The world of vaulting has come a long way in just the four years since the last World Equestrian Games. Not only are new faces setting ever more demanding standards for the sport, but the sport itself has also gone through some substantial changes of its own.

Teams of eight are now down to six, reducing the time limits for team routines and the overall strain on the horse.

The notion of vaulting as primarily a youth sport has also been challenged by the removal of age limits for team members. We now see different ages working together more than in other sports, adding even more diversity and sophistication to an event that already challenged any notion of what’s possible on the back of the horse.

On the individual vaulting front, we’ve also seen great changes, with the second round of compulsories being replaced by a more spectator-friendly technical routine and vocalized music now allowed in the ring. The creative limits are endless, and our top vaulters and teams have jumped to the challenge by embracing this new format with exciting results.

Still, while the dream to earn a WEG medal may be shared by all competitors, there are some who can feel those medals around their necks already. Some are rather familiar faces, but this year some notable new faces may just step ahead of the pack.

She Wants Gold
Sissi Jartz of Austria is the new girl on a golden mission. With her recent wins at CVI Stadl Paura (Austria) and CVI Munich (Germany), she’s made herself very clear. She wants gold, and she seems to have the horse and the fortitude to go and get it.

Sissi is no beginner on the international vaulting scene, but in the last year she’s truly skyrocketed from being merely top 10 to being Austria’s first female with her name on the podium.

Multiple silver medalist Rikke Lauman of Denmark would have been a good bet for a gold in Aachen had she not recently torn the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee in competition, clearing the field for others to take her place.

What about the current World Champion, Nicola Stroh of Germany? Despite a year plagued by two serious knee injuries, both requiring surgery, Nicola is planning to maintain her top spot, even though she hasn’t competed internationally for almost two years. Nicola is an awesome competitor, though, and if her knee holds up, only luck will determine which of the three medals she’ll wear in Aachen.

As is almost always the case with vaulting, that luck will likely ride on the four hooves that will carry her, and this time she won’t be on the horse she used to win her last gold. His name is Centuro, and he’s a horse that seems to canter to a built-in metronome. Our own Megan Benjamin of the USA has scooped up Centuro, and I’m sure the Germans are sweating about letting such a good mount slip to such a capable “Auslander.”

Nicola has made the risky decision to take the ring in Aachen on her own new horse. If it works out, her medal may feel all the better. Either way, Nicola will be watching Megan take advantage of the mount who helped her win gold two years prior.

The third medal position will make for an exciting battle this year. Megan made her move by earning second place at the CVI Munich last month, leaving the rest of the ladies a bit shell-shocked. At 18 years old, Megan is the youngest medal contender on the scene, but she’s shown the rest that her maturity as a vaulter is well beyond her years.

Megan is strong, smooth, and knows how to make adjustments in the ring that keep her looking her best. Her strategy works well, especially when others shoot and miss.

Will she be able to hold off the current European Champion, Anja Barwig? Anja has a good shot at a medal with her contortionist style, but we’ll have to see if her nerves get to her. They’ve been a problem this season, keeping her from the top.

Will Megan’s knack for security and technical precision slide her above the rest? One thing’s for sure: Megan is the USA’s only realistic hope for an individual medal in Aachen.

He’s Got A Winning Formula
In the men’s individual competition, the man to beat is current World Champion Kai Vorberg of Germany, and beating him will take some doing. Kai has found a winning formula of theatricality and technique in the past two years that’s brought him from his previous standing as Germany’s second-string man to this year’s most likely gold medalist. He has a great horse, and his win in Munich just solidified his lead in the minds of most.

Despite the odds against him, it would be naive to rule out a gold medal for the vaulting community’s most graceful champion, Matthias Lang of France. With gold medals from 2000 and 2002, Matthias demands respect and can out-vault anybody out there if luck is on his side.

When it comes to elegance and harmony with the horse, Matthias is in a class of his own. His second-placed finish in CVI Munich wasn’t far behind Kai, but an injury to his heel on his final dismount may get in the way of his plans for Aachen.

There are other men to keep on the radar screen, most notably Peter Eim of the Czech Republic and Gero Meyer of Germany. Peter has demanded attention in recent years with his precise body control, flexibility, and knack for executing difficult exercises with ease.

The one thing that seems to keep him behind competitors like Kai and Matthias is his lack of a clear style that hasn’t been borrowed from others. He’s very good, though, and if others don’t keep things spotless, Peter will gladly grab a top medal.

So may Gero, who already has two World Championship silver medals in his personal collection. Despite his inconsistency in recent years, it would be wrong to count out this old expert for a place on the podium. Gero is a solid competitor with a signature style. His gravity defying turns and unlikely positions are always impressive, especially for a man his size.

