USCPAA Equestrian received a training grant from the US Olympic Committee, and we scheduled three competition training events in 1996 to prepare for the Atlanta Paralympics.

The final event for Equestrian's USOC trant was held July 10-13 at Pal-O-Mine Equestrian Center and Sweet Hills Farm on Long Island, New York. Lisa Gatti, USCPAA Team Leader and Kim Kavanagh, USCPAA Program Director, coordinated a super event. We even worked around Hurricane Bertha's visit on Saturday. (Janie Zukas and Judy Serie Nagy thought it was all a big fuss about some rain and wind until we learned that they closed the airport.)

Clinic sessions were held on Wednesday and Thursday with three of our favorite clinicians: Louie Plagge, New Mexico; Sarah Cotton, England; Marj Kittredge, Massachusetts. We were also fortunate to have Dr Shane Murphy, Sports Psychologist of the USOC, leading several sessions on stress management.

Local Long Island riders joined members of Team USA for the clinics, followed by the Horse Show which was held on Sunday thanks to Hurricane Bertha. Lots of quick, hard work put Sweet Hills in great shape, and other than Saturday, the weather was really quite beautiful.

The event was a very successful collaboration: USODA (United States Organization of Disabled Athletes), ACORD, USCPAA and Pal-O-Mine. We all teamed up together to raise the funds and run the show.

Photo: Louie Plagge (NM), Elissa Mandel (WDC), Char Fuerehelm (CA), Judy Serie Nagy (CA), and Josh Burkhour(MI), part of the ACORD staff who helped make it a special week in New York.