Thursday, April 17, 2003 | 9:43 a.m.
Darlene Hayes did not know she would be taking part in the inaugural Nevada Team Jump Invitational until just before it started Wednesday afternoon, then she responded with the ride of her life.
"It was the most exciting moment in my competitive lifetime," said Hayes, who keyed the Red Team's victory against the White Team. "This has been the best."
The Thomas & Mack Center hosts the 25th Show Jumping World Cup Final today through Sunday, and its organizers concocted the Team Jump to inspire local riders and attract new fans to the equestrian sport.
World Cup officials hope to stage similar Team Jumps to kick off future World Cup Finals in Paris, Berlin, Geneva and Rome.
On Wednesday, 10 locals got to ride on the same grounds that will be traversed by the world's most famous jumpers for the next few days, and some hope to take part in the World Cup one day in some exotic city.
"I hope so," said 24-year-old Chris Warren, who moved with his family from Chicago to Las Vegas five years ago. "This is what I aspire to do. Hopefully, I'll be able to compete with Richard (Spooner) and everyone else. It really turned out to be better than I thought it would be."
Spooner earned one of four USA West Coast berths in the World Cup, and he replaced renowned jumper Rodrigo Pessoa as the Red Team's celebrity coach.
Only a few hundred fans were at the Mack to cheer on the amateurs as they negotiated the 12 varieties of hurdles -- with scoring values of 60 to 90 points -- over 50 seconds, then could jump a joker barrier for extra credit.
Each of the two teams of five featured a junior rider, and 14-year-old Jennifer Vancheri of the White Team had a grand time even though her 7-year-old Mister E dumped her 10 seconds into her route.
"It was really fun," said the Odyssey Charter School freshman. "It was scary, too, because my horse isn't used to being indoors. So he wasn't at his best, but it was definitely fun."
The Reds beat the Whites, 4,420 points to 3,600. Only Hayes and Warren earned the 200-point bonus for hurdling the joker unscathed, and Warren's 1,240 points were a high for the day.
Still, he was on the White team, which was dealt a blow when Vancheri, the second jumper on her team and fourth overall, earned only 60 points because of Mr. E's antics.
Amanda Meyers followed with 1,040 points for the Reds, which led comfortably the rest of the way.
"It was so exciting, and nerve-racking," said Meyers, 17, a Faith Lutheran High junior who rode The Great Gatsby, her 9-year-old gelding.
"He was pretty good once we got in there. He's a smart boy. He knows what he's doing, and he took good care of me. It was a dream come true. I cried a month ago when they told me I got to do it."
Hayes could have cried, too, if she had had the time. The Sunrise Hospital registered nurse submitted her application to Las Vegas Events, Inc., last month, but was doubtful about her chances of jumping Wednesday.
Just in case, though, she took time off from work. Friday, she was told she would be an alternate. Riding into the ring Wednesday on Patrice, a 9-year-old part-thoroughbred, Hayes, 49, was told she'd be competing.
"Oh gosh, as an older rider I know I don't have many more experiences like this ahead of me," she said. "I was lucky to be chosen for this team, because of my age. This is really a young person's sport, and I was so happy, so honored, to be in this."
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