Re: [RC] WEB BUG: Re: [AERCMembersForum] Re: GSFHR vs European Endurance Championship - John Teeter
On Sep 10, 2007, at 9:33 PM, Diane Trefethen wrote:
I have been taken to task for my post about irony and I am perplexed. The posts suggest that I have somehow criticized one venue or the other or the efforts of people to present information. I didn't. John - you have asked several times where the irony is. ...
I think I did get defensive (just a bit:) +?I never have really gotten irony ...:(
?I see your point, but in the broader perspective, it's kind of turned around. RC has for many many years mixed the grass roots (down home folksy)? with the world (and continental) championships (self-Important -- well maybe ...:)
(I remember steph and mike maul doing "live from Kansas" at? the 1996 WEC - and early experiment in gate2gate reporting - really not much has changed there:)
the AERC-I.vs.AERC goals issue has rightly moved to the AERC list. but maybe 10-15% of the ridecamp subscription (maybe 80 or so) is non-US still and @10% of the web traffic is non-us (non .com/.org/.net/.us/.gov/.mil). The subscription used to be much more, but, as I mentioned, most? social groups now have their own lists and groups (in french and spanish and portuguese and Hungarian and Arabic and ....)
I think discussion of international stuff has never really been the main focus or an intended focus of this AERC list (beyond the AERC-I should be a part of USEF thread) - an example - the current showing of the US at Portugal was a study of bad luck as we were 0-4 at an event where we wanted to test ourselves against Europe/GCC in prep for the WEC (and we choose not to even attend the PanAm as a result) - a discussion of the directions USEF is taking the sport is certainly warranted - but I don't know that there IS a good forum - it mainly is happening on the USEF committee lists I think -?
but the worst luck Saturday was likely the UAE team which really really really tried to repeat - riding as a focused team throughout the ride and, in the end, pushing a horse beyond what it could do (the 800meters from the finish crash - although I've no details) - and the REALY story is the rider from Bahrain (#13) who stopped to help the rider who was racing him for 4th or 5th? - giving up 20minutes to help a fellow competitor , giving up a top 5 finish to help a rider and horse in distress! something many people might not do (well Steve Rojek would:)?
Another little tid-bit - Tom Sites just told me that Priceless Gold (AERC#:H35344), ridden to a 9th place finish by German team rider Gabriela Forster Saturday was a US horse, originally purchased for $1200 b/f it's endurance career was started back east in 2003. A horse which might have ended up with a US rider at the same event -? so though I don't think AERC has much to do with influencing how USEF fields the US teams -? still, the US is having problems getting completions at these major events let alone being competitive.?
I'm looking forward to the November Malaysian pre-ride. They have to get a 40% completion rate at that 100 or FEI will pull the event (and place it -- maybe in Bahrain??) -- So the focus there will be sound horses and solid riders I think. I don't think we'll see a 15 mile race to the finish line there. Maybe the wec pre-ride will be more like Big South Fork where to finish IS to win.
