Emanuel Andrade, pictured competing with Crossfire 10, will once again represent Venezuela in the second annual Hollow Creek Junior FEI Nations’ Cup. Photo by Mancini Photos.
Wellington, Florida – For the second year, Hollow Creek Farm will generously sponsor FEI Nations’ Cup events for Children, Juniors and Young Riders at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) in Wellington, Florida.
The marquee events for up and coming riders are held during CSIO week at FTI WEF, running February 26 to March 2, 2014, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Having held senior FEI Nations’ Cup competition since 2002, adding the three separate team competitions for Children, Juniors and Young Riders to the FTI WEF line-up was a natural fit. And the timing on the schedule couldn’t be better. After being inspired by watching the senior Furusiyya FEI Nations’ Cup competition on Friday night, the next generation of show jumping athletes will strive to proudly represent their respective countries in Saturday’s two-round team competition.
Like last year, the first round of the FEI Nations’ Cup for all three divisions will be held on Saturday afternoon in the International Arena. The second round of competition will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday night, giving the young riders a rare opportunity to compete under the lights in a night event, cheered on by an enthusiastic and patriotic crowd. In the evening event, the Children’s FEI Nations’ Cup for riders aged 12 to 14 will be held first, followed by the Junior FEI Nations’ Cup for riders aged 14 to 18. The Young Rider FEI Nations’ Cup will be Saturday night’s third and final team competition, featuring competitors aged 16 to 21.
Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Germany, Mexico, the United States and Venezuela have all confirmed their participation. Thanks to Hollow Creek Farm, who has generously sponsored the high cost of flying the horses internationally, many riders will be traveling from their home countries to compete in the event on their own horses.
While show jumping is primarily an individual sport, the importance of learning to compete as a team member is an essential part of every rider’s development.
“I think it’s important for the kids to have an opportunity to experience riding on a team early on, before they get to the top level,” said Angel Karolyi of Hollow Creek Farm, who has ridden on numerous Nations’ Cup teams for his native Venezuela including at the 2011 Pan American Games. “It’s a completely different competition than all of the other individual classes. The whole purpose is quite different. Yes, you want to go clear and produce a good round, but it’s also about doing what’s best for the team. You can’t think only about yourself; you have to think about the other people representing your country and together plan a strategy to be the best team on the day.”
While the Hollow Creek FEI Nations’ Cup events will give experience to developing riders, Karolyi believes there are additional benefits for the sport as well.
“Having had this interesting experience, it might motivate up and coming riders to get deeper into the sport, to become more involved and committed to competing,” said Karolyi of the potential for future development. “As a concept, having Nations’ Cup divisions for Children, Junior and Young Rider competitors will help our sport grow as a whole.”
This may only be the second year of the Hollow Creek FEI Nations’ Cup program, but Karolyi sees no limit as to how far it can go.
“We have more countries competing this year, and I think it will become an even bigger deal as the years go by,” said Karolyi, noting that last year there were eight nations participating, and this year there are 10. “There will be more interest from other countries to come and compete, and it will continue to grow. Mark Bellissimo and his team are doing a great job with WEF; it’s become the main place for people to come for the sport. I think the Hollow Creek FEI Nations’ Cup events will become very prestigious in the years ahead.”
Hollow Creek Farm’s interest in encouraging young athletes to experience riding in a team format stems from its star pupil, Emanuel Andrade. At only 16 years of age, Andrade was named the Leading Jumper Rider of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, an incredible achievement for any competitor. His long list of accomplishments during last year’s FTI WEF included claiming 14 Championship titles and 10 Reserve Championship titles won primarily in the Low, Medium and High Junior Jumper divisions. Last year, Andrade was a member of the Venezuelan team that claimed bronze in the Junior FEI Nations’ Cup. He will once again be riding as a member of the Venezuelan Junior Nations’ Cup team in 2014.
In addition to the FEI Nations’ Cup events, Hollow Creek Farm will sponsor special Children’s, Junior, and Young Rider Welcome classes on Wednesday, February 26, and Classics for each division on Thursday, February 28, all to be held in the International Arena. Hollow Creek Farm is also the weekly title sponsor of the Medium Junior Jumper division for the duration of the 12-week FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival.
“It is really exciting for us to be a part of this Nations’ Cup program, which is so innovative and unique,” concluded Karolyi. “We are proud to be able to support both the sport itself and the young up and coming riders who are the future of show jumping. There is no better showcase for this type of event than at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, and we wish all of the competitors the best of luck!”
For more information on Hollow Creek, please visit www.hollowcreekfarms.com.
Contact: Jennifer Ward
Starting Gate Communications
Cell: (613) 292-5439
www.startinggate.ca