Lexington, Ky. - US Equestrian has announced the inaugural host locations for the 2021 Adequan/USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge, the newly evolved format of the former North American Youth Championships (NAYC). The Adequan/USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge offers opportunities for eventing athletes ages 14-25 to gain valuable experience in a team competition environment representing their respective United States Eventing Association (USEA) Areas at the FEI CCI 1/2/3* levels. The Adequan/USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge will host multiple bi-coastal legs in the short format and culminate with two long format finals in the fall of 2021.
“We have spent a great deal of time developing this concept to provide an important development opportunity for our youth athletes to gain valuable team experience and participate in a championship format that we believe can be successful across the country,” said Jenni Autry, Managing Director of Eventing. “We are working to finalize additional West Coast short format competitions, which we will announce in the coming weeks, and look forward to launching this new pathway competition for our youth eventing athletes in 2021.”
The selected locations for the 2021 Adequan/USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge are listed below and have been approved by the USEF Board of Directors:
East Coast
Adequan/USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge Aiken (Stable View) – March 25-27, 2021 – Levels: CCI1*, CCI2*-S, CCI3*-S – Aiken, S.C.
Adequan/USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge Adamstown – July 2-4, 2021 – Levels: CCI1*, CCI2*-S, CCI3*-S – Adamstown, Md.
Adequan/USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge Unionville – September 15-19, 2021 – Levels: CCI2*-S, CCI3*-S – Unionville, Penn.
East Coast Final: Adequan/USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge Tryon – November 10-14, 2021 – Levels: CCI1*, CCI2*-L, CCI3*-L – Tryon, N.C.
West Coast
Adequan/USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge Yelm – June 11-13, 2021 – Levels: CCI2*-S, CCI3*-S – Yelm, Wash.
West Coast Final: Adequan/USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge Temecula – November 3-7, 2021 – Levels: CCI2*-L, CCI3*-L – Temecula, Calif.
Each team will consist of three to four horse/athlete combinations to be chosen from qualified applicants by the USEA Area Selectors based on performance, soundness, experience, and suitability for the competition. All interested U.S. athletes must submit an Area Declaration and a one-time application for the upcoming competition year by February 15, 2021. Selection procedures for the Adequan/USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge are available here.
A second Adequan/USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge Informational Webinar will be hosted in partnership with the USEA on February 8, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Please register for the webinar here.
For More Information
Adequan/USEF Youth Team Challenge FAQ
Adequan/USEF Youth Team Challenge Informational Webinar
For questions regarding the USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge, contact Christina Vaughn, USEF Director, Eventing Performance and Program Support, at (859) 225-6917 or [email protected].
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