The 2017 IEA Team will be open to all Cedarhill riders in 6th – 12th grade. The IEA Show Team will be determined by tryouts being held June 22nd – 24th. It is a 3 day clinic costing $300. Each participant will ride with Jeanne Smith who is a “R” USEF Judge and IHSA Coach, Caroline Foto, and participate in a mock IEA Show. The tryouts will be geared towards putting our riders in pressure situations. We are technically and physically VERY strong but mentally our team struggled this past season. Andrea and I have already started addressing this in lessons but the mental game is the hardest to conquer. Performing under pressure will be the main determining factor for who is ready for the Show Team. Once the Show Team has been determined Caroline will provide feedback to all team members in regards to personal strengths, goal setting for 2017, and problem areas that need more attention. You can signup for tryouts through the RSVP link on the calendar page of the Cedarhill Farm website. For those with conflicts an alternate date will be determined. The second tryout will be open to all team members as well. As in the past IEA members must take at least one lesson per week at Cedarhill Farm.
Why Tryouts? We had over 40 showing riders for 2016 and the potential of 38 returning to the team for 2017 not counting any new members. We are entering the 6th season for IEA and the popularity is overwhelming. This is great and we love to see the passion our riders have for the sport but with quantity quality can be lost. In order to get every rider their 5 shows we had to attend shows that did not set our riders up to succeed. Cedarhill hosted an extra 2 shows to accommodate the large numbers which is increased wear and tear on the horses, the property, our riders, and parents. IEA rules state riders can only participate at a given level for 2 consecutive years. Having the Show Team will allow the riders truly prepared for competition to show and the remaining team members to continuing learning and strengthening while maintaining their eligibility. Our goal is to put our best team forward, not show for the sake of showing. The Cedarhill Grassroots series can be an outlet for competition and competition practice until the riders are ready to compete on the IEA Show Team. IEA Lessons, workouts, service projects, and all other team activities will be open to all the members.
The team environment that IEA has created at Cedarhill is truly special and one we hope to continue cultivating as we go forward, grow, and change. Please let Caroline know if you have any further questions. We’re looking forward to the upcoming season and best of luck to Kate and Cate at Nationals!!!