|
||||||
|
PERHAPS THE IHSA'S MOST UNIQUE FEATURE: THE ALUMNI DIVISIONS The 2009-10 season marks the 40th anniversary of Alumni Classes in IHSA competitions. Since the Fall of 1970 former IHSA riders with diplomas have been coming back to compete in the division, at least for those with one or more IHSA undergraduate shows under their belt (those who competed in the IHSA and used up their eight semesters of eligibility - but are still in school - as well as those who rode once, then withdrew and did not graduate are also eligible to compete in the alumni divisions). The process for an alumni to compete is fairly simple. The interested alumni should contact the alumni rep in her or his area to request information on officially registering for classes. Even if a rider competed in another part of the country as an undergraduate, this rider can show in their current geographic locale. Once the interested rider is registered, then it is simply a matter of signing up for specific shows (getting entries in on time) and then mounting up and competing in them. Should an alumni rider reach 28 points in one of the four alumni divisions (alumni flat and fences for hunter seat, alumni reining and rail for western) this rider automatically qualifies for Regionals in that particular division. Each qualified alumni rider who makes the top two at Regionals in a specific division advances either to Hunter Seat Zones or Western Semifinals (There are a few regions where the top three hunter seat riders advance to Zones). From there the top two in each division at the Zones shows and the top four in each division at Semifinals advance to IHSA Nationals.
It is unclear if the number of alumni competing nationwide is up or down so far in 2009-10. Sadly several regions which previously offerred alumni did not extend such an invitation this season (Boo! Hiss!). Still there have been large numbers turning out in many areas, with the New York Metropolitan area, the Boston area, the Washington, DC area and Tennessee/Kentucky area perhaps showing the most registered alumni riders. The numbers were so good in some areas that the respective alumni reps had to either turn individuals away or allow the interested parties to sign up on a first-come, first-served basis (the latter drawing comparisons to logging on to Ticketmaster when a good concert or sporting event goes on sale). In at least one location riders take turns so to speak, with a rider perhaps showing only every other show or riding in only one of two divisions offerred that day (in this situation expect those with a chance to go to Regionals in only one division to sit out the remaining classes in the division for which they have no chance). If you live in an area where you might be near more than one IHSA region you might contact multiple reps to find out which location has more room for new riders. It should be noted that once a rider starts a season competing in one region she or he is supposed to remain in that region through to the end of the season for the points to officially count. For example someone living in New Jersey could read on Campus Equestrian that four different regions use Briarwood Farm in Readington, New Jersey for several of their shows. This would NOT mean that this rider could show alumni in a Zone 2, Region 1 show at Briarwood one weekend and then in Zone 3, Region 4 there the next. You are locked into whatever region you start the season in, though to be honest there have been exceptions for mid-season relocations to another part of the country which is slightly different than picking and choosing from week-to-week. The intent of the IHSA rules is for an alumni rider to compete in one specific region from start to finish.
Some may ask does it make a difference what level I rode in as an undergraduate if I want to show alumni today? Yes indeed it does make a difference! Riders who did not compete above the walk-trot-canter division for hunter seat or the intermediate western division likely have to go through an evaluation process. However if you have ridden extensively after riding in the IHSA as an undergraduate the evaluation should not be much of an issue. Also if you rode strictly hunter seat or strictly western as an undergraduate but now want to show in the other discipline as an alumni again you would be evaluated and in the response was positiive you would likely be able to ride in both disciplines. Some may wonder at what level is an alumni class judged in relation to a regular, undergraduate IHSA division? For the two hunter seat alumni divisions riders are supposed to be judged at the novice level. Fences are supposed to be set to the novice height. The alumni reining should be similar to open reining. Alumni rail or horsemanship is perhaps judged at the novice western level. If you rode western in the IHSA prior to the Fall of 2003 you may not be aware that novice western horsemanship made its' debut at that time, creating a new level between intermediate western and advanced western (And if you last competed in an IHSA hunter seat show before 1982 you should be aware that there are intermediate flat and intermediate fences divisions between novice and open). Every year an Alumni Rep is choosen by election in each IHSA region where alumni is held. This is the go-to person for those interested in showing alumni in that particular part of the country. Below is a list of the reps who hold this title during the 2009-10 season. None of them bite, so don't be afraid to contact one (or more) of these reps and see about re-joining the IHSA circuit. ---Steve Maxwell The following is a list of the current IHSA Alumni Reps by Region (only Regions currently offering alumni classes are listed; An asterisk * indicates the region is hunter seat only at this time. During the 2009-10 season some regions which normally offer English and Western to undergraduates may not offer both to alumni. Check with the rep in your area for more information.): ZONE 1, REGION 1: Dirk Fogg - dirk.fogg@jwu.edu ZONE 1, REGION 3: Elizabeth Jacobson - elizabethrjacobson@gmail.com ZONE 1, REGION 4*: Anneke Bartelsman - abthebb106@gmail.com ZONE 2, REGION 1: Sandra Sayre - sandrasandrajoy@aol.com ZONE 2, REGION 2: Alicia Fereday Shiland - theshilands@gmail.com ZONE 2, REGION 3: Angela Netoskie - asncdhjc@nycap.rr.com ZONE 2, REGION 4: Jess Nichols - jn2106@gmail.com ZONE 3, REGION 1: Ellen Pitman - emp002@lvc.edu ZONE 3, REGION 2: Jamie Mast - orangeUBU@aol.com ZONE 3, REGION 3: Laura Hetz - lostPC@aol.com ZONE 3, REGION 4: Lena Andrews-Licata - Lena.Licata@yahoo.com ZONE 4, REGION 1*: Mara Thayer - mthayer@usatoday.com ZONE 5, REGION 1: Marianne England - wubbie3me@yahoo.com ZONE 5, REGION 2: Meg Donahue - mhdonahue@bellsouth.net ZONE 6, REGION 1: Melanie Baker - mels_baker@yahoo.com ZONE 6, REGION 2: Megan Carter - mecarter3@gmail.com ZONE 7, REGION 1: Kristina Harkin - harkin@colorado.edu ZONE 7, REGION 2: Meg Johnson - mjohnson@tbjbs.com ZONE 8, REGION 2: Hailey Quirk - haileyquirk@gmail.com ZONE 8, REGION 3: Meghan Sederholm - horsesgalore84@yahoo.com ZONE 9, REGION 1: Christy DeYoung - cldeyoun@purdue.edu ZONE 9, REGION 2: Jennifer Reed - ihsaalumni@yahoo.com ZONE 9, REGION 3: Megan Salazar - megan.salazar@gmail.com
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
HOME
| CONTACT US |
||||||
