for the riders, as there were seven individual eliminations across the two rounds of competition. There were numerous stops at the open water, which came as the out of a five-stride line, as well as at the vertical that immediately followed that element, as riders struggled with their horses’ adjustability.

U.S. anchor Brett Burlington, the last rider to go, produced the only clear effort of the first round; she added just one time fault in Round 2. Teammates Kira Kerkorian and Emma Heise followed suit in the second round with clear performances of their own, and Emily Moffitt, who had just one time fault in the first round, added just a one-rail score to that. Team USA finished the competition on a three-fault total, winning gold over Brazil by a comfortable margin of 10 points. Similarly to the Young Rider competition, Ireland was again third.

“I think having this event is a great experience to get your first Nations Cup under your belt at a young age,” Heise said. “You learn how to handle the pressure of competing with a team, being under the lights, and jumping the water under the lights. I think it is a great first experience at what we will hopefully be doing in the future.”

Brett Burlington and Bluf	Team USA takes gold in the FEI Junior Nations Cup

FEI Children’s Nations Cup

In the Children’s Nations Cup, Team Mexico earned the gold medal, finishing on a zero-fault score after two rounds. Not a single Mexican rider hit a rail all day, and anchor Luciana Gonzalez Guerra was not required to jump in either round, though she elected to anyway in Round 1. In addition to Gonzalez Guerra, 13, the team consisted of Franco Huesca Perez (13), Nicole Velazco Magana (12) and Jose Maria Quintana Melgoza (13). Their chef d’equipe was Mauricio Guerra.

“My dream came true because of my team,” Gonzalez Guerra said. “Thank you, team!”

The United States took home the silver medal with a four-fault total score. Brazil was third.

Jose Mara Quintana Melgoza and Romarin de Louzes of Team Mexico	Team Mexico takes the podium following their win in the FEI Children’s Nations Cup

Fashionable Pride

It wasn’t all about competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center’s International Ring, as jubilant family members cheered home every rider on course, regardless of score. Many of the riders were representing their countries and jumping under the lights for the very first time; it was an achievement just to make a team and participate.

To show their pride, horses, riders and chefs d’equipe alike decked themselves out in festive show attire in a celebration of pure teamwork and nationalism. Below are some images from the evening.

	The United States junior Nations Cup teams were the ladies in blue. The U.S. flag and shield were prominent in the competitors’ attire, as they were emblazoned on show coats, saddle pads and ear bonnets.
The Canadian team spiced up the red maple leaf by surrounding it with a gold horse shoe, shown here embroidered on a team jacket.
	No one had bonnets quite like Argentina! The blue ear hats were embroidered with both the country’s name and flag, one on each ear.
And no one had fans quite like the Irish. These young spectators (or leprechauns?) pulled out all the stops when Team Ireland entered the arena.
	Crazy hair, don’t care. Riders from Colombia and Canada jazzed up their mounts with colorful braids to match their nations’ flags.
In a sea of patriotic scrims, Colombia’s large, bold flag stood out.
	Chefs, coaches, friends and family alike watched anxiously as the riders competed for their respective teams.
United States team member Kira Kerkorian shared a quiet moment with Nightfire 25 before entering the ring for the FEI Junior Nations Cup.
	Sophia Studd of Denmark rode with red-tipped rubber reins.
The eye of the tiger.

For more in depth coverage of WEF 8 and all of the Nations Cup action, pick up a copy of the March 21 and 28 issue of the Chronicle. 

Read all about Ireland’s victory over the United States in the senior Nations Cup, the $150,000 FEI Nations Cup CSIO4****, here.