UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 33, Page 5
May 25, 1995
UD equestrians spur spirit at first visit to nationals

     Jen Midiri, captain of the University of Delaware Equestrian Team
and a junior in agricultural sciences, made it to the big time.
     Earlier this month, inside a Colorado stadium, hundreds of people
waited to watch her compete against some of the best riders in the
country. It was enough to give anyone butterflies, even someone like
Midiri, who has been riding horses for 16 of her 21 years.
     Just before she mounted her horse, Midiri looked down at the
silly smiley face scrawled on her hand and couldn't help but smile
back. All the UD team members had similar purple faces inked on their
hands, and suddenly, Midiri didn't feel quite so alone in that arena.
     All the lucky smiley faces-and lucky socks and pennies, too-had
paid off for the UD team. The 65-member squad had won its first-ever
invitation to the National Intercollegiate Equestrian Championships,
held in Fort Collins, Colo.
     The nationals brought together the best of collegiate teams, and
by the end of the two-day event, UD had earned a very respectable 10th
overall out of 19 teams participating.
     On a recent wind-whipped afternoon, Midiri and club president
Linda Pill, also an agricultural sciences student, laughed at the
recollection of a fellow member running around in Colorado with her
purple pen, checking to make sure everyone had a smiley face. But
while they enjoy joking about the team's assorted amulets and charms,
it's readily apparent that luck has had little to do with this team's
success.
     Riding is a sport that engages both body and brain. It calls upon
an individual's coordination, strength, logic and judgment. At
collegiate equestrian competitions, participants are given mounts at
random. Within minutes, the rider has to become acclimated to a new
horse and must think quickly and act decisively.
     This close-knit group was enthusiastic, despite knowing that they
were going into nationals as the underdogs. After all, UD was
competing against some teams from schools with long histories of
equestrian excellence. In contrast, the 15-year-old UD team never had
a coach until this year and travels to a Pennsylvania trainer for
weekly practices. But, the work pays off for all. There are no bench-
warmers on this team.
     "Other collegiate teams have cuts or have a first-string and a
second-string lineup, but we believe it's important that every member
gets an opportunity to ride," Pill said. "Commitment to the team, as
well as ability, is what matters."
     This sorority of riders-all are female this year-shares an
intense camaraderie and kinship. When it came time for six Delaware
riders to represent the team at nationals, 18 fellow members paid more
than $400 each to fly to Colorado and cheer them on.
     The equestrian team already has its sights set on the 1996
nationals, to be held at the former Olympics site in Los Angeles.
However, Midiri doesn't want to see club members get too fixated on
that goal.
     "We don't want to lose sight of why we are doing this," Midiri.
said. "We are here to learn, to have fun, to make memories."
                                                      -Margo McDonough