Charlotte Sun Article

2004 Reserve Champions

Cracking the Whip

Arcadia Whip Crackers at it again

The arcadia whip Crackers horseback riding drill team took the opportunity at state competition to show Florida that even though their hometowns were hit by hurricane charley, it didn't have them beat.

        This past spring, the groups four riders were eagerly anticipating their trip to state after taking home two first place trophies at their district qualifications meet in Fort Myers. They were practicing  routines  once a week and working at home with their horses.

        That was until Charley swept through Charlotte and Desoto Counties damaging the homes of every member of the group as well as coach and group member Mike Marquis' Horse Creek Stables where the team practiced.

        Concerned with their homes and families, none of the group even got on their horses for two months while they tried to pick up the pieces of their hurricane-torn lives. Then in October, 16-year old Charlotte High School student and rider Kyla Zahorniack decided ENOUGH was ENOUGH!

        "We did so well at districts, I just felt like we shouldn't quit" Zahorniak said. So she gathered fellow Charlotte High School team member 14-year old Emilee Anderson and Karen Coleman-Triana, who's a teacher at the school. They all agreed it was time to get back on their horses and show the state that they weren't finished. Riding was a normalcy they craved.

        With that they went to Marquis and his wife and co-coach Laura to see what they could do to be able to compete in less than a month. Marquis and the girls began a training regiment that consisted of three to four practices a week lasting anywhere from two to six hours to get their horses back on track.

        Anderson pulled up her routine notes and helped to improvise a new one to perform. While the riders were rehearsing, Laura along with parents and friends of the group made costumes for both horse and riders and tried to pull together funds to send the group to Tampa.

        On Nov.7 a Saturday the team arrived in Tampa to compete in the quad division & open division. Their Caribbean theme routine helped them win a RESERVE CHAMPIONSHIP AWARD! Sunday they finishing their competing in their divisions where they competed against teams almost four times their size. They composed a routine from the 70's hit show Charlie's' Angles and rode to the music "Holding Out For A Hero" and they dedicated this performance to all those who helped out with the recovery effort after this seasons hurricanes. This routine helped them finish in 3rd place in the state and it also helped them win a 1st place trophy for over-all high score for the weekend!

        "We earned this," Marquis said. "We couldn't let the hurricane rob us of everything." " WE MADE IT HAPPEN."

2003 State Champions

“The Arcadia Whip Crackers”

Drilling Up  “Championship” Attention for Desoto County!

Saturday November 15^th and 16^th of 2003 may have been an ordinary day in Arcadia but for a group of six horseback riders Mike Marquis, Karen Coleman- Triana, Emily Anderson 12, Kortney Norris 14, Missy Darr 15, and Kyla Zahorniak 15 and their” Ground Crew” the butterflies were swarming! The Arcadia Whip Crackers a local Mounted Drill Team made up of six riders from Desoto and Charlotte County were at their State Competition at the Florida State Fair Grounds in Tampa, Florida. We have been working hard all year to get to the “Big Dance” said Mike Marquis head coach for the Whip Crackers, and you know what “…WE DANCED! “ The Team came home with the Championship Trophy in the Open Division! This was the big one to win said Marquis; we went up against the best in the state. A total of 5 teams competed in the open division including last year’s champions. Some of these teams had as many as 12 riders, and have been together for years, so it was a great victory! These teams are made up of excellent riders and to their credit they made us work hard this year to beat them!” The Whip Crackers also came away with the reserve champion title in the adult division and second place in over all high scores for the weekend. A surprise came when they also won “Best Costume” for the ride they preformed on Saturday! The entire team including the family members and friends were over come with emotion when our name was announced as “Champions” said Kerri Doncom team parent.

            Drill teams ride horses in precision maneuvers to music while in costume. It’s like “Dancing on Horseback” said Laura Marquis Assistant Coach. We come up with an idea or theme, and then we choreograph a routine on horseback and add music to go with it. Each year we have two themes we compete with. This year we chose a “Fairy Tale” routine and a “Southern Down Home Hospitality theme”. We try to find a theme that is entertaining and reaches the audiences emotions”. The Fairy Tale theme has detailed colorful costumes, with a storyline of “Good over Evil” complete with battling Fairies on horseback”. While the Southern Theme has  “good ol’ toe tapping “feel good” music” and the traditional “Western Dress” including Cowboy Hats & Chaps. It was a ride that was really fun said Marquis.

            The Arcadia Whip Crackers have been together about 3 years and have been competing statewide for about 2 of those years. This was their second trip to state competition. They have also preformed at the 75^th Annual Arcadia Rodeo, the 2003 Kix”s Country Festival, the S.W. Florida Cracker Festival, and the recent Bon Secours International Fall Festival at the Charlotte County Fair Grounds where they put on a hour show for a large audience including demonstrations on horse training and showcasing some of their talents such as ring jousting, relay racing and flag racing. This was the first year during one of our shows that we had audience participation, “We try to make it fun for the audience and the team during these shows” plus the team learns to relax and enjoy themselves in front of an audience said team parents Don & Cathy Norris.

            This team has been through a lot of transitions since it was first founded by Mike and Laura Marquis of Horse Creek Stables where the team practices. We have had a few riders’ come and go. It takes a lot of dedication and commitment to be a part of a drill team” said Richard & Betsy Anderson (team parents). You have to think like a team instead of an individual since everyone is affected by one person not showing up for practice or having a bad attitude. It works like a domino effect, so we need positive riders with great attitudes and that’s what we have! We couldn’t have won a championship without the diehard spirit of our team”. Several weeks before competition we had 3 riders have bad falls, horses having soundness problems and when it seemed like all our hard work was for nothing, these girls pulled it together and made it happen, they really worked hard to bring a State Championship back to Arcadia “THE HOME OF THE ARCADIA WHIP CRACKERS MOUNTED DRILL TEAM!”

            We were practicing two to three times a week to make the lost time up! These girls gave up their weekends for several months to make this happen and they really impressed us with their work ethics. It really says a lot about their character and the way their families have raised them to have such a strong commitment and dedication to each other and their team.       

We really couldn’t have done it without our parent support & the financial support of our sponsors, and the help from the community when we had fundraisers! We would like to thank several of our sponsors! Such as Don & Cathy Norris from Dreamscape Landscaping in Punta Gorda, Richard Zahorniak from High Tech Diving in Pt. Charlotte, Brad from Rainbow Dive Co. in Arcadia, Joy, Lum & Carrie from Lowe's Livestock & Feed in Punta Gorda and all who helped us by purchasing discount cards and donating at the fundraisers that we have had through out the year!