Jennifer Renz '01 and Megan Phillips '99 competed in the 1999 International Collegiate Nation's Cup in Bedford, NY Monday, taking first and third prizes in their respective events on teams representing the United States.
This year was the first year that Dartmouth sent any students to this prestigious international competition. The Nation's Cup was attended by 17 teams, including teams from England, Ireland, Holland, Belgium and Germany. Renz was on the three member USA Team One that secured a first place finish in combined dressage and jumping, first place in dressage and second place in show jumping.
In the first round Renz jumped 3'6". During the semi-finals she was able to jump 3'9". "After this performance at the Nation's Cup, Jen's prospects for the coming intercollegiate season look good. She was really strong over the fences. She was able to progress through the first two rounds and make it to the finals," Coach Sally Boillotat said.
Phillips was on USA Team Two, along with two other riders from Virginia Intermont. Their team was able to secure a third place finish in show jumping and a fifth place finish in combined. Captain of the riding team since her sophomore year, Phillips was always a strong rider. While at Dartmouth she competed on the open riders, which is the highest level one can compete on.
Although Phillips is done with her intercollegiate career, she still has some great possibilities for further international competitions such as this one. After the initial selection to the team, all team members remain on the national team until the age of 28. During the next year she will compete in at least one competition, which will be held in either Belgium, Ireland or Switzerland.
The selection process for the national team includes submitting a resume, as well as receiving recommendations. Both Renz and Phillips, who were already known as strong riders by IHSA committee members, received recommendations from Boillotat.
The two women found out on June 17th that they would be going to the competition. With three weeks until the competition, each devoted herself to training. Their coach worked with them closely, particularly on dressage. Phillips spent two weeks training with Denny Emerson '61. An Olympic rider, Emerson trained Phillips in Stratford, VT.
Of this training Boillotat said, "This was very helpful to her, it made her much stronger and much more confident." Phillips gained quite a respect for Emerson while training with him. Calling him tough, but encouraging, Phillips said he helped her immensely with her mental preparation.
Adding to the difficulty of competing against world class riders, all competitors were randomly assigned horses to ride via a lottery, as opposed to being able to ride their own horse. Before the competition each rider drew horses by a lot. Both Renz and Phillips received good draws, said Boillotat.
The random assignment of horses significantly adds to the difficulty of the event because each rider must then navigate the arena on a horse that is unfamiliar to them. About her experience at the Nation's Cup, Phillips said, "The committee is looking for someone that can get onto a new horse and ride; Dartmouth gave me this experience. Being the captain gave me the mental preparation." Over the three day competition Renz rode a total of five different horses, and Phillips rode two.
Not only was Dartmouth represented by two riders, but by three horses as well. Two of the horses, Beau and L.B. are school horses, and the third horse, Bubba, is Boillotat's horse. After seeing these horses compete in other shows, representatives from the Nation's Cup requested that those horses be allowed to compete.
"Overall I was extremely proud of the way that they rode and of how well they represented the USA and Dartmouth," Boillotat said.
