August 12, 2021 
As the 2019 winner of the Junior category, Mimi Gochman knows what it takes to win gold at the FEI North American Youth Championships.
She knows that a few faults can make all the difference and that a strong start in the first individual qualifier class is vital for setting yourself up for success. So that’s what she had in mind when she returned to the NAYC this year and entered the Young Rider First Individual Qualifier aboard Celina BH on Thursday afternoon.
“Since today’s format was a speed with the faults converted, my plan was just to go smooth and try not to flatten [Celina BH] out before the team competition, but to go and get up there,” said Gochman, who trains with Ken Berkley. “I wanted to go a little bit and get her in there and get going. She hasn’t jumped in a while, so I had a nice and fresh horse, and she was excited. She was revved to go, and she jumped incredibly. I followed the plan, and Ken was happy, so I think I did okay!”
Gochman did more than okay, as she stopped the clock in an untouchable 65.24 seconds to take the Young Rider Individual Qualifier win and the early lead in the Individual standings, as well as helping her Zone 2 team to get off to a strong start.
“It’s always an honor to be asked to be on a team,” said Gochman, 16, of New York, NY. “It’s a prestigious event with so many good, competitive riders. It’s just really exciting to come. Since it’s such an individual sport, it’s really nice to get together with fellow riders and try together as a team. It’s really good prep for when we do, hopefully, senior Nations Cups. It’s really nice to get this experience and to be able to hang out with other teammates.”
Second place in the individual qualifier with a time of 66.67 seconds went to Zone 10’s Alessandra Volpi and Foster. Third place was awarded to Hallie Grimes who finished in a time of 67.13 seconds aboard Ace.
Genevieve Munson Takes the Lead for Zone 7
In the Junior First Individual Qualifier, the victory went to Genevieve Munson, who blazed the way for Zone 7 aboard Zonderling. The pair stopped the clock in 57.86 seconds to put them on top of the 47 entries in the Junior category.
“It feels amazing,” said Munson, 17, who hails from Rogers, AR. “Just to be able to continue the week on a clean slate, on zero, is amazing—not to mention the progress that my horse and I have made. Really seeing that accumulate is really, really nice.”
Second place in the Junior First Individual Qualifier went to Zone 4 rider Ansgar Holtgers riding Elina, and it was Holtger’s teammate, Daneli Miron who finished in third with Vox Dei.
View the full results here and catch all of the NAYC action live on USEF Network here. (Use promo code ‘nayc21’ for a free fan membership.)
