Sportspress Northwest offers another in a series of biographical sketches of athletes with significant ties to Washington who are in the Olympic Games.
The late Amy Tryon of Duvall was the most recent equestrian athlete to win an Olympic medal, a bronze in 2004. Washington has Adrienne Lyle in London.
2012 EQUESTRIAN OLYMPIAN
ADRIENNE LYLE / Bellevue High, WSU
BORN: Jan . 2, 1985, Coupeville. RESIDENCE: Ketchum, ID. SPORT: Equestrian. EVENT: Dressage. COUNTRY: USA. HOW SELECTED: Through competition at the 2012 USEF Dressage Festival of Champions. STATE CONNECTION: Bellevue High School, Washington State University.
Born and raised on a small cattle ranch on Whidbey Island, Lyle began working with Debbie McDonald, whose successful career was highlighted by a bronze medal in team dressage in 2005, a year after the Athens Games. Lyle came into prominence in 2008 when she and Wizard, a dark brown Oldenburg gelding, won the Brentina Cup and National Intermediate I championship.
The pair also won the freestyle at the 2009 Collecting Gaits/USEF Dressage Festival of Champion, and in 2010 the pair finished in the top 15 at the CDI Hagen. In 2011, the pair had a stretch of three consecutive Grand Prix victories in Saugerties, NY and Devon, PA.
Lylet became interested in horseback riding at a young age riding on trails. As a teen, Lyle became active with a local pony club, where she competed in eventing before switching to dressage. She was part of teams that medaled at the 2002 North American Junior Dressage Championships and the 2004 North American Young Rider’s Championships.
At 27, Lyle is very young for a sport that frequently produces Olympians double her age.
PERSONAL: Adriennes father, Greg, is an investment advisor and attorney, while her mother Ann is a pediatrician . . . She has one older brother, Andrew, and is also a registered member of the Cherokee nation.
EQUESTRIAN MEDALS BY WASHINGTONIANS
GOLD: None. SILVER: None. BRONZE: Amy Tryon, 2004 Athens (mixed three-day event, team).
Olympic Qualifiers
Athletes with connections to the state who have qualified (or been selected) for the 2012 Games.
| Athlete | Sport | Gms. # | Country | State Connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nathan Adrian | Swimming | 2 | USA | Bremerton native |
| Scott Baynes | Basketball | 1 | Australia | WSU grad |
| Sue Bird | Basketball | 3 | USA | Seattle Storm guard |
| Kim Butler | Basketball | 1 | G. Britain | Bellarmine Prep |
| Dave Calder | Rowing | 4 | Canada | University of Washington |
| Will Crothers | Rowing | 1 | Canada | University of Washington |
| Tyler Farrar | Cycling | 1 | USA | Wenatchee native |
| Amanda Furrer | Shooting | 1 | USA | Mead High, Spokane |
| Scott Gault | Rowing | 2 | USA | University of Washington |
| Rob Gibson | Rowing | 1 | Canada | University of Washington |
| Lauren Jackson | Basketball | 4 | Australia | Seattle Storm forward |
| Anthony Jacob | Rowing | 1 | Canada | University of Washington |
| Ebba Jungmark | Track | 2 | Sweden | WSU grad |
| Seth Kelsey | Fencing | 3 | Canada | Brush Prairie |
| Ariana Kukors | Swimming | 1 | USA | Auburn Mountainview |
| Meagan Kalmoe | Rowing | 2 | USA | University of Washington |
| Bernard Lagat | Track | 4 | USA | Washington State University |
| Giuseppe Lanzone | Rowing | 2 | USA | University of Washington |
| Amy LePeilbet | Soccer | 1 | USA | Spokane native |
| Adrienne Lyle | Equestrian | 1 | USA | University of Washington |
| Adrienne Martelli | Rowing | 1 | USA | University of Washington |
| Arielle Martin | Cycling | 1 | USA | Spanaway native |
| Conlin McCabe | Rowing | 1 | Canada | University of Washington |
| Tamari Miyashiro | Volleyball | 1 | USA | University of Washington |
| Haley Nemra | Track | 2 | Marshall Is. | Marys.-Pilchuck |
| Brett Newlin | Rowing | 2 | USA | University of Washington |
| Kara Patterson | Track | 2 | USA | Seattle native |
| Jennie Reed | Cycling | 3 | USA | Seattle native |
| Jarred Rome | Track | 2 | USA | Marysv.- Pilchuck High |
| Janine Sandell | Volleyball | 1 | Great Britain | University of Washington |
| Hope Solo | Soccer | 2 | USA | University of Washington |
| Travis Stevens | Judo | 2 | USA | Bellevue native |
| Courtney Thompson | Volleyball | 1 | USA | University of Washington |
| Aretha Thurmond | Track | 4 | USA | University of Washington |
| Queen Underwood | Boxing | 1 | USA | Seattle resident |
| Eric Uptagrafft | Shooting | 1 | USA | Spokane resident |
| Tejay van Garderen | Cycling | 1 | USA | Tacoma native |
| Brad Walker | Track | 2 | USA | University of Washington |
| Mary Whipple | Rowing | 3 | USA | University of Washington |