Sofia Burrell from the Suffolk Academy is the latest NAF Shining Star
Friday 11 November 2022
.jpg "Sofia Burrell from the Suffolk Academy is the latest NAF Shining Star")
Sofia Burrell from Bury St. Edmunds has been awarded with the NAF Shining Star accolade; a member of the British Showjumping Suffolk Academy, she was nominated for the award by her coach, Mia Palles-Clark.
Sofia currently has one pony: Diamond Boy IV, a six year-old, 14.2 liver chestnut gelding, affectionately known as Eight at home.
Commenting on Eight, Sofia said: “He is very ticklish on his belly. Every time I brush or sponge him there, he makes a hilarious face, with his lip up in the air”.
Following the news that she is the latest recipient of the NAF Shining Star award, Sofia said: “At first, I was really surprised, as I didn’t know I had been nominated. I am so excited and feel lucky to have such a great coach. Mia is really supportive and teaches me so much”.
This year, Sofia’s proudest moment has been winning the NAF 3* Style and Performance Class at the British Showjumping Academy Championship Show with Eight. Talking about her experience, Sofia said: “Eight has been working really hard on learning how to be a great showjumper. We are developing together, so when we won such a big award, I felt so proud of what we had accomplished in such a short period of time”.
For the rest of 2022, Sofia and Eight will be focusing on gaining their final double clears needed to qualify for the Novice and Discovery second rounds.
Mia Palles-Clark, Coach of the Suffolk Academy, said of Sofia: “Sofia was the winner of the NAF 3* Style and Performance Championship in August. This was a huge achievement and a goal she had set earlier in the year. She overcame a serious bout of competition nerves on the first day to deliver really accomplished performances, jumping clear consistently.
“Sofia has been a member of the Suffolk Academy for a few years but has previously been at school in Saudi Arabia and Canada, coming back and forth to the UK to ride whenever she could. Since January, Sofia has been in the UK full time and is a very valued member of the Academy and takes part in coaching sessions regularly. She is inclusive, friendly and a great team player and relished representing Suffolk at the championships in August.
“Sofia flies the flag for the Suffolk Academy at every opportunity and has nearly completed her NAF 5* Award workbook, after starting it in lockdown when she was stuck in Saudi Arabia and unable to leave her house”.
Explaining what she enjoys most about being part of the Suffolk Academy, Sofia said: “I love that everyone is so supportive of one another. It’s nice to know you have all your teammates rooting for you when you are jumping. It gives you a boost of confidence, and that’s really important to me.
“Having moved to the UK recently from Canada, the shows are different to what I am used to. I have really enjoyed my experience here so far, and I can’t wait to keep going to shows and look forward to our next academy competition where we all work as a team again. I am so excited about my journey with Eight and I think we will have a lot of fun together”.
Lisa Field from NAF added: “Sofia is an enthusiastic young rider who is obviously dedicated to spending time improving both herself and her pony through the British Showjumping Academy. It is wonderful to see how keen she is to learn all that she can from her coaches and how it is reflected in her confidence and successes at competitions. Congratulations Sofia on your success in the NAF 3* Style and Performance Championship and on being awarded the NAF Shining Star, we can’t wait to see how you progress in the future”.
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.
For further information on NAF products click here or follow them on Facebook and Instagram for regular updates and rider stories.
Further information on the British Showjumping Academies can be found here: www.britishshowjumping.co.uk/training/Academies-1
.jpg "Laura Renwick Dominates in the Redpost Equestrian Senior Foxhunter Second Round at Felbridge Showground")
