St.
IHSA Hunter Seat Show
Andrews Equestrian Center
October 17, 2007
High Point Rider
Janelle Harcus
Regional Qualifiers;
Jaci Ayers — Novice Flat
Hayley White — Novice Flat
Kate McAlinn — Intermediate Flat
Morgan Worthington -- Intermediate Flat
Jamie Nickolson — Intermediate Fences
Open Flat:
Janelle Harcus -- 2nd Section A
Jess Potts — 2nd Section B
Jamie Nickolson -- 4th Section B
Gabby Grubic -- 4th Section C
Kelsi Peterson — 4th Section D
Megan Radigan — 1st Section D
From; Staff Reports
Open Fences;
Janelle Harcus -- 1st
Kelsi Peterson — 3rd
Jess Potts -- 6th
Intermediate Flat
Jaci Ayers -- 1 st Section B
Kate McAlinn — 1 st Section C
Intermediate Fences;
Jamie Nickolson -- 3rd
Novice Flat;
Hayley White — 2nd Section A
Lilly Russell — 5th Section B
Rob Jacobs — 2nd Section D
Christina Canada -- 2nd Section E
Novice Fences;
Hayley White -- 1st
Walk, Trot, Canter:
Katie Lavery — 2nd Section A
Brittany Coulombe — 6th Section B
Heather Wile — 3rd Section C
Megan Stiles — 3rd Section D
Walk, Trot:
Florence Wojcik
Jessica Randall -
- 4th Section A
1st Section B
Team Competition (top ten)
1. Virginia Intermont College - 43 points
2. St Andrews - 39 pmnts
3. UNC Charlotte - 34 pdnts
4. N.C. State - 30 points
Duke Intercollegiate Show
October 28, 2007
Reserve Champion Team — St. Andrews IHSA
Hunter Seat Team
Class 8 - Open Fences
Janelle Harcus - 2nd
Class 7 - Open Flat
Janelle Harcus - 3rd in Section A
Lindsey Gates - 3rd in Section C
Class 6 - Intermediate Fences
Kate McAlinn - 1st
Class 5 - Intermediate Flat
Carolina Taylor - 4th
Jaci Ayers - 5th
Class 4 - Novice Fences
Caroline Taylor - 1st
Bridget Hutchens - 7th
Class 3 - Novice Flat
Kelly Landino - 1 st
Liz Dulski - 4th
Class 2B - Advanced WTC
Karen Gruninger - 1st
Jenn Callahan - 2nd
Class 2A - Beginning WTC
Amanda Liguori - 2nd
Class 1 - Walk, Trot
Jessica Randall - 4th
:
My Unchristian Christianity
By: Matthew Peak
Throughout my years of being a Chris
tian, 1 hkve visited several churches from sev
eral different Protestant denominations. I have
even attended Catholic mass. For the most part,
my experiences have been positive. There have
been friendly people, powerful ceremonies and
plenty of messages.
Underneath it all, though, there is a
darker side, a weakness of Christians that is
hurting what people think about my faith. It al
most drove me from the faith and forced me to
ask important questions about what I believed.
It is the fact that, sadly, Christians do not know
how to handle the physically handicapped. Too
many times, I have rolled my wheelchair into a
church with a smile on my face and joy in my
heart only to be met by one of two reactions.
First, the members often see me as a
pitifijl example of human suffering and over
compensate in their efforts to be compassion
ate. They approach me with a tone of voice that
assumes that because I am physically handi
capped, I am mentally handicapped. If there is
one thing that truly offends me that would be it.
With wide smiles and an overdose of motherly
tenderness, they approach me with statements
like, “Hiiiii. How are yoooouuuuu? My name
is ...and on it goes. A vindictive part of me
wants to act as if I am mentally retarded and
follow them around, calling, “Dad,” or “Mom.”
1 do not think God’s word advocates for such an
approach. So I grin and bear it with politeness
and generally try not to make a big deal about
it, though I leave feeling demeaned and ready
for daycare.
Second, members of a church will
simply not say anything. Not knowing what to
do v«th me, they generally cast a few sideways
glances and keep to their respective clicks. I
am already a stranger and feeling out of place
If there is one place where I should find some
sort of introductory acceptance, it should be a
church. I often leave these places feeling hurt
and wounded, rejected for being a crippled in a
religion that has no place for me.
Jim Ritz, author of Megashift, wrote,
“If you’ve ever felt lonely and unimportant in
church, there’s a good reason; You are alone
and unimportant.” Yeah, that’s how I felt.
Through these experiences, there came a
time when 1 wanted to take my Bible and toss it,
along with God, into the trash. At least liberals,
pagans and atheists showed some semblance of
caring. They were telling me that Christianity
was a cruel, heartless religion and I believed
them. They told me that they were the ones
who cared for the disabled and I believed them.
After all, it was the Democrats and liberals who
were talking about justice and equality.
There came a time, though, when I had
to ask myself a question. What was I going to
do with Christianity? I decided that I would not
conform to what people expected a Christian
to be. I chose instead to investigate for myself
what I truly believed.
What I discovered was a two-side coin.
On one side, people are made in the image of
God and they have a natural value that only
God can take away. On the other, people are
like a herd of animals, always driven by fear
and seeking comfort in the familiar. Whenever
a disabled person rolls in and violates that com
fortable familiar, they know they are supposed
to be “good Christians,” but have no idea how.
So they put up a false front of compassion and
niceness that is phony through and through, or
they just stumble over the obvious and move
forward with the ceremony. How many people
with disabilities are being hurt by this lack of
clarity and lack of courage? I weep to think of
it.
There was a time, though, when I did
experience a genuine love, an honest appraisal
of who I was as a person. Hurting and wound
ed, I attended a tiny Methodist church in Stony
Point, North Carolina, willing to give God one
more chance. The pastor was man in his forties
with more of a fundamentalist view of the Bible
and the world. There was something different
about this man, though. He came out to my
house and visited with me. He helped me deal
with tough personal issues I was experiencing.
He helped find ways to get me to church. 1 was
cynical, jaded and cold, a person who normally
did not illicit a large crowd of friends, but he
acted like a friend of his own choice. One day,
he came by my house and outside, next to his
van, he prayed for me. When we were finished,
he took my hand into his in a strong handshake,
looked me in the eye, and said, “Matthew, I
love you.”
That was when I began to under Just
what kind of God the God of Christianity was
Who Jesus was came into such a clear focus. I
stopped being a handicapped man and became
a man who happened to be handicapped. There
was also the realization that I could know God,
as a friend and confidant. To my mind this had
seemed impossible and stupid After all, what
kind of God would come down to this earth
to live like a man, then take my heart into His
hands and Say, “I love you”?
In churches across America, Christians
hold important ceremonies, delve into deep
theology, experience spiritual power and ex
press themselves in unbridled ways. Past it
all, though, there are people who are in need of
basic affirmation that they loved by God just
as they are. We need to learn how to let God’s
strength and love guide us past physical dis
abilities and see the person underneath That
person will have a heart and at the door of that
heart, you’ll find Jesus knocking.
Or better yet, you’ll find the door wide
open and Jesus inside.