Re: Dubai Stories

[Teddy Lancaster <Teddy@runningbear.com>]

I was happy for your team...you did a tremendous job!!!!!

Congratulations!!!!! Say, all "english" speaking,the team medal
takers hey?

Teddy

murrawonda@msn.com.au wrote:
> 
> Hi Guys,
> 
> I was also in the crowd for the closing ceremony and whole heartedly agree
> with Steve's comments.  These people are very proud and the booing was in
> gest.  There were three of us (Aussies) sitting in amongst a mass of Arabs
> and when they announced our team 3rd in the teams we went beserk - the crowd
> around us giggled and also broke into cheer with us.
> 
> Another quick comment is about fellow Australian Shannon Parker who came in
> 10th - this is this girls first international competition and at 16 years of
> age, she has done a tremendous job.  5 out of our 6 Ausssies completed.  The
> Aus contingent was an all girl team - YEAH GIRLS!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Regards for now
> Di Kajar
> Murrawonda Arab Stud
> Mount Pleasant, South Australia
> <Murrawonda@msn.com>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steve Shaw <sshaw@pacbell.net>
> To: ridecamp@endurance.net <ridecamp@endurance.net>
> Date: Wednesday, December 16, 1998 1:50 AM
> Subject: Dubai Stories
> 
> >I have a lot to say about the happenings in Dubai and it will probably
> >take about a week and a half to get them all out. I hope dribbling them
> >out will be easier on all of you instead of one long missive that puts
> >me to sleep too in writing it.
> >
> >But here is something that relates to the AWARDS CEREMONY and the booing
> >that occured.
> >
> >Michele and I thought it rather inconvienent to have to take a bus three
> >hours early to go the one hour drive to the awards ceremony in another
> >city. They wanted to show off the Sheik Zar.... Stadium and stated that
> >there would be 30,000 in attendance (yeah, right we thought). So we
> >drove ourselves and I figured, in typical virgo fashion, that we could
> >get there 10 minutes early and still it wouldn't start for another two
> >hours like everything else that had happened up to date over there. BIG
> >WRONG.
> >
> >As we neared the stadium they started shutting down the streets around
> >the parking area. Little did we know that they had already filled up the
> >stadium? and were not letting any more cars in because they were not
> >letting anyone into the stadium any more. The young officier who told me
> >that we would have to drive away wouldn't recognise our American flag on
> >the car, nor our credentialing badges or USA shirts. He just motioned
> >and said "move on." Well he made a mistake at looking at the car behind
> >us and stepping that way one step. So I stepped on the gas and Michele
> >kept her head down half expecting a barrage of bullets. I actually knew
> >that he wouldn't come after us because to move his vehicle would mean to
> >lose control of the intersection and the rest of the traffic that wanted
> >to get in.
> >
> >Well we made it to the stadium and there was plenty of parking but many
> >white robed young men milling around all of the 26 gates trying to get
> >in? We couldn't figure it out. Each gate had four or more army personel
> >manning them and two to four rows of locals standing there to get in.
> >You can imagine the contrast of Michele and I, both 5'9" tall in our
> >American flag short sleeved shirts amoung the white robed locals. We
> >pushed our way to the front of the nearest gate and tried to talk our
> >way in. They didn't speak Enlish put we all settled on Spanish, they
> >wanted to speak French first. After much pointing of my cell phone,
> >dropping Sheik this and that names, American team, "credentials",
> >ceremony to start, etc., an officer far in the background motioned to
> >the guards to let just us through. It was strange when the locals just
> >parted to let us pass instead of mobbing us like Michele thought they
> >were going to.
> >
> >Now to find the particpants sitting area. Not to be. There was another
> >gate in the interior that we simply could not talk our way through. So
> >we headed up into the stands. An army guard motioned us over and pointed
> >to two seats, the ONLY two seats, left in a literal sea of white robes.
> >I swear the entire crowd up there grew silent as long haired and long
> >legged Michele and I tried to discretely find those two seats. Once
> >settled Michele was looking around to find only two other women in the
> >whole section and the men near me started up very freindly
> >conversations. They wanted to know all about us! Four feet away was this
> >eight foot fense with barbed wire around the top, separating us from the
> >honoured guests on that other side. Low and behold, there was the
> >American contingency just on the other side of it! There was Wendy
> >Mattingly, Pete Fields and Grace Ramsey and others to save us if this
> >group turned ugly!
> >
> >Now comes the whole point to my story. These stands were filled with
> >nearly 44,000 locals. They were enticed here with the promise of a show
> >with fireworks and displays of their heritage. As the lights went out
> >they lit cigarrett lighters and threw paper airplanes down onto the
> >field. It was really just a big political ralley. They take it as part
> >of their custom to support the home team. Their booing was filled with
> >laughter and smiles. Anytime a UAE was mentioned they cheered to honour
> >their Sheiks. We were right in the middle of them and I can tell you
> >they were feeling no disrespect. They were simply having FUN, like at a
> >melodrama. It is how their culture is. We had a fun time with them up
> >there and they were interested in us.
> >
> >The show was quite impressive and displayed their customs and heritage
> >and had absolutely nothing to do with endurance riding other than
> >handing out of awards to a bunch of non Emmirates. They simply wanted to
> >get on with the show. When the ruler of the country finally showed up
> >late and at the very end, they put on the whole show again just for him,
> >sans the fireworkds and awards. It went on for another hour after we had
> >all left but I imagine that most of the locals stayed to see it over
> >agian and to see their ruler.
> >
> >We couldn't tell who won best conditioned with all of the noise and
> >mistakes, but that whole fiasco is another story.
> >
> >Steve Shaw
> >
> >
> >
> >