The
American Young Riders Championships were the first show
to try out the new system with a Prix St. Georges freestyle
as individual final and no preliminary test serving
as warm up. The team championship test opened the competition
and the battle was immediately heart-to-heart as the
points not only counted for the team's overall, but
also for an individual qualification. For a moment the
gold looked secured for the German team as four of its
members rode top notch scores of 68% and 69%.
Dutch Chef d'Equipe Francis Verbeek told her last,
and on paper least, rider of the Dutch team that she
shouldn't feel pressured because the silver was already
in the bag. Annemiek van der Vorm, however, rode the
test of her life with her Agrovorm's Incredible (by
Voltaire); clean, clear and elegant resulting in a score
of 70.92% which not only meant first place in the team
test but also gold for Holland. "The euphoria in our
camp was so big that I still get goosebumps when I think
about it," Francis Verbeeks said. Holger Schmezer agreed
with Verbeek on Van der Vorm's test. "Annemiek really
performaned strongly, but both our youngest team members
did very well too. The routiniers of our team rode below
their level in this first test," Schmezer explained.
The
American Young Riders Championships were the first show
to try out the new system with a Prix St. Georges freestyle
as individual final and no preliminary test serving
as warm up. The team championship test opened the competition
and the battle was immediately heart-to-heart as the
points not only counted for the team's overall, but
also for an individual qualification. For a moment the
gold looked secured for the German team as four of its
members rode top notch scores of 68% and 69%.
