News from thePhiladelphia AVA annual meeting 3/06

Hi all,
Since I was able to go to the annual meeting I just wanted to give
you a run down of what happened there. It was a great meeting with the
attendance higher than any other annual meeting. We had 3 1/2 days of
educational workshops as well as 3 days of organizational meetings.
There were more than 50 vaulters and parents in attendance who took
part in the exceptional educational workshops put on by Christoph
Lensing, Nancy Stevens-Brown, Craig Coburn, the vaulters of Vaulting
Visions, and Yossi led a day of horse training. I don't have the final
figures on attendance but I believe there were more than 100 people
involved. It was very exciting and it was voted on to have the next
annual meeting in our region. Since it is always held the first
weekend in March, Texas seemed like a warm place to go for an expanded
array of educational opportunities. I hope that next year, we'll see
many people from region IV attending and taking advantage of these
great opportunities. The AVA education committee is planning some
great opportunities for our vaulters and parents.
I just spend several days in the Ft. Worth area at a CHA
conference and I can tell you there are lots of fun family things to do
in Ft. Worth.
Organization news from the meeting:

Education committee:
2006 Annual Report Education Committee

2006 education committee goals:
1) AVA sponsored camps based on USEF model
2) AVA sponsored week long camp with Christoph Lensing and Nancy
Stevens at Ft. Robinson, NE 6/19 - 6/25
3) continuing education at Nationals
4) annual meeting education program
a) Vaulter training - Christoph Lensing
b) coach’s & vaulter training - Nancy Stevens-Brown
c) vaulting horse training - Yossi Martonovich
d) Through the Eyes of the Judge, Trainer, Coach Panel
chaired by Craig Coburn
4) horse subcommittee clinics & education programs

Accomplishments in 2005:
1) education at annual meeting:
grant writing clinic: arranged and chaired by Katie Flannagan
2) Nationals:
a) Through the Eyes of the Judge : Adele Dawley & Sue Detol
b) focus on the horse : Conformation: form & function Dr.
Beeman
c) equine education for vaulters EQ testing: Rita Hoster
3) Training for the vaulting horse clinics:
a) Michigan: Yossi Martonovich
b) region IX: organized by Anja O’Toole
4) Successful establishment of the Certified Horsemanship
Recreational Vaulting Coach’s Certification Program
Darla Ryder, Tammy Denault, Noel Martonovich, & Jan Weber
5) Establishing Through the Eyes of the Judge Format: Adele
Dawley & Sue Detol

Coach’s Certification Program

Julie Goodnight made a presentation describing the new CHA
Certified Horsemanship Assn.) Recreational Vaulting Coach Certification
The goal of the Recreational Vaulting Coach (RVC) certification
clinics are to provide the vaulting community a certification process
through which participants may be evaluated in their skills as coaches
to provide a safe, enjoyable and effective beginning vaulting program.
RVC clinics will be held at sites approved for hosting by the CHA
program Director, Julie Goodnight, and in addition to the regular host
site requirements; the host site needs to offer safe and suitable
vaulting areas, equipment and horse, as stated in the American Vaulting
Association (AVA) Camps and Club Manual. For information on hosting a
RVC clinic, call (800) 980-1410 or email jgoodnight@cha-ahse.org .

Due to the incredible excitement over the World Equestrian Games
(now called the FEI Games) being held in the US (Kentucky Horse Park)
in 2010, we will have a change in our Nationals rotation schedule.
Nationals will be: 2006 - Los Angeles, 2007-Denver, 2008- Northern
CA, 2009-Kentucky Horse Park
Also there is a big push to make sure that the US has enough high
level horses to accommodate not only our vaulters who will be competing
in Ky. but also teams from Europe who may need to borrow horses. In
the next 4 years we need to select & train enough horses to make this
goal. The AVA will have a major part in providing volunteers to help
run the vaulting competitions. That means from scribes to service
providers. YOU CAN BE A PART OF THESE GAMES. Take this time to polish
your skills in competition management, music, announcing, and all the
other volunteer positions needed to run a vaulting competition.
There are some new rules that are being considered but have not
been approved yet.
1) vocals for A team & open pas de deux classes
2) team number on vaulter but not on there back (arm possibly)
3) team can go in any order not necessarily tallest to smallest ( but
needs to be consistent)
4) top 15 competitors would go to the second round in USEF competitions

Insurance: The insurance committee is working to find insurers
who are willing to insure vaulting (this has been a problem) They have
put together our safety records are meeting with various insurance
carriers to make vaulting an insurable sport at a reasonable rate. If
anyone has any information or input in this area please pass it on to
Jan Weber at Janaj40@aol.com
That's all I can remember right now. Remember to check out the
AVA web site and Vaulting World to find updated information on our
sport.
Happy Vaulting,
Noel Martonovich

P.S.
Don't forget the incredible educational (historical & vaulting)
opportunity coming your way at the first ever week long AVA educational
& recreational camp at Ft. Robinson Nebraska. Great horses, great ,
fun, and great clinicians, and did I mention the scenery and historical
opportunity to relive the old west!!!!