Big Gymkhana Weekend 2015
An exciting end to a very competitive gymkhana season.
Nine months after the School's opening day the freshmen, no longer greenhorns, were primed and ready to strut their stuff on the gymkhana field last Saturday. At Big Gymkhana it was impossible to tell that many of the class of 2018 arrived on campus with no prior equestrian experience. All were zooming through the races and expertly maneuvering their equine partner, impressing all who watched.
Family and friends flocked to Casa de Piedra for the second major weekend gathering of the academic year—Big Gymkhana Family Weekend. Many parents, led by Jenny Gregory, Hilary Doubleday, and Ella Brittingham, arrived in advance of the event to help decorate the campus and organize the auction; some even lent a hand in proctoring AP exams. All arrived with enthusiasm for the event ahead and looked forward to watching their child perform on stage or out at the Gymkhana Field.
The festivities, undeterred by the forecasted rain, began on Friday afternoon at the gymkhana field with Extreme Cowboy Race and Trail Course competitions. Afterwards, students met up with their families for a delicious meal prepared by the Bon Appetit staff. As a result of the unseasonably rainy weather, the meal and live auction, originally scheduled on the tennis courts, were moved indoors do to weather. Everyone pitched in to make the shift seamless. From there, a walk through the silent auction and student art show—studio art, photography, wood design projects all on display—to the Milligan Center for the Performing Arts for a live auction and student performances by the Jazz Band, String Ensemble, Chamber Singers, Dance Ensemble, and Advanced Acting. The event was tremendously successful and thanks to the generosity of our Thacher families the School exceeded its goal and raised over $550,000.
Saturday kicked-off early with a 9 a.m. start at the Gymkhana Field. After brief meetings and rousing chants the captains led their teams in a lap around the field and lined up for the national anthem—sung by Jahmari Josiah '16 and Doug Klink '16—and the running of the flags. Then it was off to the races! Events ranged from the familiar pole bending and barrel races to more daring events such as ring spearing and rescue race. It was a tremendous day with six records broken—many of those records having stood for decades. Peter Ammons '16 broke four records on the day (Birangle-14.39; Keyhole-7.5; Single Stake-9.39; Speed Ball-7.38). Zanna Gulick-Stutz '18 set the record for the Washington Poles race at 22.7 seconds and Nick Johnson '16 now holds the fastest time in the Big T race at 15.99 seconds.
The final event of the day was the Silver Dollar Pick-up. Membership to this elite Thacher club is earned only by successfully picking up a silver dollar off the ground at a lope. A chance for membership into this group was earned by eleven riders who qualified earlier in the season by picking up a tennis ball off the ground at a lope. Libby Hatton '18 was successful on the big day earning her spot in this most prestigious Thacher club. Those unsuccessful on Big Gymkhana were given more opportunities in the following week. Doug Klink '16, Alessandro Lorenzoni '16, Fernando Zamora '16, Max Damon '17, Evan Jackson '17, Olivia Driscoll '18, and Sarah Finch '18 were all successful in the days following the event and joined the ranks in the Silver Dollar Club.
Orange Team—captained by Briggs Boss '15, Ben Connor '15, and Jahmari Josiah '16—took an early lead this season with three very strong freshman girls consistently near the top of the leader board. They finished the season with a total of 18,724 points and the win. In close second all season long was the Green Team—captained by Owen Yager '15, Nick Johnson '16, and Alessandro Lorenzoni '16—finishing with 18,062 points. Finishing strong in third place with 16,857 points was the Blue Team—captained by Peter Ammons '16, Colly Smith '16, and Robert Welch '16.
The event concluded with an awards ceremony where Director of the Horse Department Cam Schryver announced the day's big awards; interspersed were more performances by the Dance Ensemble, Freshman Chorus, and Freshman Drama. (See below for Top Ten Freshmen, Top Ten Overall, Top Ten of the Day, and Horsemanship awards.)
Despite an already long day, families dispersed to various homes in the Ojai Valley for class BBQs. Afterwards, many people turned out for the Mulligans' Open House on Saturday night. Parents there experienced a typical Thacher Saturday night of warm cookies, quesadillas, games, coloring, movies, and good conversation.
