Vaulters

English Vaulting Squad


Sarah Watson I am 27 years old and have been vaulting since I was 11. I competed at my first British Championships the following year. This lead to a successful career within Britain, achieving many titles including Pairs 1995, 1996, 2001 & 2002, and Advanced Team 1997 & 1998. I first competed at an international CVI event in 1997 in Holland. Since then I have competed at CVIs in France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia, Germany and Italy. I have also been selected to compete for Great Britain as an individual at the European Championships 2001, 2003 and 2005, the World Equestrian Games 2002 and 2006, and the World Championships 2004. More....
	Lucy Bell I am 26 years old from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire and have been vaulting since I first saw a demonstration when I was 9 and am the last remaining, original member of the Warwick group. I am a member of the English Vaulting Squad and a BEV Level 3 coach. I competed in Individual competition, up to 2005 when team took proirity with the removal of the age limit. I have been a British squad member every year since 1998, I was 2001 BEV ranking system winner, normally in GB top 5 and competed in over 20 internationals over the years, which includes Saumur- France (9 times), Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Spain, Slovakia and Italy. I have represented Great Britain at the European Championships in Slovakia-1999, the World Equestrian Games in Spain-2002 and was reserve in 2001 and 2003. More....
Steph - 14 I started vaulting with Wittering Vaulting group when I was 7 and joined EVS about a year and a half later. I started competing with the team as a walk individual 6 months later and then in 2005, I did my first international with the team. I have only ever been a flyer in the team, but that all changed last Christmas when I became a neck prop. I am really looking forward to the coming years and will enjoy it to the full.
Sarah Reid - 18 I have been vaulting since 1998 when I tried it out at Shieldbank Vaulting Club in Scotland and loved it. After one year I was asked to join the Scottish Equestrian Vaulting Team but then in 2001 my family moved to England. There I started vaulting with the newly formed English Vaulting Squad and also joined Windrush Vaulting Group for some extra practice. Unfortunately Windrush broke up in summer 2004 so now I only vault with EVS. I've been in the EVS team at every competition since 2001 except one (because of exams) and I've also been competing individually since 2004. My first international competition was at Saumur in 2002 and I now compete abroad regularly.
In October 2006 I dislocated my elbow but with the help of my teammates I was soon back on the horse and making a good recovery, ready for 2007. Apart from vaulting other sports I enjoy are swimming, going to the gym and trampolining. I'm currently studying for my A levels.
	Liz Lukehurst I am 27 years old from Market Harborough, Leicestershire and now living near Halifax. I came into vaulting from a background of swimming, gymnastics and horse riding. I started vaulting at the age of 11 having seen an article on vaulting in a magazine. A local club started allowing my vaulting career to begin. I started at the lowest level moving up and changing clubs as my ability improved, becoming a member of EVS in 2001. More....
India - 7 I started vaulting in August 2006 after I saw the EVS team at an open day at Lowlands Farm, Shrewley. I've been riding for about 18 months now and regularly attend the Sunday training sessions at Fenny Compton where as the lightest member of the squad I do lots of flying. I'm looking forward to becoming a full member of the team and attending competitions in the future.
Emma Runge - 21 I started vaulting in 2001 when I was 14 after a friend in my gymnastics team at school introduced me. I then spent the next 3 years in the EVS team, during which we travelled to Italy and France (twice). Being in the team was great fun and it was fantastic to see us develop while we were together. Unfortunately in 2004 I moved to boarding school and I was unable to train regularly so I started completing as an individual rather than in the team. Once I had finished my A-levels I started at Birmingham University to read Biochemistry. After a break from vaulting for just over a year to do a little bit of work and some exams, I started again in time for camp in 2006. Having nearly mastered the art of juggling social life, home life and university I am starting to train my individual routine again and I am hopeful for the coming year! Outside of vaulting, when I’m not working for my degree, I play netball for my Biochemistry Department and I enjoy playing hockey and squash in spare time.
Paige - 11 I started vaulting when I was about 5 years old. I’ve been vaulting for about 5 years now,first training with the Overton group and then I started training with the EVS team in August 2006. I am very interested in horses and used to ride ponies at Overton Pony Club. I vault twice a week, once with Overton and once with EVS and I also go to a local gymnastics club 3 times a week. When I’m older I want to be an equestrian vet. I first became interested in vaulting when I saw a video that the vaulting coach at Overton showed me and now want to take part in demonstrations and competitions with the team.
Fiona Jones I started vaulting in 1993 with Julie to learn how to mount for my Prince Phillip Cup, I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to carry on learning more about the sport. I trained with Warwick and Windrush groups and this enabled me to go to the European Championships with the team at Saumur. I went to the World games in Rome in 1998, when I was 16, on Bowler. This was my last competition until August 2006 when I met up with Julie again at the Kenilworth show and decided to take up the sport again. I have since attended the British Championships taking part in the Individual classes. I fit my vaulting practice around my present job, having now finished my degree in Physiotherapy at Coventry University.

Milly - 10 I saw the vaulting team at the Kenilworth Show last summer and had a go at the end of one of the demonstrations. I started coming along to the Saturday training sessions at Ashow last year with my sister Fiona and now train on a Sunday at Fenny Compton. I like sport taking part in cricket, tag rugby, football, netball and summer games at school. I ride my pony, Sollie when I can and my mum sometimes lets me ride her horse and my sister Fiona gives me riding lessons sometimes.
Sara – 14 I have been vaulting with EVS for 5 years. I started vaulting with Venus Vaulters when I was 6 then I got asked to vault with EVS. I really enjoyed it so I carried on. In 2003 I went to my first International which was in Italy in the Easter holidays. It was a really good experience. I also went to Saumur in the summer holidays with the team. I started in the team and was a flyer and still am. We now have a junior team which I am a neck prop in which is quite scary after flying for the past few years. I then started doing Individual, however I stopped for a while so never really got anywhere. I'm starting to do Individual again but I will have to work really hard on it and my compulseries! I vault every Sunday and some Saturdays. I am looking forward to the rest of this year and hope it will carry on being just as fun!

Honor - 13 I have been vaulting with the Overton Vaulting Group for 4 years and I also go to a local gymnastics club once a week. I used to ride at the Overton Pony Club until it shut down, this was where I first saw other children vaulting and I thought it looked really interesting. I now do gymnastics to help with my vaulting. I really want to improve my vaulting and look forward to becoming part of the team and attending demonstrations and competitions.
Lydia - 13 I have been vaulting for 2 and a half years. I got into vaulting through my friend Gemma when she asked me to go to a Wittering session on the barrel with her. I play loads of other sports like netball, basketball, football, hockey and I want to start gymnastics.
Jon - 24 I have been vaulting on and off for 14 years now, I began vaulting in team events with the Arrow vaulting group in Herefordshire, also training with Windrush now and then. I started training with EVS in 2002 and have concentrated on individual vaulting there to date. Throughout the 14 years I have competed in many internationals including Saumur 2003/04 and in the vaulters world cup in Munich. I joined the army in June 05 as a seamen/navigator and work from the army port in Marchwood Southampton. Since I joined I have become quite a bit fitter, however the trade I do is very busy, leaving little time for vaulting, however this is due to change. Other than vaulting I take part in plenty of sport, generally with the army now, such as hill walking and most recently kayaking, which I am soon to gain my instructors qualifications in. Also I may be gaining my joint service mountain leaders qualification in the coming year. Vaulting has played a major part of my life and I would recommend it to anybody.

English Vaulting Squad Contact Julie McNally 07976 421789 or evsvaulting@hotmail.com