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| World Champion Megan Benjamin on Leonardo. |
WEG Wrap-Up: It's Raining Medals!
The 2006 World Equestrian Games' World Vaulting Championships in Aachen, Germany may have been a bit soggy (rain and overcast each day), but the sun shone bright on USA vaulting, as the contingency carried on a tradition of winning vaulting medals at each WEG since its inception in 1990.
Gold and Silver for USA
USA vaulting bested its own medal record in two events: women's individual and team. Mt. Eden's Megan Benjamin, 18, won the women's individual event gold, breaking a 20-year female German lock on the top medal, and FAME (Free Artists Mt. Eden) won the first ever silver medal for the US in the team event, which, for the past 20 years, has been awarded to either the German (in the rare time they didn't win the gold) or Swiss teams.
Benjamin was also the first US vaulter to win two medals at a single WEG: team silver and women's gold. She was the sole member of the entire US contingency of 44 athletes, encompassing seven equestrian disciplines, to win an individual gold medal at these games.
USA vaulting fielded a robust and competitive team of 13 athletes who vaulted either on team or in the men's or women's individual events. A remarkable seven members (Megan Benjamin, 18, Blake Dahlgren, 22; Kenny Geisler, 23; Devon Maitozo, 31; Chris Littmann, 22; Katie Richie, 19; and Rosey Ross, 16) had previous world vaulting championships experience, either in team or individually.
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| F.A.M.E. reacts to its move up to silver. |
New to the World Championships Scene
The other six, Ali Divita, 17; Todd Griffiths, 26; Elizabeth Ioannou, 10; Mary McCormick, 23; Elizabeth Osborn, 16; and Annalise VanVranken, 14, were new to the world championships scene, but soaked up the camaraderie, the competitiveness, the fun and, most importantly, the vaulting like sponges, obviously preparing themselves for upcoming years.
Though FAME and Megan were the only Americans to earn a spot in the Top 15 after Round I, and go on to Round II, the other members of USA vaulting each had their own unique experiences.
Unique WEG Experiences
The USA men's Kenny Geisler, Diamond Bar Vaulters, narrowly missed making the second round, placing 17 th on Campina 6 after a round of compulsories and the first freestyle. Todd Griffiths, also of Diamond Bar, traveled 6,000 miles only to be disqualified from the competition during the first freestyle for a misbehaving horse—but though Todd spent most of his freestyle minute clinging to the horse as it raced around the circle, he did get his final satisfaction as the warning bell rang, and he managed to perform his final back flip off Campina 6. FACE Vaulters' Chris Littmann, nursing an injured ankle that he badly sprained at Nationals three weeks earlier, managed to finish the first round in the 27 th position, despite an overly frisky and bucking horse.
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| Anna VanVranken flies high above the WEG crowd. |
Mt. Eden's Mary McCormick, 23, also narrowly missed the second round in the women's individual event, placing 18 th after compulsories and the first freestyle. Starting the round in 27th place after compulsories, Mary showed off a stylish freestyle on Calisto 4 that moved her up nine places by the end of the round. And Woodside Vaulters' Elizabeth (Liz) Osborn, 16, also did well at her first World Vaulting Championships, placing 32 nd at the end of Round I, despite being nearly bucked off her equine partner, Milan 123, in the middle of a freestyle move. Perhaps seen having the best time of all was USA women's alternate Ali Divita, 17, who led the American cheering section covered in red, white and blue.
"This last World Equestrian Games proves that the Americans are a force to be reckoned with in international vaulting," said USA WEG Vaulting Chef d'Equipe Sue Detol. "With two of vaulting's most supportive American organizations, the AVA and the USEF/USET, continuing to work in lockstep, we'll continue to grow vaulters from the grassroots level all the way to world vaulting champions."
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