To cap off the weekend, folks gathered the next morning in the Outdoor Chapel to hear remarks from Melissa Etheridge, mother of Bailey Cypheridge '15. There’s no place better for spiritual regrouping than this spot carved a century ago out of the hillside. Here, parents and kids were in a picturesque spot to prepare for a farewell-til-summer break.
Top Ten Riders for the Season
1. Nick Johnson '16 [Captain] on Gypsy
2. Alessandro Lorenzoni '16 [Captain] on Wizzard
3. Zanna Gulick-Stutz '18 on Jazz
4. Sarah Finch '18 on Slash
5. Peter Ammons [Captain] '16 on Ms. Colonel
6. Robert Welch [Captain] '16 on Suzi
7. Libby Hatton '18 on High Style
8. Joe Hardwicke '18 on Corky
9. Doug Klink '16 on Hot Shot
10. Evan Jackson '17 on Bezos
Top Ten Riders for Big Gymkhana Day
1. Nick Johnson '15 [Captain] on Gypsy
2. Peter Ammons '16 [Captain] on Ms. Colonel
3. Alessandro Lorenzoni '16 [Captain] on Wizzard
4. Zanna Gulick-Stutz '18 on Jazz
5. Sarah Finch '18 on Slash
6. Joe Hardwicke '18 on Corky
7. Libby Hatton '18 on High Style
8. Robert Welch [Captain] '16 on Suzi
9. Doug Klink '16 on Hot Shot
10. Connor Callahan '18 on Russell
Top Ten Freshmen
1. Zanna Gulick-Stutz on Jazz
2. Sarah Finch on Slash
3. Libby Hatton on High Style
4. Joe Hardwicke on Corky
5. Connor Callahan on Russell
6. Grayson Hodge on Podoco
7. Katie O'Neill on Nellie
8. Rico Lopez on Zee
9. Oscar Luna on GreaseSpot
10. Olivia Driscoll on Butch Powers
Horsemanship Awards
Karla Ceja '17
Shalan Billaut-Lee '18
Sarah Finch '18
Zanna Gulick-Stutz '18
Libby Hatton '18
Joe Hardwicke '18
Thomas Hudson '18
Katie O'Neill '18
Lexie Silverman '18
Horsemanship Bridles (presented to sophomore or junior boy and girl)
Peter Ammons [Captain] '16 on Ms. Colonel
Rose O'Neal '16 on Lucky
Back
Family and friends flocked to Casa de Piedra for the second major weekend gathering of the academic year—Big Gymkhana Family Weekend. Many parents, led by Jenny Gregory, Hilary Doubleday, and Ella Brittingham, arrived in advance of the event to help decorate the campus and organize the auction; some even lent a hand in proctoring AP exams. All arrived with enthusiasm for the event ahead and looked forward to watching their child perform on stage or out at the Gymkhana Field.
The festivities, undeterred by the forecasted rain, began on Friday afternoon at the gymkhana field with Extreme Cowboy Race and Trail Course competitions. Afterwards, students met up with their families for a delicious meal prepared by the Bon Appetit staff. As a result of the unseasonably rainy weather, the meal and live auction, originally scheduled on the tennis courts, were moved indoors do to weather. Everyone pitched in to make the shift seamless. From there, a walk through the silent auction and student art show—studio art, photography, wood design projects all on display—to the Milligan Center for the Performing Arts for a live auction and student performances by the Jazz Band, String Ensemble, Chamber Singers, Dance Ensemble, and Advanced Acting. The event was tremendously successful and thanks to the generosity of our Thacher families the School exceeded its goal and raised over $550,000.
Saturday kicked-off early with a 9 a.m. start at the Gymkhana Field. After brief meetings and rousing chants the captains led their teams in a lap around the field and lined up for the national anthem—sung by Jahmari Josiah '16 and Doug Klink '16—and the running of the flags. Then it was off to the races! Events ranged from the familiar pole bending and barrel races to more daring events such as ring spearing and rescue race. It was a tremendous day with six records broken—many of those records having stood for decades. Peter Ammons '16 broke four records on the day (Birangle-14.39; Keyhole-7.5; Single Stake-9.39; Speed Ball-7.38). Zanna Gulick-Stutz '18 set the record for the Washington Poles race at 22.7 seconds and Nick Johnson '16 now holds the fastest time in the Big T race at 15.99 seconds.
