Cal Vaulters in Germany
By Staff Report June 25, 2013
Alicen Divita in Aachen. (Photo by BarnysPhotoShop.eu)
The first weekend of international competition at the CHIO Aachen wrapped on June 23 in the Albert-Vahle Arena in Germany, with six U.S. vaulters putting forth great efforts and gaining valuable experience. Four individuals and one Pas de Deux team represented the U.S. in CVIO3* competition led by Kimberly and Cassidy Palmer and Alicen Divita.
The Palmer sisters of Half Moon Bay, CA, vaulted on Wolfgang Renz’s Leon 364 and were lunged by Renz, earning scores of 6.658 and 7.302 on their way to a fourth place finish in the Pas de Deux competition.
In the three-phase individual female competition Alicen Divita (Redwood City, CA), vaulting on her mother Julie Divita’s Pino del Rio and lunged by Elke Lensing, was the U.S.’s top scorer, with a 10th place finish in the compulsory competition, an impressive fourth in the technical competition, and eighth in Saturday’s freestyle.
Overall, Divita earned a sixth place finish with an average score of 7.465.
Also competing for the U.S. were Elizabeth Ioannou (Saratoga, CA), who finished in 12th overall and Mary Garrett (Seal Beach, CA), who finished 14th.
In the individual male competition Kristian Roberts (Moss Beach, CA) was the U.S.’s sole representative. Vaulting on Renz’s Leon 364 and lunged by Renz, Roberts finished in 14th place overall.
Equestrian vaulters Kimberly and Cassidy Palmer give the Germans a run for their ribbons in Aachen. (Photo by BarnysPhotoShop.eu)
The German vaulting team won the Prize of Sparkasse, the Nation’s Cup. The team – consisting of RSV Neuss-Grimlinghausen, Erik Oese and Corinna Knauf – ranked first with a score of 25.825 ahead of Germany II (24.924) and the French team (24.184).
Last year’s individual winners, Stefan Csandl and Theresa Thiele of Austria, led the ranking in the Pas-de-Deux competition.
Even as she lamented that the nation no longer dominates every category of competition, German national coach Ulla Ramge celebrated the growing international popularity of vaulting, which her country pioneered, she took some comfort in the tact that “We are still unbeatable in the team classification.”
Short URL: https://theequestriannews.com/?p=16735