April 28, 2016
Centenary University’s IDA Team Takes Fourth at Intercollegiate Dressage Association Nationals
Centenary University IDA Team placed fourth overall while two individuals, Jorgen Olijslager (Basking Ridge, NJ) placed fifth individually in First Level and Amanda DeFelice (Chalfont, PA) was Champion in Upper Training. The competing team coached by Sarah Simms was made up of Amanda DeFelice (Chalfont, PA), Jorgen Olijslager (Basking Ridge, NJ), Makayla Lingerman (Merrimac, MA), and Kelly Wenham (Highlands Ranch, CO). Amanda DeFelice also won a Custom Saddlery Dressage Saddle for winning the Individual Upper Training Level Class. Makayla Lingerman won the Lower Training Division.
In addition to the IDA Nationals, Centenary also hosted the Equus Project, Inc. on April 23, 2016. JoAnna Mendl Shaw, Choreographer and Teacher, is serving as the Spring 2016 Gates-Ferry Distinguished Visiting Lecturer. Shaw’s work at Centenary University was a groundbreaking collaboration between the Theatre Arts and Equine Studies Departments. Her work on campus, with theater students, equestrians and the Centenary community includes teaching herd of horses and focusing on Physical Listening and the kinetic expressiveness that emerges when you bring performers and horses together inside a creative process. Please click the link below to see the performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKDHthnxyns&feature=youtu.be
“Our Equine Studies students make us proud because of their continued academic achievements in their classes,” stated Timothy Cleary, Associate Professor of Equine Studies at Centenary University and Chair of the Equine Studies Department. “The great success of the students as members of all of our Equine Teams is extremely exciting and a true testament to the level of commitment and the power of our teamwork.”
About The Intercollegiate Dressage Association
The Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) began in 1995 as an informal competition among a small group of colleges and secondary schools in the northeast. Michelle Hoffman, who was a student at Mt. Holyoke during this time, was the originator of the IDA concept. She personally drew up the basic structure for the team competition and the guidelines for calculation of team points, which for the most part, are still in use today.
Johnson and Wales University, Mt. Holyoke College, Ethel Walker School, Williston Academy, Stoneleigh Burnham School and Savannah School of Art and Design were all among the first school-sponsored programs seeking to develop dressage as a “team” sport. The rapid international growth of dressage inspired greater development within college and secondary school riding programs. This led to an increase in participation and interest in a more formally constructed national organization.
About Centenary University
Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary University’s academic program integrates a solid liberal arts foundation with a strong career orientation. This mix is designed to provide an educational experience that prepares students to succeed in the increasingly global and interdependent world.
Centenary University’s main campus is located in Hackettstown, N.J. with its equestrian facility in Washington Township (Morris County). The Centenary University School of Professional Studies offers degree programs in the following locations: Parsippany, Edison, and at corporate sites throughout New Jersey.
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