The final event of the day was the Silver Dollar Pick-up. Membership to this elite Thacher club is earned only by successfully picking up a silver dollar off the ground at a lope. A chance for membership into this group was earned by eleven riders who qualified earlier in the season by picking up a tennis ball off the ground at a lope. Libby Hatton '18 was successful on the big day earning her spot in this most prestigious Thacher club. Those unsuccessful on Big Gymkhana were given more opportunities in the following week. Doug Klink '16, Alessandro Lorenzoni '16, Fernando Zamora '16, Max Damon '17, Evan Jackson '17, Olivia Driscoll '18, and Sarah Finch '18 were all successful in the days following the event and joined the ranks in the Silver Dollar Club.
Orange Team—captained by Briggs Boss '15, Ben Connor '15, and Jahmari Josiah '16—took an early lead this season with three very strong freshman girls consistently near the top of the leader board. They finished the season with a total of 18,724 points and the win. In close second all season long was the Green Team—captained by Owen Yager '15, Nick Johnson '16, and Alessandro Lorenzoni '16—finishing with 18,062 points. Finishing strong in third place with 16,857 points was the Blue Team—captained by Peter Ammons '16, Colly Smith '16, and Robert Welch '16.
The event concluded with an awards ceremony where Director of the Horse Department Cam Schryver announced the day's big awards; interspersed were more performances by the Dance Ensemble, Freshman Chorus, and Freshman Drama. (See below for Top Ten Freshmen, Top Ten Overall, Top Ten of the Day, and Horsemanship awards.)
Despite an already long day, families dispersed to various homes in the Ojai Valley for class BBQs. Afterwards, many people turned out for the Mulligans' Open House on Saturday night. Parents there experienced a typical Thacher Saturday night of warm cookies, quesadillas, games, coloring, movies, and good conversation.
To cap off the weekend, folks gathered the next morning in the Outdoor Chapel to hear remarks from Melissa Etheridge, mother of Bailey Cypheridge '15. There’s no place better for spiritual regrouping than this spot carved a century ago out of the hillside. Here, parents and kids were in a picturesque spot to prepare for a farewell-til-summer break.
Top Ten Riders for the Season
1. Nick Johnson '16 [Captain] on Gypsy
2. Alessandro Lorenzoni '16 [Captain] on Wizzard
3. Zanna Gulick-Stutz '18 on Jazz
4. Sarah Finch '18 on Slash
5. Peter Ammons [Captain] '16 on Ms. Colonel
6. Robert Welch [Captain] '16 on Suzi
7. Libby Hatton '18 on High Style
8. Joe Hardwicke '18 on Corky
9. Doug Klink '16 on Hot Shot
10. Evan Jackson '17 on Bezos
Top Ten Riders for Big Gymkhana Day
1. Nick Johnson '15 [Captain] on Gypsy
2. Peter Ammons '16 [Captain] on Ms. Colonel
3. Alessandro Lorenzoni '16 [Captain] on Wizzard
4. Zanna Gulick-Stutz '18 on Jazz
5. Sarah Finch '18 on Slash
6. Joe Hardwicke '18 on Corky
7. Libby Hatton '18 on High Style
8. Robert Welch [Captain] '16 on Suzi
9. Doug Klink '16 on Hot Shot
10. Connor Callahan '18 on Russell
Top Ten Freshmen
1. Zanna Gulick-Stutz on Jazz
2. Sarah Finch on Slash
3. Libby Hatton on High Style
4. Joe Hardwicke on Corky
5. Connor Callahan on Russell
6. Grayson Hodge on Podoco
7. Katie O'Neill on Nellie
8. Rico Lopez on Zee
9. Oscar Luna on GreaseSpot
10. Olivia Driscoll on Butch Powers
Horsemanship Awards
Karla Ceja '17
Shalan Billaut-Lee '18
Sarah Finch '18
Zanna Gulick-Stutz '18
Libby Hatton '18
Joe Hardwicke '18
Thomas Hudson '18
Katie O'Neill '18
Lexie Silverman '18
Horsemanship Bridles (presented to sophomore or junior boy and girl)
Peter Ammons [Captain] '16 on Ms. Colonel
Rose O'Neal '16 on Lucky
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A college preparatory boarding school for grades 9-12
Notice of nondiscriminatory policy as to students: The Thacher School admits students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other School-administered programs.