Brett Sterling (center) filled in for Grand Valley State Head Coach Mark Tompkins at the February 6th, 2005 Findlay show with considerable success. Kate Mason (left) and Katarina Focht (right) not only won blue ribbons for the Lakers, Mason ended up High Point Rider while Focht took part in a ride-off for Reserve.

FINDLAY WINS CLOSE CONTEST AT HOME

Findlay, OH - "Findlay. We have to face them every week. When people think of the best IHSA programs, they think of Findlay."

These words come from Grand Valley State open rider Marshall Stevens, who hit the nail right on the head. Eight Region 3 Teams routinely take on the Findlay oilers, and try as they might, they come up with good efforts but not enough to keep the five-time defending Region 3 champions from consistently scoring in the 30's.

Since an opening day tie with Otterbein (at which time both schools scored 39 points - still the highest score for any Region 3 team this season), Findlay has won five hunter seat shows in a row outright, proving to be a model of consistency. The oiler point totals to date have been 39, 36, 35, 35, 34 and 35! Led today by open flat/intermediate fences rider Brittaney Moon (a sophomore from Aspen, Colorado whose first on the flat and second over fences put her into a ride-off for reserve), Findlay led the way with six blue ribbons. Katie Johnston started the day with a first over open fences, while novice flat riders Becky Baumel and Courtney Brennan and advanced walk-trot-canter riders Amy Buchert and Kara Grant also won classes. Moon won the ride-off for reserve over Grand Valley State freshman Katarina Focht while the oiler's 35-point total was two better than reserve team Otterbein, still in second but now trying to overcome the oilers' 214-187 lead.

Western Michigan, which has scored between 24 and 34 at each of the first six shows, earned the midpoint with 29 today. Strangely enough, the broncos had no ribbon above yellow until the fifteenth class of the day, when Nadine Belitz won her section of advanced walk-trot-canter. Laura Zverina was reserve in the second section of beginner walk-trot-canter while Allison Wagner won the final class of the entire day, earning seven points for Western Michigan in the walk-trot division. The broncos trail Otterbein for reserve by only six points overall and have home field (home ring?) advantage at the Cheff Center come March 12th.

Michigan State also won a pair of blue ribbons. Samantha Snyder won the third of three open flat sections while senior Nick Fluture won his first-ever IHSA blue ribbon in walk-trot. Fluture has 27 points and if two shows remain he still has a chance to qualify for Regionals. Michigan State scored 23 points for the day.

University of Michigan senior Sarah Huth won her section of Intermediate Fences at Findlay on February 6th. Huth is also a successful stock seat rider, having qualified for Regionals in intermediate western.

Sometimes results can be deceiving, as Grand Valley State earned some of the best placings of the day but did not have as much to show for it on the scoreboard. Katarina Focht started the hot streak for the lakers with a first in section A of novice fences. Teammate Kate Mason then won section B. However neither were pointed. Following open flat, Mason came up a winner in section A of intermediate flat, and would eventually claim high point rider status as the lone double-blue ribbon winner on this day. Section B of intermediate flat went to Erin Burlingham (who had apparently been pointed in novice fences) while Focht was reserve in section B of novice flat. Focht, a freshman from Clinton Township, Michigan, rode off for reserve against Moon, with the Findlay rider prevailing on her home turf. With Head Coach Mark Tompkins at a non-IHSA show, Assistant Coach Brett Sterling guided the lakers on this day. This may have helped Mason to some extent, as the senior from Sparta, Michigan has ridden with Sterling all her life. The lakers finished the day with 21 points, though their performance was more deserving of roughly 30.

The Grand Valley State team was a little unlucky in that Stevens and Jen Manvel pinned lower than usual, though their riding was still top-notch for the most part. Stevens (who seems to know and be known by everyone in the region) blamed his "Unlucky White Tie" for the off-day. Stevens was still optimistic that if two shows remained he could still qualify for Regionals.

Albion College was next with 17 points. Halley Sissom earned the briton's highest placing with a second in novice flat. Jessica Zuiderveen (in novice fences) and Nicole Clipper (in walk-trot) claimed third place ribbons.

