Gov. McCrory, parachute team, Lee Greenwood to appear

By Judy Heinrich

 

NBC Sports Network will be at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) on June 6 to tape the night’s $210,000 Grand Prix show jumping event for broadcast on Sunday, June 7, from 4-5 p.m. The Grand Prix will be held Saturday evening under the lights in TIEC’s George H. Morris International Arena.

The Tryon Grand Prix is an FEI CSI 4* event, the highest level yet held at TIEC. That alphabet-soup designation actually indicates that this is an event recognized by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the Swiss-based governing body of international equestrian sport.

The initials CSI define it as a Jumping event, as opposed to CDI for Dressage or CCI/CIC for Eventing, for example. And the 4* (four-star) designation shows that it is the second-highest level of horse sport in the world. FEI recognizes Jumping designations from 1* to 5* based on a combination of varying jump heights, speed and prize money offered.

The jumps at TIEC’s FEI CSI 4* event will be around 1.50 to 1.55 meters, typically about 5 ft., 2 inches tall. That height is standard for most Grand Prix events but the difficulty of the jumps and course layout tend to be greater in a FEI/International competition.

Jumping competitions consist of a first round and a follow-up jump-off round. All riders who jump a “clear” first round – that is, no rails down, no refusals or other disobediences, and no time faults compared to the targeted time – advance to the jump-off round. There is a short break while the course is re-set for fewer jumps that will be taken at faster speed. The $210,000 prize money will be split among the top 12 placings.

Riders jumping at this level are professional athletes who generally ride on behalf of their horses’ owners, which as in horse racing and other professional sports, can be individuals, partnerships or syndicates. Prize money goes to the owners (with a split to the riders and support teams) but then again it’s the owners who cover the hefty cost of buying, training, equipping, and caring for the horses, as well as the shipping required to compete at these elite levels.

Riders who had been verified for the Tryon CSI 4* at press time include veterans and young stars from the U.S. as well as competitors from Ireland, Australia, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela. Early confirmed entries include Candice King, Kristen Vanderveen, Benjamin Rosichan, Mark Bluman, Bryn Sadler, Charlie Jayne, Richie Moloney, Scott Keach, Brittni Raflowitz, Lauren Tisbo, Wilton Porter, Lucas Porter, Andrew Welles, Daniel Bedoya, David Beisel, Juan Pablo Gnecco, and Juan Ortiz.

The FEI 4* course has been designed by Ana Catalina Cruz (FEI) of Mexico and Andreas Christison. Catalina Cruz has designed courses around the world, including the popular Sunshine Tour in Madrid, Spain, and the Equestrian Sport Production Holiday Horse Show Series in Wellington, Fla. She and Christison have designed all of TIEC’s FEI Courses for its 2015 Spring 8 show.

 

Part of TIEC Grand Opening Event

 

The June 6 $210k Tryon Grand Prix CSI 4* event is the grand finale of TIEC’s Official Grand Opening Celebration, which will run from 4:30 to 9 pm. In addition to the Jumping competition the Grand Opening will include appearances by Grammy-winning country music artist Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the U.S.A.” and the Special Forces Parachute Team which will demonstrate a four-person tandem jump from 8,000 feet while landing a 20-foot by 40-foot American flag in the Showring. N.C. Governor Pat McCrory will be at TIEC to attend a press conference from 6-7 p.m.

There will also be family activities such as free rides on the TIEC carousel, face painting, live music, performances by the Asheville Aerial Artists and other entertainment. Admission and parking at TIEC are free and open to the public. A variety of food and beverage will be available on the grounds.

Also at TIEC that night is a beer festival featuring Asheville regional craft breweries. Admission to the beer festival costs $40 in advance, $50 at the door, and includes a food buffet and VIP seating in the Grand Prix arena. A maximum of 500 beer festival tickets (wristbands) will be sold to those 21 and older. Tickets can be purchased online at www.festivalofthecarolinas.com, by midnight on June 5 and on site as available. Tickets can be picked up at Will Call on Saturday, June 6.

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