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Ok, sitting here in the nice little Press tent, at the gorgeous Compiegne
venue. France - wonderful food, the best wine, and charm. We drove here last
night from Aachen - got a little (a lot) lost trying to find the hotel, came
in to Compiegne the back way through some delightful villages - all quiet at
midnight - stone streets with the houses set right on the edge, old chalets
and chateaus, tiny paved roads lined with a single row of trees, just enough
light to see the beautiful countryside.

So - maybe I have a little time now to reflect and write about Aachen, about
the 2006 WEC.

First, it was an absolutely immense undertaking. Having it coupled with the
World Equestrian Games can be a bonus for promotion and recognition, but
creates a new set of logistical nightmares. So many people! And the race
started and finished at the WEG venue, so the traffic and access for
Endurance people - competitors, crews, officials, press, etc was really
difficult. They had a pretty extensive shuttle system, which gave reasonable
options as long as time wasn't a critical factor. We found a 'back door'
parking area out by the far side of the vetgate, so were able to avoid the
shuttle and all of the front door parking challenges, still it was a
challenge. The shuttles took spectators to a few points on the trail -
observation points and crew points - which, again, was great for spectators,
but made it really hard for crews - fighting bodies and vehicles and finding
places to park, carry all the crew stuff, etc. Still - it was good to have
press and spectators out on the trail, watching the race, instead of just at
the trotting/vetting area - which gives people a pretty poor picture of the
sport (this is where the tired and sore horses can be seen - as well as the
fit to continue horses).

The Drielandpunt Vetgate was a nice spot - though with all the rain the
beautiful grassy area became pretty muddy as the day progressed. The OC was
not very accomodating to the press though, we couldn't get near enough to
take photos of the crewing or the trotting - so that was a bummer. But there
were plenty of places on the trail to take photos, so as long as we were
willing to drive around (and find our way around in three different
languages!) we could still stay busy. They had a wireless network set up at
the vetgate too, which was nice - but it was a pretty tiny room, and it got
smaller the harder it rained. Dubai Equestrian Club was the vetgate sponsor,
and they had a huge tent in the middle of the area. Only the Dubai
contingent and guests were allowed in. Large plasma screens in every corner
kept video feed of the trotting area, the crewing area, etc. I suppose since
they were sponsors this was acceptable to the OC, but I think there was some
resentment from the other Federations. Perhaps when the sponsor is also a
competitor, the OC (and FEI) should be more sensitive to the FEI spirit of
'fair play' and 'equal opportunity to all competitors'. ?

I don't really know too much of the riders' and crews' perspective. It
looked like things ran pretty smoothly, except for the travel/access
challenges. It was really a TOUGH course - and the rain made it even harder,
going from pavement to rocky trail to mud, back and forth, again and again.
Lots of shoes were lost (thanks again to Easycare. Inc for the Easyboots!)
lots of twisted ankles, bruised feet, sore muscles from bracing against the
quick transitions and slippery mud and slippery pavement.

I was proud of the USA effort - the riders and horses looked fantastic all
day. Perhaps they started a little slowly (into the first vetgate in
60-something-th position) - in competitions like this, sometimes you can't
give up too much time in the beginning, too hard to get it back later to
stay in the running for a team medal. But they rode steadily faster all day,
and really did a fine job. Joe Mattingley's pull came after his horse took a
bad slip in the mud, twisting his ankle - nothing serious in the long run,
but sore in the short run.  Christoph Schork's pull was a surprise. Husky
was eliminated for lameness at the recheck (just before departure) on the
last vetcheck. This seemed to be a case where only the vets could see a
problem - it was a great surprise and disappointment, the staff thought he
looked fine ... but this is the game. Still Kathryn Downs and Meg Sleeper
finished strong - and I didn't see it but apparently Kathryn passed five
other riders coming into the stadium finish, with the crowd cheering. She's
a spirited competitor! Jennifer Niehaus had a solid finish, though she spent
a little extra time out in the rain, in the dark. Kudos to the staff too -
they worked so very hard, and so well.

The French had a brilliant ride. They rode together, started fairly
conservatively and kept moving up - together - all day. Fantastic horses and
really tremendous riders. They are professionals. (more on that - with
Compiegne coverage - they have a most amazing breeding/training/competition
program). The Swiss team (Silver Medal) also had an impressive performance -
this is their second Silver medal in a WEC, and they were quite proud. I
really got a kick out of the Portuguese - Bronze Team medal - this was
Portugal's first medal at a WEC and they were incredibly thrilled. There was
much celebratation all day Tuesday. When we finally left the venue late
Tuesday evening, on the way out we came across a group of Portuguese, still
in green team uniform, in the final throes of celebration - arms around each
other's shoulders, swaying and singing (sort of!) - fun.

My wonderful Argentine friends had a very bad day - all were eliminated by
the 2nd vetgate. Hazards of a tough trail and a few spills. But they were
still out in force - visible everywhere - in bright blue uniforms - all day
long, and at the BC judging, closing ceremonies, etc. Incredible National
spirit - I was very proud of them.

So many small stories - I would love to hear more - if any of you have
stories to share, please send them along. I was so busy just tring to get
from place to place, getting pictures taken and on the net, just battling
logistics all day - that I didn't get any close and personal views of the
event.

I'm headed back to the hotel now, off the net for a while - might try to
write a little more about the WEC later. Still thinking about a lot of
things.

so - later!

Steph



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