Oct. 28, 2004

By Katie Graham Daily Collegian

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (U-WIRE) -- Everyone is entitled to off-days. They can also be called blonde moments, mental health days, out to lunch for an extended period of time...the list goes on and on.

These days are few and far between for the Penn State Equestrian team, but that doesn't prevent them from happening every once in a while.

The team lost its first show of the season, ending a yearlong winning streak.

Penn State lost to West Virginia University by 18 points, which puts it in second place in the region and ending the fall season on a sour note.

"It just wasn't there for us," Lindsey Passaic, team vice president said.

The team placed well, but its point riders got reversed. The coach has to determine before the event starts which riders will ride for points and which ones will be alternates. In this show, the alternates were the ones out-placing the riders who were competing for points, instead of the other way around.

"It's possible to win all the classes and still not win the show." Lauren Dowler, team president said. "It was just luck of the draw. It's not that we are bad, teams have just stepped it up."

Hind sight is always 20/20, so the team now knows what they would have done differently to win, but since the decision comes before the event the coach has to go off of who's been the strongest during practice and the most consistent throughout the season.

"It's a difficult choice for coaches and then to figure out where they made mistakes," Passaic said. "It also puts pressure on the rider to well in a class."

The loss of Penn State's last show should not overshadow some great season-ending performances. Jenn Betts placed first and sixth in her two classes and was the reserve high point rider of the show. Lauren Wright and Lauren Klutchka both took first place in their classes; Denise Liu, Kate Hennegan, and Jolie Demchur also made strong showings.

The team will pick up the second half of its season in February with a comeback on their mind.

"We practice all winter long," Dowler said.

"The freshmen, along with the rest of team, will get more practice and more comfortable with their riding habits."

The hardest part of getting thrown off a horse is getting back on and continuing to get the job done, but the team is strong and continues to be optimistic for the second half of their season.

(C) 2004 Daily Collegian via U-WIRE