VaultinG - Cornell University Department of History

FeAture
Real Friendship, Real Team,
by Carole Dwinell
Fifteen years ... and a performance track
record that borders on a miracle. But
then vaulting is a miracle, right? From
that very first frisson, that electric body thing
that happens when you “let go” on a horse
for the very first time, the first mount all by
yourself, and the amazing rush when a difficult
move is accomplished perfectly at the canter,
to the music that is the roar of thousands.
When that happens ... there is nothing quite
like the thrill of vaulting.
The Friendship Vaulting Team has been
sharing that “wow” now for 15 years. It’s
an easy thing to list the fabulous venues
that have been privileged to host the FVT,
but that’s just a list. It doesn’t even begin
to account for the impact of vaulting, the
intense challenges that the team participants
encounter, nor the lasting lifetime benefits of
those challenges.
If you ask the vaulters, their coaches, the
FVT volunteers or even those hosting the
Friendship Team, you will get a symphony
of positive responses. There seems to be no
downside. Even mud, missing unitards and
practical jokes evoke warm memories and
laughter. Real friendships are formed that stay
alive for a lifetime.
Starting with a Dream
The first ever demo by the official Friendship
Vaulting Team was at the Rolex Kentucky
Three Day Event, one of the nation’s most
prestigious equestrian events, in 1995.
Vaulting mom Priscilla G. Faulkner founded
the FVT to temporarily bring vaulters together
from clubs across the nation, for the express
purpose of showcasing our sport at large
events. Sisters Lucinda and Priscilla B. Faulkner
were the coaches, and members of clubs
from both coasts formed the team that
performed originally on Ureon, a rock-steady
horse owned by Alice Olford and permanently
loaned to the Friendship Team.
It was the first of five events in that initial
year. Included were the Atlanta Cup, the
Hampton Classic, the opening of the Georgia
10 EquEstrianVaultinG | Winter 2011
International Horse Park and the California
Dressage Society Annual Show. The event
line-up was partially set up as practice for the
upcoming Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996.
What an opportunity!
“My mom (Priscilla G. Faulkner) started the
Friendship Team in 1995 with nothing more
than a dream and no idea how to pull it off,”
remembers Lucinda Faulkner. “She had no
vested interest other than to create a fantastic
performance with the vaulters and horses
who were there. No one will understand
the behind-the-scenes work that Mom put
into each one. She worked her butt off and
schmoozed like nobody's business, and
everyone who encounters her loves her.”
AVA’s own Jan Weber
(now VP Development)
and Sydney Frankel
(long-time board
member) have been
staunch supporters
throughout the years.
Jan has been the AVA
exhibits manager for
many, many years—
bringing the AVA booth
across America to
support these events,
distributing brochures,
writing talking points
for the demonstrations
and acting as the
spokesperson for vaulting. Sydney Frankel
has also been a long-time supporter,
contributing not only financial but also
important emotional support to the
contingent over the decades. “This is very
important work,” she would remind Priscilla
G. during difficult times.
For everyone involved, the
Friendship Vaulting Team is a
labor of love.
Krystal Solarzano started with the FTV when
she was eleven years old . The Olympics
were coming, the Friendship Team had been