Lexington, KY— The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) announces the United States Show Jumping Team for the Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF). This multi-sport international event follows the structure of Olympic Games as closely as possible and draws athletes from across the world. The competition will be held January 14-18, 2009 at the Sydney International Equestrian Center.

Invited nations include Australia, Great Britain, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States. Each nation is invited to bring a team of four athletes and the athletes must be 15-20 years old.

Representing the U.S. will be Taylor Land, 16, from Atlanta, GA, whose accomplishments include winning the 2008 Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Individual Championships along with being a part of the winning Zone 4 team at the Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Team Championships; Mavis Spencer, 17, from Santa Monica, CA, with show highlights including taking second in the 2008 Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Individual Championships along with competing in the Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Team Championships, and took first in the $25,000 High Junior/Amateur Owner Jumper Classic at the Sacramento International Horse Show; Kylie Wright, 16, from Sparks-Glencoe, Maryland, who placed fifth last year in her first national Grand Prix and Jennifer Waxman, 17, Chagrin Falls, OH, who represented Zone 5 in the Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships and also won the 2008 Junior Jumper $25,000 Calvin Klein Jumping Derby at the Hampton Classic. The Chef d’Equipe for the U.S. team is Dick Carvin from La Canada, CA.

The Australian Youth Olympic Festival will be conducted in accordance with FEI rules and include a Warm-up Competition, a Table C, a Nations Cup and an Individual Final. The event is with borrowed horses (per FEI Art 264) supplied by Australia as the host country. All horses will be put into a pool to be drawn out by the teams.

For more information about the US Show Jumping Team for the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival, please contact Jennifer Haydon, USEF’s Director of Show Jumping, National Programs, at (859) 225-6911 or via email at [email protected].

For more information about the Australian Youth Olympic Festival, please take the following links: http://www.usef.org/Contentpage2.aspx?id=natjumping or http://www.usef.org/Contentpage2.aspx?id=ayof


ENDS