Perhaps hampered by the lack of a novice rider, Hillsdale College earned only eleven points. However the chargers still have the region's leading open rider in sophomore Megan Kaminski. With a second in open fences and a fourth in open flat, Kaminski now leads Johnston by four and Patterson by six. Teammate Betsy Teetor was third over open fences and fifth in open flat, leaving her with 39 points, sixteen behind Kaminski. Though we know of only one remaining Region 3 hunter seat show (The March 12th Western Michigan show) there were some in attendance who claimed two remained. If this proves to be true, the race to be high point open rider for the season and represent the region at Nationals in the Cacchione Cup has a long way to go!

Seen here with her Mother, Kara Grant of Findlay was one of six oiler riders to win a class on February 6th. Grant won the third of three sections of advanced walk-trot-canter.

Though they finished the day with only five points, Ohio Wesleyan did so with only three riders and three divisions filled. Advanced walk-trot-canter rider Lindsay Bertch earned all of the battling bishops' points with a second. Head Coach Kim Lemmon (who rode for Ohio State in the mid 1990's) said their forte is stock seat, though several other hunter seat riders could be showing in the near future.

Though one alumni flat class was held during the fall, the alumni divisions were not part of today's show, guaranteeing that no one will reach the 28 point level normally required to qualify for Regionals. Should two more shows take place, and alumni classes were to be held at both, then the IHSA itself would have to make a decision about lowering the points to allow the top alumni flat rider in the region to go directly to Zones. For the record, Zone 6, Region 2 does not have alumni this season, while Zone 6, Region 1 has been very popular with alumni, as no less than seven different individuals have participated in Eastern Ohio IHSA Shows this season. If someone can take advantage of the points being lowered, that rider would face two riders from Region 1 at Zone 6 Zones April 17th.

Perhaps a rear-view mirror would help: There were eight riders enterred in class 7A, the first of three open flat sections. At one point Judge Peggy Lefelhocz asked the 7A riders to reverse at the canter. The riders were somehow separated just the right way for a series of near head-on collisions. Considering the number of "Oohs" and "Aahs" from the audience it was fortunate that everyone somehow steered away from actual contact.

Will it be the Yankees or Red Sox playing the Reds in the World Series?: Lefelhocz proved to be a clairvoyant with regard to predicting the Super Bowl. During a schooling break Lefelhocz said that New England would win, but that Philadelphia was too good not to cover the spread, which was seven points. Sure enough, New England won later that evening by a 24-21 score.

These people can ride!: Though it was this writer's first time at a Zone 6, Region 3 show, it is my observation that Stevens' words at the beginning of this piece ring true. While Findlay is known all around the IHSA for accomplishments such as finishing second or higher at three of the past four IHSA National shows, the rest of Region 3 should be given credit for making Findlay EARN their way to Nationals. Though Findlay won six blue ribbons at today's show (in the James L. Childs Equestrian Complex, in which the oilers do some of their training), fifteen times the blue ribbon went to someone from another Region 3 school. Findlay may lead Otterbein by 27, but it has taken many shows to gradually build that lead. It would be very interesting to see how many of these schools would fair head-to-head against teams along the East Coast. If they ride like this all the time, then Zone 6, Region 3 would be a top ten region if polls existed to rank IHSA Regions.

--Steve Maxwell

Show Incidentals: Mostly Cloudy skies, with High Temperatures in the low 50's. Entire show held indoors. Start time: 10:10AM. Finish: 3:50PM - includes a one Hour and thirteen minute lunch break/Coaches and Captains Meeting. Point Cards posted in this Region? No, however scores from each division are posted following completion of the division. Alumni Classes held in this region? Yes but not on this day. Judge: Peggy Lefelhocz. Stewards: Blades/University of Michigan, Cryan/Otterbein College and Stewart/Western Michigan University.

Team Totals: University of Findlay (High Point Team) 35; Otterbein College (Reserve) 33; University of Michigan 31; Western Michigan University 29; Michigan State University 23; Grand Valley State University 21; Albion College 17; Hillsdale College 11 and Ohio Wesleyan University 5.

High Point Rider - Kate Mason, Grand Valley State University
Reserve High Point Rider - Brittaney Moon, University of Findlay