At the AVA, we’ve done plenty over the past few years to ensure that the sport isn’t nearly as unknown as it used to be. Despite the puzzled looks we sometimes get in airports when we travel (“what IS that on your T-shirt?” they ask, if they see a vaulting graphic, or if there’s no picture and just the word “vault” they tend to jump right to pole vaulting or the gymnastics apparatus) we are making headway in getting our sport noticed in the U.S. And we need to do even better.
How many of you vaulters, vaulting parents and vaulting alumni spend time on the internet these days? If you do a Google search for “vaulting”, the American Vaulting Association’s site is at the top of the list!
Four of the first five listings for “vaulting” are equestrian vaulting sites. (Note to AVA marketing: gotta get Webster’s online dictionary to recognize the word as a very for our sport!) The YouTube video of Megan Benjamin’s 2006 World Championship Freestyle performance in Aachen, Germany (posted three years ago by a very forward thinking former vaulter, Briana Olsen, WAY before most of us even knew what YouTube was!) has garnered more than 103,000 viewers thus far. And there are more than 1,100 YouTube videos listed when you search under “equestrian vaulting.”
So…what, we want more? Yes! And here’s what you can do to spread the word THIS WEEK about vaulting:
- Get your AVA vaulting decal out of your registration packet (yes, the one you got several months ago), and make it “work” for us—put in on the rear or side windows of your car or truck! Can’t find or don’t have the new, cool AVA car decal? They’re available from the National Office by clicking on the “AVA Store” button on the website—just $8 for 8! Get “slap happy” and make sure these decals are placed on at least one car per vaulter at your club (and get the grandparents to put one on their car as well!). Really, go find it now, get out some Windex, make a clean spot on your dirty car window, and get this sticker ON. (And remember “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” so do it now.)
- Register on any of the popular equestrian community websites (and definitely on the USEF’s new ClubEquestrian.com) to spread the word about vaulting. Post interesting and fun photos of vaulting, or you taking care of your horses, etc. Get that community more interested in vaulting. Tell them how much fun you’re having in our sport!
- Upload a YouTube video of someone vaulting. Make sure you’re helping the AVA put its best foot forward here, with a routine that looks fun and is safe (no matter what the level), and a horse that is workin’ it and happy at the same time. Be sure to use the key words that will get us most noticed: vaulting, equestrian vaulting, horse vaulting, horses, gymnastics, dance.
- Make it a game: how many new people can you introduce to vaulting in a single week? My own record is 23 in a seven-day period. Anytime someone tells me they have school-age children I ask the leading “Hey, do they like horses?” “How about dance or gymnastics?” “How about just plain fun?” Or if a parent is complaining about how bored their children will be this summer, I recommend that they come up to our local arenas to watch either the Mt. Eden or Woodside kids practice.
How much vaulting evangelism could you do in a single week? I want to hear your stories and your successes! You’ll hear from me much more often thru this Vaultopia! blog. And I want to hear from you too!
Sheri Benjamin
AVA President (and Dedicated Vaulting Evangelist!)
Sheri: Great job! I see you leading the team dragging the AVA into the technical future. Thank you. MR
Hi Sheri,
Great ideas and thanks for helping us put our thinking caps on! I know each of us does something to help further the sport, some more than others. It is wonderful to have some concrete ideas for everyone to run with and help the sport grow.
I have recently had two occasions to do something to evangelize the sport. I posted pictures to the USEF website. There were many other disciplines represented, but not vaulting. It was great to get feedback from people all over the world and I was thinking I would like to add some more from recent competitions.
In everyday life moments boast to others the fun and unique aspects of our sport At my daughter’s pool birthday party all of the parents were relaxing together and talking about kids and their hobbies when vaulting was brought up. Believe it or not, I did not have any pictures with my. However, being the AVA webmaster, I knew we had just updated the ‘See Vaulting’ section and had cool videos to check out. So, I hauled out my laptop and verizon internet connection and away we went. They were amazed watching Beth Leonard’s into to Vaulting and Megan’s awesome performance. It turned into a mini show and everyone got a kick out of it!-Eileen
Vaulting evangelism? Easy! This past Friday I taught a birthday party class to a group of 10 eleven year olds. They had a blast and I’m positive at least a couple of them will beg their parents to let them come back for more. Some of the girls were gymnasts, others were soccer players, and there were even a couple non-athletic intellectuals. They all loved it and after a two hours session, with a little bit of neck-basing by yours-truly, they were standing at the trot. Really guys, it’s not that hard to sell a sport as wonderful as vaulting!
When I had a club (Black Point Vaulters) we did a lot of demos with audience participation. We contacted Country Clubs and did those demos on their Open House events or Family Picnic Days. We did demos at every horse show I could get us into for lunch time entertainment. We went to County Fairs, company picnics, did birthday parties.
But the biggest return came from summer camps. I ran summer camps every summer, from 8 to 11 sessions (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) depending on the schedules we were locked into for shows and fests. It was both a riding and vaulting day camp with 16 participants and five helpers from our riding group and vaulters. Only needed five horses for 16 kids.
The kids were in four groups of four. One group of kids did their riding portion while another group of four did classroom studies like pretending to buy a horse from real ads in the newspaper, with learning all the stuff you need to know to do that, pasture or stall, full training or backyard, how to take a horse’s temperature, wrap a leg, wash a hot horse so they didn’t get chilled.
The other two groups of four did vaulting together. Included serious warmup and barrel work for the first part and then vaulting on the horse for the second part.
The riding group/classroom group would switch while the vaulting group continued with vaulting.
Then after the mid session snack break — the riders became vaulters and the vaulters broke back down into their two groups of four for the riding/classroom stuff. It worked very smoothly. The kids made up names for their group, got to go home and have dinner on Thursday night then come back to the barn for a sleepover and prep for their exhibition for parents on the last day. If anyone is interested in more details you can contact me at “horse 123@aol.com. Vault on.
Great Idea’s
here some more-what works in the midwest….
Special Day : So you can think you can vault day, where the local gymnastic studio’s train for and the winner get’s a free month of vaulting…
My children have to give three of their friends to vaulting each month
Thanks for the tips…
I like Carol Dwinell do summer camps too. We did ride/vault camps also. We had kids from 6 to 15 and everybody had a blast!
This last week, I (self taught computer geek) completed and published a website for the F.A.C.E -OFF Vaulting Challenge. I used a template from vistaprints and it is so easy to update and publish. I have so much about vaulting on there now, with biographies (both vaulter and horse), I have premiums and forms, sponsorship and advertising.. endless amounts of information. I have already starting submitting my website link to companies, individuals and any other interested parties I can think of.
If AVA members can check it out and give me now updates, pictures, links anything that could help spread the word. My site can link mp3 music links, youtube links to any bio, send me your link and then visitors can see and hear you. Exciting or What!
http://www.cadenceequestrianevents.com
Vistaprints also has an email marketing feature that I intend to take advantage of.
Check your email you might have a surprise discount or coupon to use at the FACE-OFF!
Carolyn
Great job Sheri! I love it. Vaultopia is a great name too! Makes me wish I was more involved again! Maybe someday.
love vicki