Though the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center was enshrouded in fog Sunday, Nov. 25, there was just enough visibility to see across the Mogavero ring for the Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal, sponsored by Catie Staszak Media Inc., during the 2018 SFHJA 68th Annual Charity Horse Show.
“This is the first class I have sponsored as Catie Staszak Media, and that means so much to me, especially since I used to ride in this class as a junior rider,” Catie Staszak said. “I am thrilled to support my local horse show organization — the South Florida Hunter Jumper Association — and some deserving charities. I grew up on this circuit, and this is just one small thing that I can do to show my support.”
Eight horse and rider teams navigated the 3’6” medal course with hopes of earning points toward qualifying for the 2019 Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final in Harrisburg, Pa., an event at which Staszak competed as a junior in 2009 and 2010. Staszak watched by the ingate, awaiting the results and graciously explaining what was happening to less knowledgeable onlookers. A multimedia sports journalist, Staszak spends much of her year providing commentary for show jumping events.
“It was a fun class to watch,” Staszak said. “It was not an easy course, and I was very impressed with how smooth the top combination navigated the track. Layla Kurbanov was a deserving winner with Calberon B.”
This season is proving to be a whirlwind for Staszak, who recently established Catie Staszak Media Inc. Her contract as the lead show jumping broadcast analyst for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup North American League was renewed, and she became a Longines ambassador. She was named as a top “30 under 30” equestrian in The Plaid Horse’s October/November issue, and she recently wrote the cover story about Rothchild, McLain Ward’s champion mount in Noelle Floyd magazine. She will be providing commentary at the upcoming Great Charity Challenge, presented by Fidelity Investments, taking place Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.
Staszak, 26, covers equestrian sports in Wellington and around the globe working with FEI TV, the NBC Sports Network and Carr-Hughes Productions, CBS Sports Network and more, and recently covered show jumping World Cup qualifiers at Toronto’s Royal Winter Fair and at the Las Vegas National Horse Show. She will be covering several World Cup classes in Florida and Mexico in early 2019. Staszak has moderated at the FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne, Switzerland, and covered local sports in West Palm Beach with ESPN West Palm, WPTV News Channel 5, WFLX FOX 29 and as a SportsCenter update anchor on ESPN 106.3.
Catie Staszak Media Inc. encompasses Staszak’s many multimedia journalism services, from on-air talent and broadcasting, to producing, script writing, print journalism, web design, media consulting and more. For more info., visit www.catiestaszak.com.
