Photo courtesy of Nick Cwick.
Next Level Eventing is taking it to the Nick level with the new addition of Nick Cwick. Nick is an upper level rider with experience coast-to-coast, having worked for big names such as Dayna Lynd-Pugh at Flying Tail Farm in Gilroy, CA, and Buck Davidson on the East Coast. Eventually, Nick decided to head for the Birmingham area, beginning his home program outside the city in Anniston, AL.
“This move back to the West Coast has really brought things full circle for me,” Nick says. “I’m from Scottsdale, AZ, and have family there. I grew up riding in Scottsdale basically through Young Riders, and then headed to California to get some work experience. I learned a lot from a lot of really talented people, and then the opportunity to get qualified for Rolex came, so I went to go work with Buck and then eventually got settled outside of Birmingham.” He has spent over a decade in the Southeast but felt the change was the right move for a variety of reasons.
“I had a really great group of young riders and adult amateurs in Alabama, but I was watching the market dwindle a bit,” he explains. “I was also coming to realize that I wanted to make a life change and be closer to my family.” Making the move wasn’t a decision that happened overnight though: “I came back to Arizona around Thanksgiving and just spent time with family and friends I hadn’t seen in a long time. It gave me some time to think about what I wanted to do next, and ultimately I realized I really wanted to be around the top tier of the sport again. Luckily, I was going to be teaching a clinic for Tamie Smith at Next Level Eventing in Temecula, CA. And from there things just started to fall into place.”
Tamie Smith, Heather Morris and their team at Next Level Eventing are some of the brightest stars in Area VI, with Tamie and Heather consistently topping the scoreboards. Next Level Eventing has put itself on the map, and for Nick, the decision to join them wasn’t difficult. “When I was there for the clinic [Tamie] approached me about potentially joining her team and I just thought, ‘Here is someone who is really at the top of her game, she has incredible horses and I’ve always admired her and her program.’ I really wanted to be around that atmosphere again. When I moved back to Arizona I wasn’t really sure about my next move, but when this offer came up it just was the right thing to do.”
“Being back in California is just a wonderful opportunity for me and my career. I know, and really like, a lot of the people here. And obviously the weather is an added bonus,” Nick says with a chuckle. “Really it is just a wonderful place for eventers, the facilities are perfect for what we need. There’s lots of land for hill work and conditioning, plenty of events to attend and the coaching is top notch. Add to that the quality of life increase just being in the sunshine and warmth every day. The East Coast was great and I learned a lot and have great memories of being there, but this is home for me, it’s good to be back.”
Nick is excited to campaign his horses as well as be an additional pair of eyes for the Next Level Eventing crew. “It’s great to be able to bounce ideas off each other when you have lots of talented riders and trainers in one place. I look forward to being a resource for Tamie and her clients when she’s traveling. I look forward to building Cwick Eventing here in Temecula, as well as being a part of the Next Level team.”
With the addition of Nick, Next Level Eventing is really looking to take 2018 by storm.
