Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

It's just as fair as any other sport that requires team participation--hockey, basketball, volleyball, relay races, etc.  And since it is something that would be known going in, no one would be "denied" anything--if a rider wants to come and ride for the experience and the completion, so be it.

 

It isn't any different in terms of that sort of "fairness" than at continental championships, where riders from off-continent are not allowed to earn medals.  And yet, I know that when I chaired the OC for the Pan-Am in Bend in '97, we had riders from Denmark and Germany (and I think from another non-Pan-Am country or two) who cheerfully rode.  Had they been in the first three places, they would not have earned the medals--nor would they have earned a team medal had their team had one of the best three team times.  (And yes, Denmark fielded enough riders for a team.)  Is that "fair?"  Yes, because it is how the event is set up in the first place, so riders know the rules going in.

 

Heidi

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: [RC]   FEI Championships
From: "Tracey Lomax" <bandipops@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, November 22, 2006 12:12 am
To: <heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "'Steph Teeter'"
<stephteeter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Heidi wrote:

 

>>-and to that end, instead of kat's suggestions, I once again submit the concept that one way to help increase completion rates would be to only award individual medals to those riders whose countries can manage to complete a team as well, rather than the penalty sort of scenario.

[Reply]

 

I am not even remotely qualified to comment on what should or should not be done in your sport, but I do have a question about this comment, if you don’t mind me interevening?  What about countries that don’t have enough horses and riders to field a team?  How disheartening for a good rider to work really hard to get his horse to this level and not be able to earn a medal!

 

We only had one showjumper at the WEG last time, but this year we fielded two.  Hopefully, soon, we’ll be able to field a team.  I am immensely proud of how far we’ve come but I think that, if we were to be denied individual medals because we can’t field a team, it would be grossly unfair.  It costs us a FORTUNE because our horses have to be jetted overseas months beforehand, after going thru months of quarantine (horse sickness) and right now the exchange rate is simply murderous.

 

Don’t you think that it is unfair, after making such enormous commitments in time, money and personal sacrifice, that competitors be denied a medal?

 

 

Tracey

--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.430 / Virus Database: 268.14.11/543 - Release Date: 2006/11/20 09:20 PM

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

 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!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=