The Men of Vaulting

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN VAULTING ASSOCIATION 8205 Santa Monica Blvd. #1-288, West Hollywood, CA 90046 www.americanvaulting.org AUGUST 2008 The Pacific Coast A Team earned the Region II Championship with their elegant and solid freestyle on Cheval. Photo: Primo Ponies The Men of Vaulting - page 4 Posters - pages 14, 16 The Model Vaulter - page 13 Summer Fests - page 20 Clarion Call: A Little Volunteering Goes a Long Way If You’re 9 to 90, We Want You! these at once, and we must all hang projects available, check out the AVA Sheri Benjamin together to make USA vaulting a success! website at www.AmericanVaulting.org By the time this August issue is in Our single common interest is to take and click on the left hand section that your hands, the vaulting season will be US vaulting to the next level, and I am says “Get Involved”. over, and after a short rest – if your defi- asking each and every one of you AVA Project Jobs nition of rest includes continuing to feed, members, from ages 9 to 90, to do your Project jobs are for those who like water and exercise the horses as well as part. For those of you 16 and over, I am to see a particular project thru from start continuing to condition yourself – the also asking for a commitment to volun- to finish, and some are a great way to vaulting community will be back in the teer, even if just for a single project a dip your toe in the water of the national saddle (er, surcingle) again. year, at the national level. AVA work. These are projects as big as When you’re in this infrequent and What can a nine-year-old volunteer chairing the AVA Annual Meeting and all too short “vaulting resting phase,” I’d do? At the local level he or she could Convention (multiple days of blood, like to take a moment of your time to ask hand out 30 vaulting flyers to school sweat and tears—this is not exactly one for a little bit of your time for the AVA. classmates publicizing your club’s next of the toe-dipping jobs), to writing a Eleven years ago I was just another demonstration or performance. At the couple of Vaulting World articles per clueless vaulter’s parent who thought National level a youngster could contrib- year, or perhaps indexing and scanning this sport was kinda cool. Today I am ute a poem or story or drawing to Vault- a year’s worth (six issues) of historical the writer of the somewhat irregular AVA ing World or a vaulting-related photo Vaulting World magazines so that we can Blast (errors and accidental omissions in- (kids sure are good with cameras at an keep them in an electronic version on the cluded), a frequent contributor to Vault- early age) for the AVA website? website for all to see. More project jobs? ing World, and the AVA President Elect Writing a new piece of collateral mate- for the upcoming term from November rial for the AVA (brochure, etc.), putting 2008 thru November 2010. together a press release announcing our The next couple of years will be national champions, writing a vaulting especially challenging for the American backgrounder so the press understands Vaulting Association, as we work to what we do and why we do it. These are continue to grow vaulting in the United What can a 90-year-old do? Well all good examples of project jobs. States from the grassroots level, at the Jane Garrod, our 2008 AVA Lifetime same time working to collectively pull Ongoing Jobs Achievement Award winner, is still off America’s first ever World Equestrian Ongoing jobs including serving very active in the AVA Alumni’s Circle on an ongoing committee (publicity, Games World Vaulting Championships at of Friends, which puts on both alumni the Kentucky Horse Park in 2010. coaches committee, horse committee, events and horse training sessions. technical committee, just to name a few), For those of you who read your AVA She has more energy than two average serving on the AVA Board of Directors or Blasts, Vaulting World magazines and the 45-year-olds put together! And her two as an AVA Officer (both elected posi- AVA website, you may notice a continuing children, Jan Garrod and Emma Garrod tions), serving as a web administrator, clarion call: we need more help! The Seely are also active AVA volunteers and much, much more. tradeoff in keeping membership dues at the national level. Jan is the AVA’s Some jobs are bigger than others. so very low (less than $50 for a regular treasurer and Emma wrote (with Isabelle For example, heading the association as membership) is that, by necessity, our Bibbler-Parker) the AVA’s popular Train- president is much more work (OK