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2008 IHSA WESTERN SEMIFINALS: THE ROAD TO BURBANK MORE DIFFICULT FOR SOME THAN FOR OTHERS If you were fortunate enough to attend or compete at 2007 IHSA Nationals in West Springfield, Massachusetts you saw nine western teams compete for the right to be called the 2007 IHSA National Champion. The University of Findlay won early and often, eventually setting a record with 38 of a possible 42 points and a twenty-point win over reserve champion Ohio State. Also on hand with full western teams were Middle Tennessee State, Morrisville State, Oregon State, St. Mary of the Woods College, Black Hawk College, West Texas A & M University and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. These nine schools all managed to win their respective regions and survive the first-annual Western Semifinal competitions. Remember those names. Findlay, Ohio State, Middle Tennessee State, Morrisville State, Oregon State, St. Mary of the Woods, Black Hawk, West Texas A & M and Nebraska. That was last Season. Though every one of these teams save for (surprisingly) Middle Tennessee State is currently leading their respective regions in 2007-08 the road to this year's IHSA Nationals in Burbank, California may create a very different-looking field. Unlike the hunter seat Zones shows, where the team with the most points in their region faces off against two or three others which did the same elsewhere within their zone, Semifinals are essentially a random draw. An example would be that two of the four regions in Zone 6 will send their riders and teams to the Semifinal in Laurinburg, North Carolina while the other two travel to Cazenovia, New York and Canyon, Texas, respectively. The top three teams emerging from each of the Semifinal Team Competitions will live to fight another day, competing at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, California May 8th through 11th at IHSA Nationals. Teams that place fourth or below in the team competition have to wait until next season to work their way back to Semifinals. How does one qualify individually? Open and Alumni riders who earn 28 points and riders in all other divisions who earn 35 points qualify for Regionals. At Regionals one must place first or second to advance to Semifinals. However at Semifinals one must place only fourth or higher to qualify for Nationals. This may seem easier, but up to sixteen riders might be in the division with you, all seeking a top four placing. When the dust settles there should be 12 riders at IHSA Nationals competing in each of the individual western divisions. Those who are on a full team that wins their respective region are in a different boat. The Coach (in most cases) picks which riders will compete in the team classes. Each team class will be made up of between six and eight riders. Riders earn points the usual way in these classes, with seven points for first, five for second, four for third, etc. At the end of the show the top three teams advance to Nationals. If there is a tie that affects which teams are going to Nationals then the tie is broken as follows: First tie-breaker criteria is the total number of first-place finishes. Second tie-breaker is the total number of second-place finishes. Third tie-breaker is the highest total in the reining division. Should there still be a tie, a class from the show will be pre-assigned, and the tied school with the highest placed rider in that pre-assigned tiebreaker class will win the tie. With the regions pre-assigned their location for the Semifinals it is worth looking at the potential team match-ups should the leaders around the IHSA stay in first place during the regular season: The Cazenovia, New York Semifinal: Buckeye tradition versus several programs on the rise! Ohio State traveled across country for Semifinals last season and won. This time the eight-time National Champion Buckeyes have a shorter commute, to the Cazenovia College Equestrian Center, site of 1999 and 2002 IHSA Nationals, at which Ohio State won or shared the championship. Though it is premature to say Ohio State will have a full team at Semi's it would be the story of the decade if another Zone 6, Region 1 team can rally and deny the Buckeyes their 22nd consecutive western regional title. The smallest of the Semifinals in terms of the number of team entries also features the Zone 9, Region 1 winner, which could be a St. Mary of the Woods team which finished third at 2007 IHSA Nationals behind Findlay and Ohio State. Other regions sending riders/teams are Zone 5, Region 2 (Berry College leads this region by 22 over Judson College at the break), Zone 3, Region 4 (West Virginia is vying for a fourth consecutive region title but with Kutztown only 13 behind the door has not yet been closed behind them), Zone 8, Region 2 (Cal Poly - Pomona has the lead here but weather and wildfire issues forced many of the shows to be postponned until the spring so nothing is set in stone just yet) and Zone 2, Region 2, for which we do not have the current team standings but we know Cazenovia College is getting quite a run for their money from one of the S.U.N.Y. schools. The survivor in Zone 2, Region 2 will likely have the shortest drive to this Semifinal, though it remains to be seen if this will be a short drive from campus or if it will involve the New York Thruway. The Cazenovia Semifinal show itself will feature a mix of the established and those who want to pull an upset. The Laurinburg, North Carolina Semifinal: The Underdogs have a chance! No matter what happens between now and March 30th, when the results are announced at the St. Andrews Presbyterian College Equestrian Center that afternoon it is safe to say at least two IHSA programs which did not advance a full western team to IHSA Nationals last season will take a full western