gateway to the

by fatima oubaid

Americas Cup

This two-day competition brought floral designers

together from across North, Central and South America.
by fatima oubaid

Competition judges (from left) Tanus Saab; Deborah De La Flor, AIFD, PFCI; and Phil Rulloda, AIFD, AAF, PFCI,
pose with Florists Review publisher Travis Rigby at the competition.

(from left) Hitomi Gilliam, AIFD; Leanne Kesler, AIFD, PFCI; and Louisa Lam, AIFD, served as the rules officials
for the Gateway competition.

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NOVEMBER2016 floristsreview.com

Fourteen designers from six countries throughout the Americas created

amazing floral art in the 2016 Gateway
to the Americas Cup International
Design Competition, which took
place Sept. 9-10 at United Floral Inc.
in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
The event was sponsored by:
n Accent Dcor
n Berwick/Offray/Lion Ribbon
Company
n Chrysal USA
n David Austin Wedding Roses
n European Master Certification
(EMC)
n Florists Review
n FTD
n Hawaii Floriculture & Nursery
Association (HFNA) / Hawaii
Neotropica
n Royal Flowers
n Smithers-Oasis North America
n Teleflora
n United Floral Inc.
n Unlimited Container, Inc. (UCI)
All the competitors participated in
each of the five categories: Bridal Bouquet; Table Centerpiece; Interpretive
Design: This Is My Country; Grand
Opening Design; and Fashion Flowers.
Depending on the category, contestants
had between an hour and a half to
two and a half hours to complete
each design.
The competitions hosts were Gus
and Deborah De La Flor, AIFD, PFCI,
founders of Gateway to the Americas Cup; Hitomi Gilliam, AIFD; and
Heather De Kok, AIFD, AAF, PFCI.

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the contestants
Fourteen floral designers represented six
countries throughout the Americas. Half of the
competitors were selected through three regional preliminary competitions while the other competitors were selected by the Gateway
to the Americas Cup organizers, who vetted
emerging talents across the two continents.

BRAZIL

1. Juliana Hames
CANADA
2. Aniko Kovacs, AIFD, EMC
3. Brenna Quan, AIFD
4. Deniss Barahona
5. Gordon Fulton, AIFD
COLOMBIA
6. Ivan Moreno
7. Jorge Uribe
MEXICO
8. Elvia Carrasco
PERU
9. Eduardo Privat
UNITED STATES
10. Brooke Raulerson, AIFD
11. Doris Dvorak-Helfrich
12. Ian Whipple, AIFD
13. Ken Senter, AIFD
14. Sue Tabbal-Yamaguchi, AIFD

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the winners
(See photos on opposite page)
OVERALL
First Place: Juliana Hames Brazil
Second Place: Brenna Quan, AIFD
Canada
Third Place: Brooke Raulerson, AIFD USA

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AND MEMORIAL STONES AT
www.kayberry.com or call us at
(800) 426-1932. Made in America.

Photo 1: The overall winners of the Gateway to the

Americas Cup competition hold their trophies in
triumph. From left are Brenna Quan, AIFD, Canada,
second place; Juliana Hames, Brazil, first place; and
Brooke Raulerson, AIFD, USA, third place.

TABLE CENTERPIECE
First Place: Brooke Raulerson, AIFD USA
Second Place: Juliana Hames Brazil
Third Place: Doris Dvorak-Helfrich USA
Photo 2: The Table Centerpiece category was won
by Brooke, who used an array of different flowers for
her piece.

FASHION FLOWERS
First Place: Brenna Quan, AIFD Canada
Second Place: Jorge Uribe Colombia
Third Place: Aniko Kovacs, AIFD, EMC
Canada
Photo 3: Brenna won the Fashion Flowers category for
her detailed dress design.

GRAND OPENING DESIGN

First Place: Brenna Quan, AIFD Canada
Second Place: Sue Tabbal-Yamaguchi, AIFD
USA
Third Place: Brooke Raulerson, AIFD USA
Photo 4: The Grand Opening Design went to Brenna,
who incorporated tropical flowers to create an elegant
piece for an up and coming Vancouver restaurant.

INTERPRETIVE DESIGN: This Is My

Country
First Place: Ian Whipple, AIFD USA
Second Place: Aniko Kovacs, AIFD, EMC
Canada
Third Place: Juliana Hames Brazil
Photo 5: Ian won the Interpretive Design with his take
on the spirit of his country, USA.

BRIDAL BOUQUET
First Place: Jorge Uribe Colombia
Second Place: Juliana Hames Brazil
Third Place: Brenna Quan, AIFD Canada
Photo 6: Jorge was the Bridal Bouquet category winner
with his unique creation that incorporated roses in an
archlike bouquet. n

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NOVEMBER2016 floristsreview.com

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