Home Current News News Archive Shop/Advertise Ridecamp Classified Events Learn/AERC
Endurance.Net Home Ridecamp Archives
ridecamp@endurance.net
[Archives Index]   [Date Index]   [Thread Index]   [Author Index]   [Subject Index]

RE: [RC] President's Cup Question - StephTeeter

I can answer this question a little bit.
 
The President's Cup is an invitational ride. They want to bring the best riders in the world together - an International 'Race of Champions'.
 
The invitations are partially through the National Federations, and partially 'special' invitations.
 
The Presidents Cup OC contacts each country (Federation) and asks them to send 'x' number of their best riders. In the case of the US, our Federation chose to send the WEC alternates (the three riders not chosen to ride the WEC would stay and ride the Presidents Cup).  Plus they wanted to invite the winners of the rides that they sponsored (Tevis and Arabian Nights) . They invited the two tied Tevis winners, Jeremy and Becky. Karen Kroon who won Arabian Nights is deployed in Irag right now, so she couldn't come. They invited Hal because 'he is a gracious competitor and a great ambassador for the sport' (their words). Plus they are keeping a 'tradition and heritage' theme this year, and Hal is about as 'tradition and heritage'  in the sport of Endurance as one can get. Hal was offered Aleclipse to ride and accepted.
 
I don't think the OC actually pays much attention to rides in the US in general - and may not have even been aware of a National Championship winner, Fort Howes winner, etc. It was simply a spontaneous decistion to invite Hal - since they had a slot to fill (Karen Kroon)  - and Hal came to mind because they liked him and admired his lifetime acheivements.
 
Steph
 
-----Original Message-----
From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Dabney Finch
Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2005 1:14 AM
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [RC] President's Cup Question

So how does this invitational work?  Is it that a rider is invited and then the rider gets to bring whichever horse the rider wants to/can scrounge up?  (I mean, the horse is not also specified in the "invitational"?)
 
And, I take it who is invited is at the sole discretion of the "piper"?  (As in, "He who pays the piper calls the tune"?) 
 
So, to answer my own question as to why Heather was not invited, things like wanting to "repay" Tevis might be more important than, say, inviting this year's winner of the AERC 100 mile National Championshp--and Pan Am silver medal? 
 
(Please don't anyone take this as having anything to do with my opinion as to whether or not Hal Hall will do a fabulous job on Aleclipse.  He's an awesome rider and I have nothing but the utmost respect for him and his accomplishments.  It's just that Heather has a) had a fabulously successful year; and b) while riding Al.  So I'm just genuinely trying to understand where that choice came from!)

Replies
[RC] President's Cup Question, Dabney Finch