Harrisburg, PA – October 14, 2023 – The Zone 10 team composed of Ariana Marnell aboard Away Semilly, Emmeline Adamick on Igelo, Cameron Trimino on Firewall and Della White on Giggs secured the win in Friday night’s $15,000 USEF Prix des States Team Championship, presented by Turnham Green, at the 2023 Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, PA.
The West Coast natives were each making their Prix des States debut, and together, they made it a winning one with a total of only eight faults in the two-round, modified Nations Cup format competition. The silver medal with 21 faults went to the Zone 4 team of Mustafa Shah, Ellie Aronson, Amy Krebs and Olivia Sweetnam. Rounding out the podium on 24 faults was the Zone 7 team of Carlee McCutcheon, Ava Myers, Tessa Downey and Stella Wasserman.
“Even though I mostly show on the East Coast now, I was really excited to be back with my West Coast people, and I’m really happy for Zone 10!” said Marnell, who produced one of two double-clear rounds for the team. “It’s been a long time [since Zone 10 won], but I think we deserve it; the horses were great. Everyone rode great. This was my first time ever riding on a team, but I like pressure, so it was fun for me. I was like, ‘Bring it on! I’m ready!”
Adamick, 17, from San Francisco, CA added, “I just had so much confidence in our team and the ability to do well. I didn’t feel the normal pressure that comes with riding on a team. Everyone wants to do well for each other.”
The course for the evening’s class was set by Nicholas Granat and featured 15 jumping efforts and a tight time allowed of 68 seconds. For the Zone 10 team, all of whom were experiencing their first Prix des States and many of whom were navigating their first time in the Harrisburg Coliseum, the track required them to adapt to the high-energy environment in a compact, indoor setting.
“The past two days, I’ve learned not to hug the wall just for the sake of hugging the wall,” said Adamick. “This is my first time at Harrisburg as well as my first time riding this horse in an indoor ring. So, it was all very new. When I got here the first day, I definitely was a bit hesitant, considering my horse is pretty big, but I went in confidently. His speed ended up helping us with the tight turns and getting down the lines.”
Redemption proved sweet for Trimino, 16, who had multiple rails in the first round of competition but then returned to add only four faults in the second round.
“I thought the course today flowed really nicely,” said Trimino, who hails from Orange County, California. “The first round didn’t go as we had planned, but I knew that being on a team, I had to be strong and go back in there and fight for a good round. I think I did that. I’m really proud that I was able to get back in there after a tough first round and be able to get it done.”
White, 18, from Newport Beach, CA, put down two fault-free rounds to guarantee the gold medal.
“I made sure to have a good rhythm in the beginning so I could get down the lines,” said White. “[Giggs] really does better when I’m faster. So, starting out with a lot, I think that really helped us out. I was definitely super nervous yesterday, but we had a pretty good round; then today was way better.”
Trimino concluded, “I think on behalf of all of us, we’re really grateful for everyone who’s put on this show, all the work that’s gone into all of this. Our trainers, our grooms, our parents, everyone involved with getting the show put together. We couldn’t be here sitting with our medals without all the behind the scenes and all of the support that no one actually gets to see.”
The USEF Junior Jumper Individual National Championships – Phase II ran concurrently with Friday night’s Prix des States competition, and Marnell’s double-clear efforts on Friday currently have her sitting in first place on a score of 0.79 heading into Saturday’s final phase. For individual standings, click here.
