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RE: Message from Endurance World Editor



I haven't commented on Tom's letter, since I haven't gotten the recent issue
of Endurance World yet (Jenn????), but as one of the sometimes writers for
the magazine, I feel that it has a lot to offer riders worldwide. Aside from
minor things such as being able to find out what Leonard Liessens actually
LOOKS like <G>, EW gives riders a format to get reports on rides around the
world without having to shell out for Arabian Horse World or something that
is 90% adds for horses we can't afford, nor do we probably want, so that we
get 3 pages on international endurance.

Readers might note that there has been almost nothing about Egyptian
endurance in EW this year.
I don't know about echelons, but I do know that the riders and organising
bodies in Egypt are the most basic beginners at this stage and we don't have
many stories to tell that would be particularly instructive to others. So
both Jenn and I have agreed to let Egypt quietly work at putting its rides
and riders in order without spotlights. I haven't the slightest doubt that
there would be someone in Egypt who would disagree with my choice in this
matter, but both my integrity as a journalist and a rider have dictated my
stand.

Endurance World does cover the sort of All-Star, World Series, World Cup
type of races in its race coverage, but anyone who has a serious interest in
endurance knows how many backyard, little league, and sandlot rides go into
the the preparation for these things. Are the people involved in them any
different from the rest of us? I don't think so. I've seen the sheikhs ride
in Egypt and I saw some of North America's best at the Pan Ams. Some of the
styles of competition may be different and I do believe that the FEI
emphasis on "The Winner" gives a different flavour to rides than a national
or local organisation's emphasis on correct finishing or accumulation of
miles. But this is a big world and there's room for a lot of types of rides.

Jenn's point that this was a letter to the editor is a good one, and as an
ex-editor myself I'd encourage people who read EW and have either praise or
argument regarding the magazine to write a letter to the editor. Ridecamp is
a fantastic forum, and always the last to go if I have to go no mail, but
with a letter to the editor of EW, you can pick a fight with the whole world
if you want. That page provides a magazine with yeast and spice and new
ideas for articles to look at issues brought up.

If the idea of upper and lower echelons disturbs you spatially, maybe it's
better to think of parallel tracks for the sport. One for the local and one
for the express. <G>

Maryanne Stroud Gabbani
Cairo, Egypt
maryanne@ratbusters.net
www.ratbusters.net
-----Original Message-----
From: guest@endurance.net [mailto:guest@endurance.net]
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2002 10:08 PM
To: ridecamp@endurance.net
Subject: RC: Message from Endurance World Editor


jennifer Nice jenn_nice@hotmail.com
I have read with great interest the posts regarding the Tom Iver's letter
in Endurance World, and I've taken some careful notes for future
reference. I will neither defend Tom or my decision to print his letter.
"Letters to the Editor" is reserved for the readers, and anyone can choose
to submit a letter to me for publication. As with all publications,
"Letters to the Editor" are the views of the author and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the publication or its staff.
I would like to encourage more direct feedback from my US readers. Until
Tom's letter, its been pretty quiet.
I would like to clarify a few things. Endurance World magazine is not
soley for the "international" or "high-level" endurance rider. It is for
everyone who is interested in endurance around the world. However, as is
stated in the magazine's charter, the publication "focuses on the
upper-echelon of the sport."
It is a huge undertaking to cover endurance riding around the world. I can
not cover every event in every country. "Focusing on the upper-echelon of
the sport" has nothing to do with readers' aspirations. The magazine
focuses coverage on FEI events and greater-distance events. I am
consciously excluding LD events and most 50-mile events in all countries,
not just the US. This pertains to the news sections only. What is
published in the feature section is for everyone interested in information
about endurance, ie: medical care, training, nutrition, people, etc.
However, I do not deliver this information from an introductory point of
view. Some of the articles are more technical in nature. I don't think
Endurance World is the place for "An Introductory to....." articles.
Consider it the next step up in information.
The bottom line: Endurance World magazine is for every endurance rider
around the world. I encourage feedback from readers. If there is something
you would like to see in the magazine, let me know.
Finally, Endurance World is NOT a UAE magazine! The only reason it is
published in the UAE is because I am here working. The editor (me) is an
American citizen and member of AERC; so is the publisher, Ali Jassim. The
marketing and advertising director, Heather Wedderburn, is from the UK.
The contributors are from all over the world. Not a single on of them is
from the UAE


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