Warm Beach vaulters win national awards

A fifth-grader at Twin City Elementary, Kaleb Patterson received the Bronze Men’s High Point award, after winning the Copper High Point award for 2008. Three Stanwood area vaulters received awards at the national convention of the American Vaulting Association (AVA) in Portland March 5-7.

Warm Beach Vaulters coach Patti Skipton received the “2009 Trainer of the Year” award in recognition of her outstanding horse training ability.

“I am giving you this award because your horses always look so happy when they compete,” said AVA past president Nancy Stevens Brown.

Vaulting is the sport of dance and gymnastics performed on the back of a moving horse.

Based at Warm Beach Camp, Warm Beach Vaulters is the third largest club in the nation, growing from just a few vaulters in 2006 to more than 40 now.

Skipton will coach the Friendship Team at the World Equestrian Games at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington this fall.

A 2009 graduate of Stanwood High School and currently a student at Seattle Pacific University, Kimberly Barnes received the 2009 Silver Women’s High Point award. This award recognizes vaulters who accumulate the most points in at least three AVA recognized competitions through the year.

“I was so surprised at first. I really didn’t expect it. It was an awesome way to end my vaulting career, since I’m off to university now,” Barnes said.

A fifth-grader at Twin City Elementary, Kaleb Patterson received the Bronze Men’s High Point award, after winning the Copper High Point award for 2008.

“Winning two times in a row was really exciting and showed that I earned my way to the silver level,” Patterson said.

The sport arrived in the U.S. from Europe in the 1970s.

For more information on Warm Beach Camp and the Warm Beach Vaulters,