Although he’s unlikely to beat Kai or Matthias if they’re on their game, he’s definitely one who’ll take a medal away from the favorites if they slip.

If it weren’t for a recent back injury, Spain’s Ararat Martin would be in clear medal contention in Aachen too. Ararat has been an exciting new vaulting personality in recent years with his musical interpretation and expressive style. But he wasn’t able to compete in Munich, so we’ll have to see if he can pull things together for Aachen.

A U.S. Upset?
Although it will be fascinating to watch the individuals vault for position at Aachen, the true drama will be in the team competition. And this time around medals are truly up for grabs.

Traditionally, the only questions have been whether the Germans or the Swiss would get the gold and which country would slip into the third spot. This time it’s far from being so clear.

Of course the Germans and the Swiss are still on the list of teams to beat, but so are the Slovakians, the Austrians, and most defin-itely our own U.S. team. This year’s U.S. entry–my own F.A.M.E. team from California–truly has a realistic chance of getting a medal in Aachen, possibly even reaching the highest honor. We became the first U.S. team ever to win a CVI at Munich last month, but this will be much harder.

That victory was a great confidence booster for our team, though, especially on a newly leased horse who, at an astonishing 18.3 hands, would tower above our normal 17-hand equestrian partner.

Even though the four most dangerous teams weren’t in Munich to compete against us, we’ve gained momentum and left others biting their fingernails and studying videotapes to determine what it is that we have and they don’t.

This year’s U.S. team is a composite team, including me, from F.A.C.E. (Free Artists Creative Equestrians) of Southern California and Mount Eden Vaulting Club of Northern California. The acronym F.A.M.E. was the comical result. Everyone dreams of their 15 minutes of it, and we’ll do our best to get ours in Aachen.

The Austrians are probably the team most prepared to keep us from that goal.

The word on the streets is that they’ve put together an incredibly strong team this year, and, according to them, they already have the gold medal. It’s a pretty sure bet that they’ll earn a podium position, so long as their horse plays along.

The Germans, represented by the all-girl team of Neuss Grimlinghausen, have other plans, though. Neuss has earned numerous gold medals at previous World Championships, and they most likely believe they can continue their winning tradition. Their teams have always been solid and innovative, but it’s been eight years since they’ve represented their country at the ultimate world stage, and the sport has come a long way since then. They’re known to vault very cleanly, but their weakness may be in their compulsories.

The Swiss, this year represented by their flagship team of St. Gallen, may also have the same weakness, but, again, their strength is in the technical precision of their freestyle. St. Gallen has won multiple medals in the past too, but they’ve remained relatively isolated in recent years and haven’t competed internationally.

The other team with momentum toward the podium is the current European Cham-pion team from Slovakia. The Slovakians upended the more traditional winners at last year’s championship by demonstrating a difficult and high-energy freestyle, taking advantage of their three men and their expressive flyer very well. How they’ll fare this year remains to be seen, but they’re undoubtedly looking to get onto the podium.

The team competition will certainly be a battle to the end, and the performance of each team’s horse will very likely tilt the scale between silver and gold medals.

One thing is for sure: winning in Aachen will be an immeasurable honor.

The results of this single competition will resonate throughout the vaulting community and the greater equestrian community and will set the popular image of our sport for years to come.

Devon Maitozo, of Simi Valley, Calif., has won four individual medals at the World Vaulting Championships–three bronze (in 1996, 2000 and 2002) and the gold in 1998. He’s been coaching since 1999, and at this WEG he’ll be coaching and competing on the U.S. team.

The U.S. Vaulting Team
F.A.M.E. – Free Artists Creative Equestrians & Mount Eden Vaulting Club
Megan Benjamin: age 18, Saratoga, Calif.
Blake Dahlgren: age 22, Sun Valley, Calif.
Elizabeth Ioannou: age 10, Saratoga, Calif.
Devon Maitozo: age 30, Simi Valley, Calif.
Katie Ritchie: age 19, Santa Cruz, Calif.
Rosalind Ross: age 15, Woodside, Calif.
Annalise Vanvranken: age 14, Mays Landing, N.J.

Individuals
Megan Benjamin: age 18, Saratoga, Calif.
Elizabeth Osborn: age 16, Menlo Park, Calif.
Mary McCormick: age 23, Woodside, Calif.
Kenny Geisler: age 25, Diamond Bar, Calif.
Todd Griffiths: age 27, Pullman, Wash.
Chris Littman: age 22, Agoura, Calif.

Reserve
Alicen Divita: age 17, Redwood City, Calif.