Six year old vaulter Juliet Mendict of Claridge, PA swept the Tiny Tot division of the USEF/American Vaulting Association National Vaulting Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Pennsylvanian vaulters made a clean sweep of the Tiny Tot division at the 2012 USEF/AVA National Vaulting Championships held August 1-5 in the Kentucky Horse Park’s Alltech Arena in Lexington. This year’s event featured over 350 competitors from across the country. Tiny Tots compete individually in musical freestyle and compulsories.

Six-year-old Juliet Mendik of Claridge in Southwest Pennsylvania took first in every Tiny Tot class of the American Vaulting Association National Festival, clinching the Tiny Tot National Champion title. Mendik vaults with Steel City Vaulters of Greensburg, PA and is coached by Lynda Fox. Her winning rounds, judged by USEF ‘R’ judge Toni Amoroso and USEF ‘r’ judge Kendel Edmunds, were performed on The Crumpet, Fox’s 18 hand American Shire, longed by Mendik’s mother, Natalie DeFee Mendik.

Raelyn Snyder, also six, of Elysburg brought home Reserve Champion on board Ginger Klein’s 15.1 hand Percheron cross, Bonita Conchita, with two seconds and a third. Snyder, coached by Michaela Brehm and longed by Ginger Klein, is a member of Bear Gap Vaulters, based in Bear Gap in Central Pennsylvania.

As new clubs, this is first time for both Bear Gap Vaulters and Steel City Vaulters to compete in the National Championships; both clubs had vaulters ribbon in a variety of divisions. Bear Gap Vaulters and Steel City Vaulters were the only two clubs to represent Pennsylvania at the event.