Inaugural USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships Kick-Off at Tryon International Equestrian Center

Juniors, Amateurs and Professionals to Represent Zones 3 and 4 in 1.40/1.45m Team and Individual Competition

Mill Spring, N.C.—July 11, 2019—The inaugural 1.40m/1.45m USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships kick off today with Zones 3 & 4 competing at the host location of the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, the Tryon International Equestrian Center, in North Carolina.

The USHJA congratulates the following athletes who are competing in the Platinum Jumper Championships this week: 

1.40/1.45m Platinum Jumper Championship Competitors

Zone 3 Competitors
•    John Angus, Mooresboro, N.C. (Junior)
•    Katlynn Butler, Mechanicsville, Va. (Amateur)
•    Greer Campbell, Charlotte, N.C. (Junior)
•    Laura Gaither Ulrich, Raleigh, N.C. (Professional)
•    Tamara Morse, Washington, D.C. (Amateur)
•    Shelly Zimmerli, Fairfax Station, Va. (Junior)
•    Sandra Zimmerli, Fairfax Station, Va. (Professional)

Zone 4 Competitors
•    Lauren Balcomb, Citra, Fla. (Professional)
•    Marquee Cincotta, Odessa, Fla. (Professional)
•    Faith Davis, Gurley, Ala. (Amateur)
•    Nicole Loochtan, Riviera Beach, Fla. (Amateur)
•    Ashley Pace, Atlanta, Ga. (Amateur)
•    Brittni Raflowitz, Wellington, Fla. (Professional)
•    Jesse Smith, Wellington, Fla. (Amateur)

Leading the teams at the championships are Zone 3 Chefs d'Equipe Sandra Ruiz and Brooke Kemper, and Zone 4 Chefs d'Equipe Kim Land, Shawn Russell and Megan Thiel.

Junior, amateur and professional riders from Zone 3 and Zone 4 who have qualified for this new 1.40/1.45m team and individual championship competition, participated in an official jog and rider's meeting Wednesday. The competition kicks off today with the First Individual Qualifier, held as an overlay on the existing $1,000 1.40m Open Jumper Class, sponsored by Nutrena, in the George Morris Stadium. The Team Championships will be held as a standalone class Friday, July 12, in a two-round Nations Cup format, followed by a mandatory rest day on Saturday, July 13. Individual Championships will conclude on Sunday, July 14, as an overlay on the existing $25,000 Jumper Classic (American Standard) in the George Morris Stadium.

Individual gold medalists will receive a variety of awards from Essex Classics and FITS Riding in addition to a medal, a ribbon and a cooler. 

New for the 2019 competition year, the USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships marks the highest level of the USHJA Emerging Jumper Rider Program. Platinum Championship competitors will be recognized as 2019 USHJA Platinum Jumper Riders, and received comprehensive information during the riders meeting about the Show Jumping Athlete Pathway, a joint USHJA-US Equestrian effort that identifies and nurtures Jumping athletes as they advance through the sport to enhance future success for Olympic and international teams representing the United States.

Individual medalists from the Platinum Championships will be designated as USHJA Show Jumping Platinum Athletes and will be invited to the Platinum Masters Training Session. During the Training Session, athletes will participate in advanced workshops and training sessions with top national and international clinicians and industry specialists.

Other USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships held in 2019 include:

  • USHJA Zones 5 & 6, July 18-21 at HITS Balmoral in Crete, Ill.
  • USHJA Zones 7 & 8, July 25-28 at HIPICO Santa Fe, in Santa Fe, N.M.
  • USHJA Zones 9 & 10, Nov. 6-10 at HITS Thermal in Thermal, Calif.

The deadline to qualify and apply for each Championship has been extended to the day prior to the start of each Zone's respective Championship.

Happening concurrently this week at the Tryon International Equestrian Center are the USHJA Zones 3 & 4 Jumper Team Championships, for 1.10/1.15m Children's and Adult Amateur, 1.20/1.25m Junior and Amateur, and1.30/1.35m Junior and Amateur jumper riders.

USHJA extends its gratitude to official sponsors, Charles Owen, CWD, Parlanti and Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, and Platinum Jumper Championship award sponsors Essex Classics and FITS Riding.

For more information about the USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships, including qualifying information, deadlines and Championship specifications, visit ushja.org/PlatinumJumper.