The indoor takes up only a small piece of property. The Becker College riding facility has an outdoor across the street and considerable land for future use down the road.

BECKER COLLEGE, WITH HELP FROM HOLY CROSS AND CLARK, HOSTS AN IHSA SHOW FOR THE FIRST TIME

Between the fall of 1988, when Connecticut and Rhode Island schools broke away, and the spring of 2006, the yearly IHSA team standings among colleges and universities in Zone 1, Region 3 had been painstakingly similar. The top three were always Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The top three might finish in different order (Save for Smith winning the region in 1989 and UMass's three-year streak in the mid-1990's, Mount Holyoke has advanced a full team to Zones every other occasion) but not one of the other six to nine teams could ever climb above fourth over a full season.

However as the 2006-07 season progressed it became apparent that this three-way stranglehold on the top spots was coming to an end. Becker College, which had finished fifth in the region each of the previous two seasons, easily finished third with 225 points over eight shows. What may surprise those unfamiliar with Zone 1, Region 3 is that everyone saw the emergence of the Becker team coming.

The moment that the Hawks' fortunes changed dates back to the fall of 2002, when the husband-and-wife team of Ed Paro and Gail Hulick became the Becker coaches. The 2002-03 season was not anything spectacular, with Becker ninth out of 12 teams in the region with only 75 points. But Paro and Hulick stood out, doing a better job of promoting their team and affecting real changes such as the way horse draw is completed. In October of 2003 Becker received another boost, as Dr. Ken Zirkle became the new college President. Zirkle had been President of the University of Findlay for 20 years before taking the Becker position, and during his tenure at Findlay Zirkle was instrumental in making their riding program one of the largest and most respected in the country.

Becker improved dramatically in 2003-04, doubling their point total (actually 156) and climbing to sixth place. Though ridership continued to grow, tragedy struck when Hulick passed away suddenly in February 2005. UMass at Amherst hosted the first Region 3 show of the new calendar year less than three weeks later, dedicating the event to Hulick. The Hawks scored what was then a team-record 28 points that day. Around the same time, President Zirkle gave the go-ahead to start construction on a Becker riding facility.

The expansive Becker outdoor will host classes on October 6th. As of October 3rd the weather forecast for Saturday is partly cloudy with a high of 81 degrees.

A site in Paxton, Massachusetts not far from the Worcester campus was chosen, and by the 2005-06 season Becker was training at this location. Becker finished fifth in both 2005 and 2006, but riders such as 2007 Becker graduate Mary Omelenchuck often outperformed the majority of the competition. Then in 2006-07 Becker nearly won on opening day, and was far closer to Mount Holyoke in the standings through two shows than some wanted to believe. From the third show of the season forward, Becker was never to move up or down from third place overall, eclipsing their '06 point total by 79 points. Though to date Becker had not hosted an IHSA show the decision was made midway through 2006-07 that the Hawks would co-host a fall 2007 show with Holy Cross (the Crusaders also train at Becker's facility. Officially Clark University, which did not field a team in 2006-07 will also co-host).

Which brings us to the present. On Saturday, the sixth of October, Becker will co-host the Region 3 season opener. While it is unclear if the facility (which does not officially have a name, though the Becker Equestrian Center works for us) has hosted a horse show of any kind, it will be the first IHSA show in Paxton, and unless Sunday's predicted showers come early, the entire show will be held outside under partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 80's.

Seen here at 2007 IHSA Nationals with Head Coach Ed Paro, Becker College President Dr. Ken Zirkle (right) held the same title at the University of Findlay when the Oiler's riding program took off in a big way (including English and Western IHSA National Champion Teams in 2001).

This writer has seen the facility, and is impressed. The outdoor ring could host multiple classes simulaniously if necessary. "The farm sits on 100 acres of land with 40 acres of horse paddocks with four season Nelson water systems," says Paro. "The farm is extremely horse friendly, and as a sports facility is quite nicely provisioned."

Dignitaries such as IHSA Founder and Executive Director Bob Cacchione are expected to attend the show. Though it is not clear if Zirkle will be in attendance, Paro is grateful for all that the President has provided.

"Dr. Zirkles' support made the difference from having a mediocre small college program as a hobby for the students to a full academic Equine Studies program and a varsity Equestrian Team. He continues to support the growth of the program and the accompanying facilities. He is a strong proponent of the equestrian sport. Without him we would not have this program at Becker."

It will be interesting to see how much progress Becker makes in 2007-08. If they increase their point total by another 79 points the Hawks' year-end total would be 329, 25 points more than what Mount Holyoke scored last season!

--Steve Maxwell