Gloucestershire’s Florence Finzi Wins the November NAF Shining Star Award
Monday 10 December 2012
The NAF Shining Star Award for the month of November has been given to 12-year-old Florence Finzi from Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Florence is a determined and committed Junior Academy member and she has been awarded the NAF Shining Star because of the improvement that she has shown during her time as a member of the British Showjumping Gloucestershire Junior Academy.
Nicky Florence, lead coach for the Gloucestershire Junior Academy, nominated Florence for the NAF Shining Star Award “I have been coaching Florence for about a year now and I have been extremely impressed by her dedication and commitment to working on her riding and her ponies' way of going to improve her performance in showjumping. She is enthusiastically and intelligently completing her log books for her ponies, showing an educated understanding of her training and an ability to be technique driven in her riding. Florence is greatly encouraged and supported by her mother and although Florence is the only "horsey" person in her family, she manages her ponies and her show planning with great knowledge, patience and understanding. She is well worthy of the Shining Star award”
Florence has been a member with British Showjumping since 2011 and has been riding since she was 7 years old. Florence is relatively new to affiliated showjumping and the Junior Academy system, but despite this, she has started out very successfully and has already completed her 1* and 2 * Pony Performance Award and is actively working her way to completing her 3*. She now enjoys competing on two different ponies, Bobby Blue II and Rosslayne Masquerade.
Florence was pleased to learn that she had been awarded the NAF Shining Star “I got involved with the British Showjumping Gloucestershire Junior Academy because of the great coaching opportunities that were available to me. I have to thank everyone who has been helping and supporting me, especially Nicky Florence. I am also looking forward to completing my 3* Pony Performance Award”
Tracey Lloyd, Marketing Manager for NAF commented “Florence is a great example for those pony members who have not come from an equestrian background nor previously not been involved with ponies or horses. Florence has shown that with enough commitment and determination, anything is possible.”
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.
