RE: [RC] Biltmore Mountin' Hopes Fall Fling - From the Turtle's Perspective - fhall
OK, I will start by saying I have not yet
competed in a 50 yet. My mare (nor I) won’t be ready until next season.
But, when she does…I will be the proudest mom you’ve ever seen at
the end of the trail and whether she is first (NOT) or turtle (most likely!) I
am hoping there will be someone there to share in my excitement and joy over
her accomplishment! I don’t need nor expect a ticker tape parade, but
with the entry fees we pay plus the membership dues and all the other expenses
not to mention blood sweat and tears to get her over the line, a person or two
to pat her on the neck and tell us congratulations doesn’t seem to much
to expect. Especially if we come in under time!
Most rides that I have been to I have not
seen this type of thing happen at. I certainly have to hope this was the
exception and not the norm, but we have only been at this for little more than
1 season yet. I know vets and volunteers are hard workers too and prone to the
same exhaustion as everyone else, but lets all try to keep in mind the passion
we all felt at the beginning (and most still do) and remember how it feels to
come in at the end of a ride, especially for a newbie!
Thanks to all the wonderful riders I have
met so far who have been nothing but encouraging and supportive and ready to
pick us up at the end of our sad 25 mile LD’s ready to push us on until
we finally know that we really WILL be able to do that first 50!!
Freda
And Yes, Michelle, that sounds like a very
sad story to me, but anyway, Congratulations on your first 50!! Whoo
Hooo!!!!!!!! Way to GOOOO!!!
From:
ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Michelle Aquilino Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009
10:25 AM To: ridecamp Subject: [RC] Biltmore Mountin'
Hopes Fall Fling - From the Turtle's Perspective
Ever since the first ride I volunteered at (Fort Valley 2005), I fell
in love with the turtle award. I knew I'd want at least one before my
horse got too fit for it (and me too competitive, ha ha). I think there
is a lot to be said for the turtle rider, and it takes a lot of heart to be out
there for that long (particularly on a 100!). Anyway, I am a turtle
fan, and always will be =)
I took my horse down to Biltmore this weekend for her first 50. I
was planning on an 8-8.5 hour ride, but somehow found myself in the back and
knew I'd pretty much be coming in at the end. I just wanted a completion
though, and thoroughly enjoyed the ride (more so after we were on our own,
without other horses around to pull her faster than I wanted to go). I
took pictures, enjoyed the scenery, it was great.
The first "problem" was not a big one. The second to
last loop ended through the finish line, so as I was finishing THAT loop,
everyone was there cheering as though I finished, but alas, I was not, ha
ha. I had one more loop to go! This wasn't really a
"problem" per se, but the beginning of my experience of the ride
unique to the turtle position.
The second unique part was that the checkpoint people had already left
by the time I got back through that section. I had been looking forward
to seeing them and saying hi =) Oh well.
The "problems" didn't really start until the finish. I
was so excited trotting down the road. I knew we were going to finish in
time and that my horse was going to get her first 50 mile completion! I
was doing my "whoop whoop" to get her excited and know it's the
end. I was smiling and beaming, waiting for the "finish" sign
around the next corner. I came up to it, but this go around, there wasn't
anyone out cheering. The volunteer was in her car reading a book, and
didn't see me until I was past the finish line and waiting for her to take
my card. Now please note I am not complaining about the volunteer
(yay for volunteers!). I have volunteered several/many times, including
once at a checkpoint in the pouring rain, with a raincoat and nothing else, and
it was COLD. I couldn't even mark people coming and going, I had to use
my fingers (everything was soaked). I know what it feels like to be
waiting for that last person to come in. But it was anticlimatic, and
started my downward spiral of the end of the day. It would have been nice
to have some cheering, someone to share in my excitement to complete =)
I took my horse to my trailer, untacked her, sponged her down, and
started the walk to the vet area. As I approached the ring (where the
vetting was), I couldn't see anyone in there, everyone was gone. I was thinking
to myself "where the heck are the vets? I still need my
completion..." I saw some volunteers on the side packing something
up (to come to this later), and said "excuse me, I need a vet", so
they called a vet, and eventually one came in. This continued my feeling
as though I had come into base camp after the party was completely over and
everyone had packed in for the evening.
I vetted in (60/56 CRI, my horse did great! I also held her back
too much, I know, ha ha), earned my completion, and started my walk back to the
trailer. As I was walking, I noticed the scale was gone. I think
that's what they were packing up when I was walking up originally. So I
didn't get to weigh my horse in after the ride (I had weighed her prior, and
was looking forward to weighing her after, since the scales are less prevalent
at the rides I frequent). I didn't understand why they couldn't have
waited a few more minutes to let me weigh her. This continued my feeling
of being "less" important than the rest of the riders.
I continued my walk back to the trailer. A friend I had met that
day came up and was talking to me about how my ride went, and how he had been
pulled, etc. He told me that they had decided to start dinner early,
since there was "only one person" still out. I was
shocked. Dinner was scheduled for 7, I had come in at 6:30, figured I had
plenty of time to finish up, feed my horse dinner, and get to dinner before the
awards started after the dinner was served. But I was wrong, they had
started dinner around 6:30 instead of waiting for me to come back.
As I put my stuff away, gave my horse her dinner, and said goodbye to
my mom (gotta love a non-outdoorsy mom who drives out to Biltmore to spend the
ENTIRE day - from start to finish - at base camp for my horse's first 50 =), I
started hearing the applause from the awards.
Anyway, I realize that I am a sensitive woman, particularly after a
long and tiring day of 9.5 hours of riding, but I was just really bothered by
everything here (from the finish onwards). Is this normal? Does
anyone else find this sad, and understands my perspective? If it is
normal, I'd like to hear from other turtle people, if there's any one thing
you'd really appreciate from a volunteer or fellow rider to make you feel more
noticed and important. I will make it my personal goal to do so at
whatever rides I volunteer at =)
This made me think of the poor people finishing their 100s at the
end. I know there are lots of people there for the first few finishers,
but I sure do hope that someone is cheering for that last person :-/
"Only one person" has feelings just like anyone else, and I
just don't understand the reasoning to start things early without them.
If I had gotten lost and been out there for hours past the "end" of
the ride, that'd be different, but I was on time, I wasn't late. Anyway,
I don't know. I guess if it had been a 55 mile ride, the "end"
would have been past "dinner" probably, things can't always
"wait" for the turtle person I guess. I just never really
thought of things from this perspective, and didn't realize how closed down
things would be coming in as a turtle finisher. I hope to hear from
encouragement for this not being normal though, because I really enjoyed riding
at a turtle pace, it was a fun and great day =) But I am alone at rides,
and riding turtle, I am riding alone essentially the whole time, it makes a
difference to have someone to share in that excitement at the end, it boosts my
own excitement. Or I'm just weird. Anyway, just thought I'd share
for a few different reasons...
