Equestrienne Focuses on Performance
Laguna Beach High School junior Nina Thornton competed recently at the Orange Coast Cooler, Sycamore Trails horse show, held April 30-May 1.
The young equestrienne won ribbons in both the equitation medal and the horsemanship medal classes, as well as two second-place ribbons in limit equitation flat and open equitation flat. Equitation refers to the rider’s position, performance and control of the horse.
“What I like about equitation is that my performance is being judged, rather than the horse’s,” said Nina, who is currently training with Chrissy Rogers of Woodland Farms in San Juan Capistrano.
Gymnast Receives Top Scores
Danielle Gagne, 8, a Top of The World Elementary student, competed in the bronze division of the USAIGC state meet, and won first place all-around by winning first in uneven bars, vault, floor exercise and balance beam.
Her cumulative 37.625 score was a personal best.
Champs Return to the Sand
Lynne Brinkman Galli and her partner Bree Hinga won the Laguna Beach Womens’ Beach Vollyball Tournament earlier this month. They also won this tournament in 2009.
Galli graduated from Laguna Beach High School in 1998 and UC San Diego in 2002. Hinga is a Ph.D candidate at UC Irvine in psychology.
