Lexington, KY – The U.S. Vaulting Team that will travel to Aachen in a few weeks for the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games secured a more than impressive win in Munich, Germany, last weekend, beating out the European competition, to the surprise of many. In an arena where one could have heard a pin drop when the crowd went silent for the Americans, F.A.M.E. became the first U.S. vaulting team to win at a CVI, with a score of 7.761.

The CVI** Munich was held July 20-23 with 16 nations competing in individual and/or team competition. This solid win was a huge boost for the F.A.M.E. vaulters who will face equally tough, if not tougher, competition in a few weeks in Aachen. However, not only did F.A.M.E. win the first U.S. team competition at a CVI, they also beat out the current world champion team, VV Engelsberg 1, in all three phases. VV Engelsberg 1 is a German club made up of over 400 vaulters. The F.A.M.E. team received high accolades for their creative and challenging freestyle which continues to evolve and improve. The horse that helped F.A.M.E. to their win was 18.2-hand Grand Gaudino, lounged and owned by Dr. Silke Bartel.

The F.A.M.E. team is a composite team from Northern and Southern California and New Jersey. The team members are as follows (in alphabetical order by last name):

•Megan Benjamin, 18, from Saratoga, CA;
•Blake Dahlgren, 22, from Sun Valley, CA;
•Elizabeth Ioannou, 10, from Saratoga, CA;
•Devon Maitozo, 30, from Simi Valley, CA;
•Katie Ritchie, 19, from Santa Cruz, CA;
•Rosalind Ross, 15, from Woodside, CA; and
•Annalise Vanvranken, 14, from Mays Landing, NJ.

Benjamin, who is the only U.S. vaulter who will compete in Aachen as part of the team and as an individual, had an especially successful run in Munich, finishing second overall in the women’s competition with a final score of 7.902. American vaulter Shannyn Poer won the Small Final finishing 19th overall.

The other U.S. team, Woodside Vaulters, finished fifth overall with a final score of 6.652.
~~~For more information, please contact Jeannie Blancq Putney, National Marketing Manager, at (859) 225-6974, or via e-mail at [email protected].