Jump Canada Hall of Fame Gala Celebrates Second Successful Year

Toronto, Ontario â€“ The second annual Jump Canada Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Gala, presented by BMO Financial Group, was held on Sunday, November 4, 2007, at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, ON.

Building on the enormous success of last year’s inaugural gala, the 2007 edition saw 380 members of the hunter and jumper industry gather for a very special evening celebrating equestrian sport heroes.

“It was a humbling experience to witness the achievements and passion of our Inductees,” said Mark Samuel, founder and Chair of the Jump Canada Hall of Fame. “In our second year we introduced new categories of recognition and also debuted a new visible representation in the form of a Hall of Fame inductee pin. The beauty of the event paid homage to the importance of the Hall of Fame and to the esteem in which we hold our champions and our legacy.”

At a special reception held prior to the beginning of the Gala, inductees from 2006 and 2007 were presented with a commemorative lapel pin recognizing their membership in the Jump Canada Hall of Fame. All guests then enjoyed a reception, presented by CN. Following dinner, the induction ceremony featured a video recalling highlights of each inductee’s contribution to the sport while speeches by presenters and inductees enlightened, educated and entertained the audience.

Inductions were made in nine categories in 2007 as follows:

Jumper Horse – Aramis

Hunter Horse – Dr. Schpiegle

Pony – Wotten Nell

Builder (Individual) – Major General and Mrs. C. Churchill Mann (posthumous)

Media – Susan Jane Anstey (posthumous)

Official – Francois Ferland

Rider – Lorne Siegel

Team – The 1980 Alternate Olympic Gold Medal Team, Rotterdam, NED – Jim Elder riding Volunteer, Mark Laskin riding Damuraz, Ian Millar riding Brother Sam, and Michel Vaillancourt riding Chivas

Trainer – Gladys Adam (posthumous)

Detailed profiles as well as the video highlights for each inductee are posted on the Jump Canada Hall of Fame website at www.jumpcanada.ca. In addition, dvd’s of the inductee profiles are available for purchase – order forms are posted on the website.

Jump Canada is a committee of Equine Canada responsible for all hunter, equitation and jumper activities in Canada from the grass roots to the international level. Jump Canada is governed by a board of directors, the majority of whom are elected by the stakeholders in the sport. For more information regarding Jump Canada programs and activities, visit www.jumpcanada.ca.