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Catherine Chamberlain
Catherine is a seventeen-year-old senior from Arizona Connections Academy (ACA). She lives in Chandler, Arizona. Her passion for horseback riding is a family affair—her aunt is a horse trainer and her mother once rode competitively.
Catherine began riding when she was five-years-old. At age nine she received her first pony and seriously began to train and compete in the world of dressage. Dressage is a French term for a competitive type of horse training occasionally referred to as “horse ballet.”
Catherine and her horse, Chance, compete at least once a month. They are competitive on the National level, competing in the North American Junior & Young Rider Championships. For one week each month Catherine and Chance travel from Arizona to compete in various shows.
Catherine’s drive to succeed in the world of Dressage has already enabled her to make a name for herself. She has won several awards. Most recently, she won two silver medals in the 2010 North American Junior & Young Rider Championships in Lexington, Kentucky. In this highly competitive championships, she beat a field of 36 horse and rider combinations. In addition, also in 2010, Catherine won the United States Equestrian Federation's Junior Reserve National Championship in Gladstone, New Jersey.
Her immediate goals are to compete in the North American Championships, to secure a sponsor and continue to further her education.
Catherine spends six-to-seven hours a day focused on riding and training. Five years ago, at age twelve, she enrolled in Arizona Connections Academy so that she could balance her passion for horses and her education. Attending ACA was an easy family decision for the Chamberlin's. Her older sister attended ACA while pursuing her goal of becoming a singer, songwriter and actress.
Catherine praises ACA for giving her the opportunity to meet other like-minded students who are pursuing similar goals and dreams that can be nurtured through an academic arena like the ACA, without the constraints of a traditional school. She enjoys seeing and spending time with her ACA friends at the many statewide ACA field trips.
This highly energetic, focused horsewoman finds that attending ACA gives her the flexibility to continue her education. The program provides the opportunity for her to study on her own schedule, both in the early mornings and late afternoons, whether at home or on the road. The ultimate benefit for Catherine is that she can continue her Dressage training. She has big goals and we hope to see her competing in the 2016 Olympics.
"The teachers at Connections Academy are great and they are there for you any time that you have questions."
– Catherine Chamberlain