Ermelo, The Netherlands – The United States contingent of six individuals, two pas de deux, and one squad are set to compete at the inaugural FEI World Vaulting Championships for Juniors in Ermelo, The Netherlands August 6-9. The small, quaint town in central Holland will host a total of 21 nations including 37 individual females, 18 individual males, 11 pas de deux, and 12 squads, all competing for the coveted title of World Champion.

The U.S. contingent will be led by one of the most decorated American vaulters, Mary McCormick. “It is a tremendous honor to serve as Chef d'Equipe for Team USA,” said McCormick. “We have an incredible group of young athletes and horses and we are so excited to be a part of the first ever Junior World Championships! We've brought a full contingency to represent our country and I am confident that we will do our nation proud.”

The U.S. will be represented by athletes hailing from California, Colorado, and Washington. The individual females competing are Tessa Divita (Portola Valley, Calif.), Michelle Guo (Palo Alto, Calif.), and Siddartha Kreaden (Sunnyvale, Calif.). Individual male competitors are Luke Overton (Stanwood, Wash.), Colton Palmer (Half Moon Bay, Calif.), and Kaleb Patterson (Stanwood, Wash.). The Individual competition began with the round one compulsory test today. In the female division Divita placed seventh on 7.254, Kreaden placed 13th on 6.892, with Guo finishing closely behind in 14th on 6.850. In the male division the American’s are led by Palmer in 12th on 6.669, followed by Patterson in 13th on 6.562, and Overton in 18th on 5.996. Friday will continue round one with the freestyle test.

The Woodside Vaulters squad of Divita, Dunn, Kreaden, Audrey Kiernan, Rachel Polati, and Miki Yang will represent the U.S. once again, having competed at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games with a nearly identical team. Having drawn 10th in the order of 11 squads, they began their efforts in round one today with the compulsory test, placing third on 6.887.

The pas de deux contest will be performed by the duos of Janie Salisbury (Atherton, Calif.) and Sarah Dunn (Palo Alto, Calif.), as well as Michelle Guo (Palo Alto, Calif.) and Bodhi Hall (San Jose, Calif.). Salisbury and Dunn have competed at the international level together since 2014, marking wins in both the U.S. and Canada. Veterans of squad competition, Guo and Hall will make their second appearance as a pair this week. Pas de deux competition begins on Friday with final performances on Sunday.

Results

Competition live stream on FEI YouTube August 6-8

Competition live stream on FEI TV August 9

The USEF International High Performance Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, USOC, and USEF Sponsors and Members. Without the support of these organizations and individuals, it would not be possible to support our athletes. The USEF is especially grateful to individuals who give generously of their time and money to support the equestrian teams.