The 1st Annual City League event was held at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center with twenty teams from as far away as Bogotá, Colombia; Caracas, Venezuela; Mobile, Alabama; Lafayette, Louisiana testing their skills against the course and the clock.
Long time Canadian Olympian Jay Hayes wowed the crowds for three days of team competition showing remarkable talent and art in designing the courses. Hayes says, “I wanted to separate the real winners here from the field without crushing the under dog.” There were a lot of world class horse and rider teams out there but he left room for others to come up from behind.
The official City League Announcer was Frank Waters, the International Horse Show Announcer/Commentator who has more than thirty years experience announcing all equestrian disciplines. Frank was chosen from all announcers worldwide to announce the equestrian events for the 15th 
Asian Games in Doha in December of 2006. He is highly respected by management, competitors and the listening public for his voice, knowledge and total professionalism. Waters commented, “I was overwhelmed by the excitement throughout the entire event. When these riders put on their team jersey’s it gave them more heart and the adrenalin truly flowed taking the sport to a new level. The horses and the crowd sensed this too. I am so delighted that we captured a lot of this weekend on film. It’s hard to explain what team spirit did for these competitors. They held back nothing for their teammates, fans, and cities. They really wanted to bring home the gold.” I would love to see every major city in the United States involved in this venture and as in Europe, truly bring the excitement of Show Jumping to the viewing and listening public. Chicago is a prime example as they are to be considered as host to the 2016 Olympic Games, what an introductionCity League International would give to them in advance of an Olympic competition. Let’s keep striving for this tour to become an enormous success and to become the “Show Jumping tour of our Lives.”
Vick Russell, co-founder of City League International, said, “I am grateful to the Team Captains. This is a totally new concept in show jumping. These professionals are taking control of their sport.”
Team Captains have a tough job and they wear many harts for the team; coach, friend, vet, truck drivers, and above all a savvy horseman. They have to scout out capable riders and horses and keep them motivated throughout the year. The rules of the sport are simple but knowing which horse and rider to put on the course at the right moment takes strategy.
The excitement around City League is building. These Team Captains are seasoned and world class. There are four more regular season events this year. The tension will build toward the semi-finals and all hell will break loose at the finals. The sport has never before created this much momentum and it’s still early in the game. “I think we are creating a real crowd pleaser here,” says Russell. “These fans are loyal to their cities.”
Thank you to each of our sponsors: JavaFit, Sun Shower, Mona’s Embroidery and Engraving, Jacksonville Duval County Tourist Development Council, Watson Realty, SelectMedia, Planet X, and Equine Tru.
Join us for our second stop on the 2008 City League International tour at Wills Park in Alpharetta, Georgia May 29-June 1 to witness history in the making! Visit our website for more information: www.CityLeagueInternational.com.
Photos by
Glossy Finish
Pauline Russell
828.817.5176
CityShowJumping@yahoo.com
See the winning Grand Prix ride by Derek Peterson video by Select Media
See a slideshow of pictures by Glossy Finish
See a slideshow of pictures by Teri Rehkopf
Newsroom Associate
Staff Writer
support@horsesinthesouth.com