Members of the Meadow Creek Vaulting Club have wrapped up another successful season, with members placing well at numerous competitions and shows in 2018.
Club members from across Central Alberta – and one athlete from southern Saskatchewan – competed under the instruction and guidance from coaches and trainers Jeanine van der Sluijs and Angelique Vick.
“It was a very good season and very busy. It was very exciting to take part in all the competitions this year,” Jeanine, who is the head coach as well as a competitor, told the Gazette.
Vaulting is essentially gymnastics and dance performed on a moving horse, she explained.
The Meadow Creek club is operated out of the Van der Sluijs dairy southeast of Olds. There are 15 competitive vaulters in the club, as well as numerous recreational beginners.
The 2018 season started at the end of March and wrapped up with provincials on August 10-12.
“This year was a tremendous learning year for all of our athletes,” she said. “Several attended multiple international events all over North America in the hopes to get selected to represent Canada at the World Equestrian Games this September in North Carolina, while our up-and-coming vaulters improved leaps and bounds at the provincial level.”
Some highlights from the year include the following:
- Canter AA Senior Squad National Champions -- Jeanine van der Sluijs, Dallyn Shields, Averill Saunders, Avery Malone, Angelique Vick, Ryan Bracken, Emily Stevenson.
- Canter AA Senior Female Reserve National Champion and Canter AA Provincial Champion -- Jeanine van der Sluijs.
- Canter A Junior Female National and Provincial Champion -- Averill Saunders.
- Canter B Junior Provincial Champion -- Ryan Bracken.
- Canter B Junior Saskatchewan Provincial Champion -- Jayne Hanson.
- Zone 2 Champion -- Baylee Skinner-Supernant.
- Zone 2 Reserve Champion -- Trinity van der Sluijs.
- Zone 4 Reserve Champion -- Roseanna Bradshaw.
- Zone 6 Champion -- Jacynda Row.
- Walk B Provincial Squad Champions -- Roseanna Bradshaw, Emily Bradshaw, Trinity van der Sluijs, Baylee Skinner-Supernant, Ruby van den Bosch, Jacynda Row.
- Walk B Provincial Pairs Champions -- Baylee Skinner-Supernant and Trinity van der Sluijs.
- Walk B Provincial Pairs Reserve Champions -- Roseanna Bradshaw and Emily Bradshaw.
- Walk B Provincial Champion -- Jacynda Row.
“While all the local competitions are wrapped up for another season, some of the Meadow Creek crew are on their way to North Carolina to take part in the 2018 edition of the World Equestrian Games (WEG) taking place September 11 to 23,” she said.
Jeanine van der Sluijs will be representing Canada in the individual female division, as well as in the Pas De Deux division with her teammate Dallyn Shields.
Averill Saunders will also be heading to the WEG as one of the alternates for the Canadian squad. They will be heading east in late August to prepare for the games.
“Our regular classes will pick up again in October,” Janine said. “We are currently accepting registrations for our fall (October-December) recreational classes. For more information you can email [email protected] and follow us on Facebook.”
