THE ISLAND 22 EQUESTRIAN PARK

Alisa Porter of Cheam Vaulters performs on Travler during the Canadian National Equestrian Vaulting Championships at Heritage Park.

Two local equestrian vaulters have become Canada?s first national champions, and they did it at home in front of friends and family.

Alisa Porter and her brother, Colin Schmidt, took part in the Canadian equestrian vaulting championships and B.C. provincial championships at Heritage Park last weekend.

Porter and Schmidt, both members of the Cheam Vaulters, took top honors for women and men in the highest division (division AA canter).

Chilliwack was well represented at all levels of the event. Competing at the national level for the first time, Chelsey Wierks placed fourth in the division A canter class.

At the provincial level, Darla Ricka and Shelby Maletz-Comm placed third and fourth respectively in division B canter.

At the division C canter level, Cheam?s Abigale Wynberg placed fourth and Rianna Stiller of the Chilliwack Savvy Vaulters placed seventh.

In division D canter, which is the qualifying division for the 2010 B.C. Summer Games, Andrea McDougall of the Cheam Vaulters placed seventh.

She is the highest ranked vaulter in that division from the Fraser Valley and therefore qualifies to represent this zone at next summer?s B.C. Games.

This will be the first time equestrian vaulting is included in the Summer Games.

At the walk level, Chilliwack was well represented by Cheam?s Ayelet Gruber who placed first in division D and Alexis Hamilton who placed seventh in the same class.

Sierra Pankonin was seventh in division C walk.

Levi Pankonin demonstrated her vaulting skills in the demo class for the competition?s youngest vaulters.

In the stationary barrel competition, Cheam?s advanced team wowed the crowd and placed first in a very competitive class.

The team of Jenn Sedler, Lori Wallden, Wierks, Ricka and Wynberg was awarded first place for their gymnastics skills on the barrel

Jasmyne Stainton of the Savvy Vaulters placed seventh in both the costume freestyle class and the intermediate freestyle class on the stationary barrel.