For the first time since 2013, the Chelsea equestrian team is galloping back to states. After 12 long years of effort, hard work, and building the program, the team finally reached their goal. This season’s success is an important comeback for the riders and their coach, with their hard work and dedication paying off.
“I think it's super cool, and there's only four of us,” Gabby Crowe-Slater said. “So that means that all of us have to put in a lot of effort to get to that level. All of us play a super significant part, which is really empowering.”
Every season brings new lessons, and this year's team has made some changes, from improving skills to building stronger relationships – especially with the relationship between the horses and riders. Their effort has clearly shown results.
“All of us play a super significant part.” Crowe-Slater said, “We based our classes, which are our events, off of what each horse and rider duo does the best,”
Every successful team has that one moment where everything seems to come together. The team's moment was a comeback win, which was needed to move on to regionals.
“At district meet number two, we were 30 points behind second place, which was what would qualify us to get to regionals.” Crowe-Slater said, “We won the games portion which put us up by those 30.”
Competing at a high level can be tough, but strong team work helps the riders push through. Supporting each other is a big part of what keeps the team going through tough competitions. They are a small team but have a close bond with each other.
“We're all there to support each other.” Crowe-Slater said, “There’s only four of us, we’re not a big team,”
It's good to enjoy the sport you love during competitions, but competing at the state level can bring a lot of pressure. Finding a balance between having fun and staying focused isn’t always the easiest.
“I'm in the speed events, and those are my favorite.” Crowe-Slater said, “So that takes a big toll on how I feel about it. That's what I'm passionate about,”
As the team gets ready to compete, they aren’t only riding for themselves. They are representing their school and their community.
“It means a lot for being the first team in 12 years to get there.” Crowe-Slater said,” Again, there's only four of us. We all played a super important role in getting there, and I'm honored,”
