Buckinghamshire’s Ellie Balian Wins the September NAF Shining Star Award

The winner of the NAF Shining Star Award for the month of September is committed young showjumper, 15-year-old Ellie Balian from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Ellie has been awarded the NAF Shining Star because of the enthusiasm and dedication that she has demonstrated during her time as a participant of her local British Showjumping Junior Academy. 

 

Ellie was nominated for the NAF Shining Star Award by the lead coach for the Buckinghamshire Junior Academy, Mandy McGlynn. Mandy was pleased to hear that Ellie had been awarded the NAF Shining Star and she explained why Ellie is such a deserving winner “Ellie is a polite and dedicated young lady who provides a lot of useful feedback following on from Academy events. Ellie is a regular attendee at Junior Academy sessions, both mounted and dismounted, and her improvement during the last year saw her win the most improved rider in the Central Academy awards.” 

 

Ellie has been a member with British Showjumping since 2011 and although she has not been a member for long, Ellie has already completed her 1* and 2* Pony Performance Award and is well on her way to completing her 3*. Ellie has represented her Junior Academy at the Inter-Academy competition at Weston Lawns Equitation Centre. Ellie has also been a guinea pig rider in front of a large audience and her fellow Academy members were very proud of the way that she rode and the way that she represented her area.  

 

Tracey Lloyd, Marketing Manager for NAF commented “Congratulations Ellie, not only are you a true asset to your academy, you are a great ambassador for the sport of showjumping. Furthermore, you are a very well deserving NAF Shining Star Winner!”

 

The NAF Shining Star Award was introduced when NAF became a British Showjumping Business Partner. The award is for members of a Junior Academy who have shown a great deal of commitment, progression and outstanding behaviour along with their riding ability and much more. Riders are nominated by their lead coach, and then judged and awarded by NAF to one person each month.