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[RC] De-Elevate - Ridecamp GuestPlease Reply to: Karen Nelson knelson4299@xxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== There are problems with this concept which I have not seen addressed here yet. If I am truly riding for points in my division & region, I want to know who I am riding against in whatever distance I entered. No matter what ANYONE says, if you are truly trying to accomplish a year's worth of position, this matters. If I have 25 riders against me in a 100, I am riding my ride according to my abilities and my plan, and I know who on the trail is part of my ride. Same for a 50. If a bunch of riders enter the 100, and then decide to stop @ 50, then I suddenly have riders who are competing against me in the 50 mile ride who I never saw during the day. THE 100 MILERS ALMOST ALWAYS START EARLIER!!!! This scenario leaves every rider not knowing their position in the pack. Does this matter??? Hell, yes, to those who are really crusading for something, no matter what that crusade is. You might run for the finish and gain precious points if you and one of your tight competitors are together at the finish line. If your "nearest competitor" has actually started an hour or two earlier than you, then you are riding against a real "mystery rider". You won't know your position until the ride manager and secretary sort it all out. This also makes a mightmare for the vets and the ride managers. If you start 13 riders in the 100, and 4 of them quit early and take 50 miles credit, then it makes points a nightmare. How do you credit points correctly? Starters? Who changes distances in mid-ride? I am a pretty good bookkeeper, and I would NOT like to do the math on this kind of mess. When you chose to elevate, YOU ARE GAMBLING on the energy both you and your horse have left. This a direct correlation to KNOWING YOUR HORSE. You do NOT get to declare to elevate and then stop at the next vet check and want your mileage already done. Too many new riders are on "made" horses they didn't spend very much time with, IMO, and elevating is something I think works for riders who really know their horses. How complicated do you have to make this??? The next thing, there will be a push for points and mileage for training. And I KNOW alot of riders who have NO concept of how long a mile really is. They are the ones who come to a ride underprepared because they have their own concept of how far they ride in training, and then they gripe about "how long the ride is". I know there have been rides that were long, and some that were short, but the human estimates of how far they go in training is a sight to behold. There is also the problem of awards. Since every rider seems to think they should get an award for just filling out the entry and sending a check, this would place an undue burden on the ride managers. Sometimes I want to remind riders that 6 rides in the eastern Sierras put on by Jennifer Ketchum had a CANDY BAR for your top ten award. Lots of riders prized those candy bars. I am sorry I never got to ride any of the rides she managed, which chased the melting snow up the eastern side of the mountains in spring. Elevator rides, I support. De-Elevate-NOT. JMO =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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