2002 Jump Canada Bursary Winners Announced

Source :  Equine Canada

The Jump Canada Bursary Committee has awarded bursaries of $1,000 each to five riders who have demonstrated a dedication to their sport and to their continuing education.


Christopher Lowe of Burnaby, BC, Melissa Marcotte of St-Nicolas, PQ, Lindsay Ransom of Markham, ON, Katherine Vrbicek of Wainfleet, ON, and Meghan Waller of Bellville, ON, are the 2002 recipients of the Jump Canada bursary.


After bringing along a talented green jumper, Christopher, 19, just completed his first season in the grand prix ring in 2002 with several top ten placings. He also represented BC at the North American Young Riders’ Championships (NAYRC) on the 2000 Junior Team. Christopher is currently completing his second year of studies in Business Administration at Simon Fraser University with hopes of also completing an MBA at a university abroad.


An avid rider for nine years, Melissa, 18, is a seasoned competitor in the junior ranks. Riding her horse Dancing Queen, she was chosen to represent Quebec at the NAYRC in 2001 and 2002. Marcotte is finishing her first year of studies at Champlain St-Lawrence College in Ste-Foy, PQ, and plans to be a regular competitor in the Grand Prix ring.


Riding from the age of eight, Lindsay, 20, has been competing on the ‘A’ Circuit for seven years, often on sale horses or catch rides. She qualified two horses, Foxtrot and Fancy Touch for the 2002 Royal Winter Fair in the 18-35 Adult Amateur Hunter Division and placed in all classes over fences. Lindsay attends York University and is studying Kinesiology and Health Science.


In 2002, Kati, 18, riding her horse Ace, a Canadian bred Trakehner gelding, competed in her first Canadian League World Cup Qualifier at the Caledon Equestrian Festival. She also represented Ontario on the Bronze medal Junior Team at the 2001 NAYRC and placed seventh individually. Presently, Kati is completing her high school studies at Lakeshore Catholic High School and plans on pursuing a career in the field of health
sciences.


Meghan, 17, is a tough competitor and a skilled catch rider. Schooling mainly difficult and green horses, she feels that these opportunities have made her a stronger rider. In 2002, she rode several different horses on the Trillium Circuit and at the Capital Classic Horse Show. Meghan’s goals for the 2003 season include campaigning a few horses on the Trillium and ‘A’ Circuits. She has attained an academic average of over 90 per cent in every grade at Centennial Secondary School. She plans on graduating with an OAC average of at least 90 per cent this year and attending the University of Guelph to study Science.


This is the first year Bursary program, for competitors ages 14-21 in the hunter, jumper and equitation divisions, has been awarded. The seed money for this first year of the bursary program was made possible by a leadership donation from a generous interested party. Jump Canada is optimistic that the program will be renewed on an annual basis.


"The Bursary Committee was overwhelmed by the volume and quality of applications that we received. The future of the Canadian Hunter Jumper industry is clearly in good hands," noted the Chair of Jump Canada, Mark Samuel. "Our only regret was having to limit ourselves to choosing only five recipients from the wealth of applications."


Elements that were considered in each applicant included: transcript of grades and outline of academic curriculum; future educational plans; equestrian experience; sportsmanship; results achieved in local, regional or national competitions; goals in the equine industry and financial need.


Jump Canada is a committee of Equine Canada responsible for all hunter, hunter equitation and jumper activities in Canada from the grass roots to the international level. Jump Canada is governed by a board of directors, the majority of whom are elected by the stakeholders in the sport.