team to Nationals this year. This is because seven of the eight regions which take riders to Laurinburg did not see their region champion western teams survive Semi's last season. The only team with a chance to return to Nationals via the road paved through North Carolina is Black Hawk College. The 2006-07 Zone 9, Region 2 champion western team leads Missouri State by 21 at the break and hope to improve on their 2007 National showing if they make it back, having come in last with only two points. Still this is a formidable Black Hawk Team which will face riders/teams from Zone 8, Region 1 (Stanford leads College of the Sequoias by 30 at the break; This writer hopes the Cardinal get to host Semifinals next season at the Red Barn Equestrian Center. They have earned the right to fall out of bed to get to the barn for Semi's after having to travel to Findlay, Ohio last season and perhaps North Carolina in March); Zone 6, Region 2 (the best western race in the country. Midway College leads Morehead State 95-94 at the break. With Miami of Ohio no longer in this region to repeat as the region champion someone will get to take a team to Semi's for the first time), Zone 6, Region 4 (Michigan State clinched the Region 4 title on January 19th, becoming the first team in the country to secure a place at Semi's), Zone 3, Region 2 (Delaware Valley College holds a huge 53 point lead at the break), Zone 2, Region 1 (the other best western race in the country. The United States Military Academy leads the reborn Centenary College western team 126-125 at the break. Ironically much of Centenary's success stems from freshman open rider Randi Cashman, whose father and mother are the co-coaches of the USMA team!), Zone 5, Region 3 (Campus Equestrian does not have the standings for this region) and the hosts, Zone 4, Region 3 (St. Andrews is looking for a third consecutive region title. The Knights lead Martin Community College 130-105 at the break). With so many evenly-matched teams (but not necessarily on the same level as some of the teams at the other two Semifinals) someone will advance to Southern California and get a chance to take their program to the next level. The Canyon, Texas Semifinal: The Ring of Doom! It is not too often that, on paper at least, a Semifinal or Zones show is so strong that one isn't sure if the defending National Champion is safe to move on to Nationals. Considering the past history of the teams which will compete in Laurinburg by total contrast the field in Canyon is extraordinary. If this was the announcement of the World Cup Soccer brackets the media would be calling this collection the "Match of Death!" Going to Canyon and the West Texas A & M Horse Center could be the defending champ Findlay (Zone 6, Region 1), Oregon State (Zone 8, Region 4; finished in a tie for fourth at '07 Nationals; still have to win in their own region with many shows still to come), the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (Zone 9, Region 3; finished a point behind Oregon State at '07 Nationals; Compete against ten other schools in their own region and lead second-place North Dakota State by 39 at the break), Morrisville State College (Zone 2, Region 3; The Mustangs have taken a full team to IHSA Nationals every year this decade but must fight off a pesky S.U.N.Y. - Cobleskill team to get to Texas in '08), Utah State (Zone 8, Region 3; Up by 18 on Rocky Mountain College at the break, looking to repeat as a Region Champion), Murray State (Zone 5, Region 1; The Racers are trying to knock off Middle Tennessee State for the region title, which has not been done in many years. The Racers lead the Blue Raiders by 28 points but only three of eight Region 1 shows are in the books; Middle Tennessee State tied Oregon State for fourth at 2007 Nationals), the Zone 7, Region 2 high point team and the host West Texas A & M Buffaloes (Zone 7, Region 1; Finished a point behind Nebraska - Lincoln at '07 Nationals). So good is the potential field in Canyon that some would argue there will be a superior display of reining and horsemanship at this Semifinal than at the Nationals show in Burbank come May. Though Semifinals have been dubbed 'Mini-Nationals' by some this particular competition might be close to the real thing. Not to slight the Hunter Seat Zones shows, but Semifinals are referred to as 'Mini-Nationals' or 'Super Zones' in part because of the pageantry. At the Canyon Semifinal for example there will be an evening social event and/or meal with the American Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame and Museum in Amarillo, Texas following the Saturday session. There will be events over the weekend at the other sites as well. Though we have focused on the team competition, there will in fact be more riders surviving Semi's through the individual classes. No matter how you look at it, the set-up of this year's Region pairings at the three sites gives everyone genuine hope going in. --Steve Maxwell THE SECOND-ANNUAL IHSA WESTERN SEMIFINALS WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS, WITH TEAMS AND RIDERS FROM THE REGIONS LISTED BELOW: REGIONS TRAVELING TO CAZENOVIA, NY (MARCH 29TH AND 30TH AT 9:00AM EASTERN TIME EACH MORNING): ZONE 2, REGION 2 ZONE 3, REGION 4 ZONE 5, REGION 2 ZONE 6, REGION 1 ZONE 8, REGION 2 ZONE 9, REGION 1 REGIONS TRAVELING TO LAURINBURG, NORTH CAROLINA (MARCH 29TH AT 8:15AM AND MARCH 30TH AT 8:00AM EASTERN TIME): ZONE 2, REGION 1 ZONE 3, REGION 2 ZONE 4, REGION 3 ZONE 5, REGION 3 ZONE 6, REGION 2 ZONE 6, REGION 4 ZONE 8, REGION 1 ZONE 9, REGION 2 REGIONS TRAVELING TO CANYON, TEXAS (MARCH 29TH AND 30TH AT 8:00AM CENTRAL TIME EACH MORNING): ZONE 2, REGION 3 ZONE 5, REGION 1 ZONE 6, REGION 3 ZONE 7, REGION 1 ZONE 7, REGION 2 ZONE 8, REGION 3 ZONE 8, REGION 4 ZONE 9, REGION 3
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