By Joanie Morris

Parker, CO - California's Zone 10 impressively swept the two Team Jumping Championships at the 2008 FEI CN North American Junior/ Young Rider Championships at the Colorado Horse Park presented by Gotham North.

The juniors got the ball rolling and jumped to the top of the Junior Jumping Team Championship with three impressive clears in the second round to move up from third. The team, made up of Savannah Carr (Quiana), Annie Cook (Tucker), Lucy Davis (Mister Mind) and Alec Lawler (Toyster Gold) summed up their first experience at NAJYRC in four words.

“Amazing,” said Carr after winning the Team Gold medal.

“Hot,” said Cook of the record 100 degree temperatures.

“Exciting,” said Davis.

“Fun,” said Lawler to round out the group.

The four Junior riders lay third after Round 1 with 16 faults, they then added nothing (with the three clear rounds) to head a truly international trio as Canada won Silver and Mexico North won Bronze.

“We were in third after the first round,” said Davis. “We knew we had to do better.”

The group rose to their own challenge with Davis, Carr and Cook jumping clear. Davis went last and was the only rider to jump two clear rounds. Zone 10 finished with a two round total of 16 faults.

“I've never been on a team before,” said Davis. “So it was really nerve-wracking.”

“When Lucy went,” said Cook of the team's anchor rider, “We were all really nervous.”

The Canadians were, like the Americans, all riding at NAJYRC for the first time.

Stephanie Lewis (Tanuki), Braden James (Starlet), Taylor Bland (Swanky) and Rachel Schunurr (Magic Jumper) thrived in the team environment and have enjoyed watching and supporting the other Canadian riders in the different disciplines.

Martin Guerra on Latino 125 (and their three teammates Raul Gonzalez on Corint 2, Paulina Pastrana on Cobra Stanford and Miguel Angel Iglesias on Vida Loca) gave their Northern neighbors a run for the money but settled for third.

“We wanted Gold,” said Gonzalez. “But California took it.”

Not to be outdone, the Young Rider Team Championship followed the Juniors and Olaf Petersen Jr.'s courses continued to ride tough. California continued their assault on the medals at the NAJYRC with Zone 10 picking up another Team Gold medal. The finished ahead of Mexico North (who scored the highest finish for a Mexican team since 1996) and the combined team of Zones 7&9.

The defending Team and Individual Gold medalist from 2007, 17-year-old Karl Cook, led Zone 10 to another victory with Notories Utopia. The Woodside, CA rider has tied a record of winning three Gold Medals in Show Jumping at NAJYRC. No one has won four, and Cook lays third, behind two of his teammates going into Sunday's final.

“It feels really good to be back,” said Cook of his third Gold Medal. “We went into the second round only three points ahead of Mexico North, and for us to get around the course which was really, really hard is really gratifying.”

19-year-old Hannah Selleck, second after three rounds on Bauer, 17-year-old Paige Dotson, who on Friponnier II CH is leading the Individual competition, and 18-year-old Sophie Benjamin (on Marga) rounded out the team, and all the riders put in very professional performances to defend their medal. They finished on a final score of 16, well clear of Mexico North who had 45 after two rounds.

“I'm so proud of my horse,” said Dotson. “We're all proud of our horses.”

The track proved challenging, especially the triple combination which proved particularly troublesome.

“The second part of the triple was really big and wide,” explained Dotson.

“The whole course had a lot of different questions,” said Selleck.

The Individual Show Jumping Medals will be awarded on Sunday after the Individual portion of the Competition; the farewell competition will take place tomorrow