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12 Young Riders from
Three States Compete for Scholarship Money
Twelve young cutting horse riders from three states will compete Thursday night, Jan. 31, in the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center.
Six riders from Georgia, four from South Carolina and two from North Carolina will compete in the Area 18 Youth Scholarship Cutting event at the 2002 Augusta Futurity with the winner taking home $3,000 in scholarship money. The runner-up receives $2,000 for tuition. Third place gets $1,500, fourth gets $1,000 and fifth gets $500. The top two also earn premium, Western belt buckles, and the champion gets a saddle and other prizes.
Eight of the 12 riders competed in the Area 18 cutting event last year.
Although not an official part of the Futurity, the event has provided many exciting moments for both spectators and the budding cutting horse riders in the past 10 years.
Contestants, 19 and younger, have earned points during the previous year in the National Cutting Horse Association designated Area 18, which consists of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Last yearıs Area 18 winner was MONTY NIX III, then a 16-year-old junior at Barnwell (S.C.) High School. He had a score of 218.5 on Sugs Little King, a 17-year-old gelding owned by Nix.
The Area 18 Reserve Champion position was a tie between JENNIFER GIBSON, 17, of St. George, S.C., a senior at First Baptist High School in Charleston and JEFFERY MAY, 15, of Statesboro, Ga., a sophomore at Southeast Bulloch High School. Both scored 217 with Gibson riding CC Smart Pep, owned by Bill and Linda Gibson, and May riding Peppy Playboy, owned by May.
Both Nix and May are due to return this year with Nix attempting to defend his champion title.
The other 10 competitors this year will be: Priscilla Crawley, Unadilla, Ga.; Dusty Davis, Milledgeville, Ga; Coleman Flynn, Greer, S.C.; Mary Ellen Graves, Hilton Head, S.C.; Drew Hestad, Jackson, Ga.; Adam Koontz, Belton, S.C.; Jesse Miller, Hazlehurst, Ga.; Kristen Mooney, Zirconia, N.C.; Zachary Williford, Vidalia, Ga.; and Ryan Wing, Wingate, N.C.
Young cutting horse riders who want to know more about the Area 18 competition requirements can call event organizer Becky Elliott at (803) 625-3331 or e-mail her at milese@elliottsawmilling.com.
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