No horsing around: Danville’s tyrrell has a true gift for riding W e’re closing in on our one-year anniversary here at SportStars Magazine, and to say we’ve already featured just about every kind of young athlete imaginable would be no stretch. We’ve written about football players and water polo standouts, cheerleaders and golfers, basketball players and soccer stars, and even mixed martial arts and women’s roller derby. (What, you don’t remember the Undead Bettys?) Danville’s Emma Tyrrell probably could have made the pages of this magazine in many of those sports, and played soccer with her friends in earlier years. But these days, she’s dedicated herself to a sport that probably seems as foreign to many kids her age as it does difficult for any adult outsider to grasp. After all, she’s not just bouncing a ball or throwing it — she’s dealing with a 1,200-pound animal that has a brain of its own. And succeeding. Big-time. Tyrrell, a 14-year-old freshman at San Ramon Valley High, is among the Bay Area’s brightest young talents in the world of equestrian competition. It’s a sport that requires both mental and physical strength, an amazing amount of dedication and, of course, the ability to handle a 1,200-pound animal — physically, and mentally. Erika Carlson, an East Bay sports psychologist who often trains alongside Tyrrell at Kelly Maddox Training, Inc. west of San Ramon, put it best. “Riding is as technical as golf,” Carlson said, “except imagine if each of your clubs had its own brain.” And in Tyrrell’s case, she’s carrying around two sets of clubs. She rides a horse named Joe three times a week, and her usual show animal, Goose, the other three. They think differently, and react differently to her commands. “Joe’s a jumper — he likes to go very fast,” said Tyrrell, who has ridden for seven years. “Goose is an equestrian horse. “There are different disciplines: Jumpers, hunters and equitation. At the show you’re judged on things like body position and making the course look easy.” On a 1,200-pound animal, with its own brain. Sound a little more complicated than throwing a ball? You’re right. And that’s why Tyrrell, as driven to succeed as any athlete we’ve featured, has thrown herself into the sport with the highest level of dedication possible. When asked to describe Tyrrell as a rider, Maddox doesn’t hold back words. “She’s a superstar,” Maddox said. “She is extremely dedicated, very responsible and has huge goals that I know she will reach. “Riding is a huge commitment and we travel a great deal. She does an amazing job of balancing school and her riding.” Her riding usually takes up no fewer than six days a week, whether it’s three hours after school during the week, several hours on the weekend or traveling anywhere around California (or even other parts of the country) for competitions. On Saturday mornings, you can usually find her at Maddox’s training facility, training alongside a half-dozen or so other riders on all aspects of equestrian competition, including jumping. While it all starts with the practice, training and dedication, the competitions are where Tyrrell has really made a name for herself. In a series of horse shows at Woodside last spring and summer, Tyrrell was reserve champion in the Children’s Hunter Division; an Equitation Flat winner; winner of the Horse and Hound Medal; and a reserve champion in the
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SportStars™
March 10, 2011
Wally’s WorlD Mike Wolcott MikeW@ SportStarsMag.com (925) 566-8500 Ext. 109
Bob Larson
Emma Tyrrell, a freshman at San Ramon Valley High in Danville, works through some jumps with her horse, “Joe.” Tyrrell trains and competes for Kelly Maddox Training out of San Ramon. Equitation Division and champion of the .90 meter jumpers. Then, at the Sonoma Classic Horse Show in August, she qualified for the prestigious Hudson and Company medal finals. She’s already followed that up this year with a series of ribbons — including second place in the Pacific Coast Horseman’s Association Medal — at the Northern Winter Classic III in Sacramento in February. “She is riding great and had another super show,” said Maddox, who has had Tyrrell as a student for four years. It’s all part of a master plan and a big set of goals Tyrrell has set for this year. She’s aiming for the equestrian regional in Southern California, the finals in Kentucky, and the Ma-
clay Medal Finals in New York at the end of the year. (For outsiders, that’s sort of like deciding you’re going to make the Sweet 16, roll on to the NCAA Title and then, just for kicks, try to win the NBA championship as a bonus.) What is it about this sport that has her hooked? “My friends mainly do soccer and swim,” Tyrrell said. “But I just like having a horse that I can talk to. It’s like competing with a best friend.” At shows, that’s a best friend named Goose that outweighs her by about 1,100 pounds, has a brain of its own and has proven to be a valuable part of a championship combination. A winning team, each athlete complementing the other. Now, that’s the true definition of a SportStar. ✪ Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsMag.com