Winning back-to-back championships in any sport is not an easy task. It takes team work, determination, talent and even a little bit of luck.

Just ask the NIU Equestrian Team. It is back-to-back regional champions as part of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).

“The last two years, we’ve been in the top 31 schools in the nation,” said Michael Lenard, president of the Equestrian Team and senior accountancy major. “This year, our goal is to qualify and compete in nationals.”

The IHSA is broken up into nine separate zones, and each zone is separated by region. NIU is in Zone Nine, Region Two. The team lost in the zone competition last year, but, as Lenard said, is hoping to break through and win this year.

For those looking for an explanation of exactly what the Equestrian Team does, Lenard said this article wouldn’t be long enough.

“There’s a bunch of different styles for horseback riding,” Lenard said, attempting to break it down in layman’s terms. “At competitions, riders are judged by their equitation. That basically means that the judges are scoring the rider’s appearance rather than the horse’s ability.”

Lenard doesn’t expect anyone to pick it up that quickly, but said riders are judged on horsemanship, posture and position.

“There are five different divisions based on your experience level,” Lenard said.

The divisions are, from most to least experienced: Open, Intermediate, Novice, Walk Trot Canter and Walk Trot. The Walk Trot level is basically what it sounds like, Lenard said – riders walk and trot. But in the more experienced divisions, riders jump fences up to three feet high.

“Jumping is where it’s at,” said Matt Davis, a senior double major in physics and applied math and Equestrian Team rookie, who is still in the Walk Trot division, but hopes to one day soon jump fences.

At competitions, horses are drawn at random, said Heather Perelgut, junior textiles, apparel and merchandising major and co-vice president of the team.

“It tests your true horsemanship skills,” Lenard said.

Lenard stressed that riders of any experience level, and regardless of whether or not they own a horse, are welcome to tryout for the team, though this year’s tryouts have already taken place.

Patricia Rickett, the team’s faculty advisor and instructor of English, praised the team for all they’ve accomplished the past two years.

“These are highly focused athletes,” she said. “They are very motivated and dedicated.”

The NIU Equestrian Team, which practices and hosts shows in Elburn, begins its 2008 season at SIU-Carbondale Oct. 11 and 12. Lenard is excited about this year’s squad and to build on the success of the last two years.

“We’re a close knit group of people,” he said. “The camaraderie is really important. This truly is a team sport.”