now, organization is an all-volunteer one. ing for Vaulting Coaches, not to men- I’m just getting myself psyched up for With the exception of a part-time tion her work at USEF and even at the the new job in November!) than being National Office Manager and a very part- international level as the head of the FEI the web administrator for a single section time Vaulting World editor, every single Vaulting Committee. of the website, though both are labeled position in the AVA (from officers, to There is an AVA-related job for “ongoing jobs.” committee chairs to projects) is unpaid. everyone and my goal over the next few Have I piqued your interest? Are Even our two “paid” staffers, Office months is to help our board and com- you feeling like you really, really should Manager Craig Coburn and Vaulting mittee heads to right-size and codify as volunteer for something? I salute you. I World Editor Marianne Rose, put in hun- many of these positions and projects as revere you. I encourage you to take that dreds of hours of volunteer time. Yes, possible. All AVA members and vault- fleeting feeling and actually sign up for and it’s all for the love of the sport. ing evangelists will then be able to more one of the available national jobs or proj- To that end, I am reminded of my easily match skill-sets and time com- ects. Not sure what job might be a fit for favorite quote by Benjamin Franklin: mitments to an AVA volunteer job. If your skill set? Give me a call. I just love “We must hang together, or assuredly many of us volunteered just a little bit at to talk to volunteers who want to help. we shall all hang separately.” While Mr. the national level we would have more The volunteer journey, like life’s Franklin was talking to his colleagues members tackling this important work journey, starts with a single step. Look as they were all signing the Declaration in manageable segments, instead of a at the jobs available at www.american- of Independence in 1776, this quote is relatively few people in danger of getting vaulting.org (“Get Involved”) and just particularly true for the AVA today. volunteer burnout. choose something that sounds interest- We are vaulters and coaches and There are literally hundreds of jobs ing. I promise that you will make a huge longeurs and grooms and judges and available and below is just a sampling. difference, and that at least most of the alumni and parents – or maybe several of For the most up-to-date list of positions/ time, we’ll have great fun! Vaulting World 2 August 2008 beauty around me, I set out tearfully Table of Contents Now, Imagine! on the first mountain adventure with- Nancy Stevens-Brown Volunteering Sheri Benjamin .......... 2 out my friend Peggy-Sue. It has often been pointed out that Now, Imagine one of the major values of vaulting is “You cannot depend on your eyes Nancy Stevens-Brown ................. 3 the chance for vaulters to be creative. when your imagination is out of The Men of Vaulting ....................... 4 Unquestionably imagination inspires focus.” Mark Twain innovation, progress and delight! This Letter to Editor Christie Draper ... 12 spring I was reminded just how much The Model Vaulter Then, not far from our cabin, imagination is truly connected to hap- I came upon a huge bear track! In Nancy Stevens-Brown ............... 13 piness. all my ramblings this was by far the Poster - Patrick Stevens ................ 14 Last Thanksgiving our darling biggest I had ever seen. Awestruck, I CVI*,** Krumke ........................... 15 dog Peggy-Sue was diagnosed with carefully measured, then re-measured congestive heart failure. Her progno- Poster - Devon Maitozo ................ 16 the monster print! It was nine inches sis was very poor so I ceased my trav- Poster - Mary McCormick ............ 15 long! Instantly my imagination went eling in order to stay with her as heart into overdrive conjuring up what the CVIO Aachen ................................ 18 gradually weakened. The vet had also unseen ursine owner of such a hefty Results cautioned us that Peggy-Sue was no foot must look like? How tall? How 5/24-25/08 longer robust enough to go to our high Jackpot Show ......... 20 heavy? What color of Black Bear was country retreat in the Sierra’s. This Reg. IV Champs. 6/7-8/08 ........ 20 he? The unprecedented sighting had was twice the blow, as Peg loved our Woodside Spring Fest 6/8/08 ... 21 swiftly shifted me from poignant, many mountain adventures as much unfocused reflections to childlike Celebration #2 6/21-22/08 ........ 24 as Bill and I did.

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