NDSA Announces Senior Staff for 2003 Equestrian World Championships

Source :  NDSA

The National Disability Sports Alliance (NDSA) has announced its senior staff for the 2003 I.P.E.C. (International Paralympic Equestrian Committee) Dressage World Championships for riders with physical disabilities, which will be held in Moorseles, Belgium from September 2-7, 2003.

Mary Lutz, Denise Avolio, Missy Ransehousen, and Jerry Schwartz have been appointed by NDSA Equestrian to lead the team that will represent the U.S. at the 2003 World Championships.

Lutz, Director of Endurance Activities for the United States Equestrian Team (USET), has been appointed Team Leader. She also served as Team Leader for the NDSA Developing Rider team that competed in the 2001 Pacific Rim International.

Avolio, NDSA Equestrian Sports Manager, will be Chef d’Equipe for the team. She was Team Leader and Chef d’Equipe for the NDSA equestrian team that competed in the Sydney Paralympic Games in 2000.

Sharing the job of Team Coach will be Ransehousen and Schwartz, who are currently the national Team Coaches. Ransehousen is a three-day event rider who won a team Silver medal and placed fifth individually at the 1995 Pan American Games. She also served as the U.S. Team Coach at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney.

Schwartz is a United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Gold, Silver, and Bronze medalist and is chairman of the USDF Council of Competitors. He was the Team Coach for the NDSA team that competed in the 2001 Open Belgium Championships.

The NDSA is the national governing body for equestrian sport for riders with disabilities. The non-profit organization is responsible for the development and selection of riders for national championships and international competitions, including World Championships and the Paralympic Games, and provides training, competition and advocacy for riders of all levels with physical disabilities. For more information about NDSA and opportunities to support the programs, please visit our website at www.ndsaequestrian.org or contact Denise Avolio at (914) 949-8166 or diavolio@ndsaonline.org.