USEF Changes Face of Vaulting with Debut of National Ranking List

Lexington, KY - November 13, 2004 - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the debut of the new Vaulting Individual Ranking List. More than two years in the making, and for the first time in history, the List provides an up-to-date ranking of the United States’ best vaulters at any given moment in time.

“This is an exciting step forward for vaulting, which will enhance and encourage interest in the sport significantly,” said Sally Ike, Director of Vaulting High Performance activities at the USEF.

The brainchild of World Champion vaulter Devon Maitozo, of Simi Valley, California, and longeur Carolyn Bland, of Moorpark, California, the List ranks vaulters across the country based on a system of weighted averages of their best USEF/FEI recognized scores from the last two years. The Ranking List is designed to automatically update as competition results come in, and is available on the Federation website, www.usef.org, under the High Performance and Vaulting headers. Detailed specifications of the Ranking List can also be found under the same heading.

“We finally have a means for the vaulters of our country to take control of their careers,” said Devon Maitozo, athlete, coach and co-creator of the ranking list. “At any time of the year it is now possible for vaulters to track their improvement in relation to fellow competitors. Setting goals and measuring one's success is now only one click away. Great effort has gone towards making this ranking as fair as earthly possible. This living document emphasizes current achievements without ignoring longer term successes.”

In the future, the ranking list will be used to determine training camp selection, grant recipients and possibly as a selection procedure for the World Championships. The list will also encourage show managers to have USEF/FEI recognized shows because only scores from recognized shows will count towards a vaulter’s ranking.

J. Ashton Moore, chairman of the Vaulting High Performance Committee notes, “The focus of the Vaulting High Performance Plan is to win medals in international competitions. The Ranking List will be a valuable tool to identify our best athletes, and will also encourage competition at all levels. Kudos must go to Devon Maitozo and Carolyn Bland - it was their hard work that made this project a reality.”

“I'm sure we have found the easiest and most transparent way of selecting vaulters for international competition, and that is long overdue,” Maitozo said. “We are finally out of the dark. Set your ranking goal and go get it!”

Questions about the Vaulting Ranking List can be directed to Sara Ike, on (908) 234-0848, extension 37, or via e-mail at sara.ike@usef.org.