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RE: [RC] Response to the [RC] WEG -- the USA team - kseits@xxxxxxxxx post - heidi

Joe, I've been a selector, and your suggestion flat doesn't work.  Horses DO end up putting their "all" into the qualifiers, and then not having anything left for the big event, done as you suggest.  (And in fact, I think that was tried one year--with abysmal results.)  Horses need to be "on their way up" for the big event, not peaking two months earlier and going to the main event injured.  (And when I DID work as a selector, for a NAEC, we eliminated one of the horses for that very reason--one that had one of the best records going in--because we knew the horses personally and saw things that alarmed us on his BC judging at his final 100 before the selection cut-off.  His rider was ticked at us, took him to another 100 in about the same timeframe as the NAEC, and tied him up big-time.  She later apologized and told us that we were right to have left him off the squad, since we were seeing things that were worrisome and that she hadn't wanted to admit, in her zeal to place high for the selectors.)  BTW, our squad took the individual gold and silver at that event, the team gold, and the BC award.  So I think the "human factor," used properly, is still the best bet.
 
As for our performance in Aachen--no, it wasn't stellar.  But it was head and shoulders over our performance in Dubai.  Furthermore, we finished three out of five of our squad, one in the top 20, and the two pulls were not major crashes, but rather the sort of bad luck that can strike anyone.  Can we do better?  I think we can.  Do we have to hold our heads in shame?  Not at all.
 
Heidi


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [RC]   Response to the  [RC] WEG -- the USA team -
kseits@xxxxxxxxx post
From: Joe Long <jlong@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, September 03, 2006 11:54 pm
To: Diane Trefethen <tref@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Diane Trefethen wrote:

> I read Mr Seits' remarks as primarily an attack on the way we pick our
> team.  He seemed to me to be saying we picked it more in the "good old
> boy" tradition than in the "put your best foot forward" tradition.
>
> If that was his point, I think he is right.

Agreed.  I haven't kept up with our FEI procedures, so I could be
completely off base on this, but AIUI our teams are chosen by committee,
not by order of placing in qualifying events, and horses may even be
assigned different riders (or vice-versa) by the Chef 'de equipe than
the riders who "got them there."

Again AIUI, the reasons given for this is that "the team must fit
together" and "we don't want to beat up our horses in qualifying events,
leaving them less than 100% for the ride."  It is my opinion that both
reasons are insufficient, and that we would have better teams if 1) the
horse/rider teams earned their slot objectively, in qualifying rides and
2) horse/rider teams remained a unit and riders would not be assigned to
different horses (or horses to different riders) except in unusual
circumstances, and with the consent of all riders/owners involved.

Among other things, that would take most of the politics out of the
selection process.  Which may be why it won't be done that way.  ;^>



--
Joe Long
jlong@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

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