Short of having a proper media pass, we could not have asked for better seats for the first day of eventing dressage today. But I’m getting ahead of myself; let’s start at the beginning.
Actually getting to an Olympic venue on the first day is always a challenge and the authorities were recommending that spectators arrive two hours prior to the start of competition. We were running late (surprise, surprise) and Chris Burton was the second rider on so we were panicking as we headed out of the door but there was no need. We had an easy 10 minute bus ride to Greenwich, joined the crowds being directed towards the venue by LOTS of very friendly, happy volunteers and , despite getting lost finding our seats, we were in the stadium and ready for the first rider, Boyd Martin, with plenty of time to spare. Security was high with airport type checks but it all ran really smoothly and didn’t take long.
I’ll leave the details of the dressage tests to Kathy who will be filing reports from the Media Area each day but it was certainly exciting watching the three Aussies today (Chris, Sam and Andrew) really make their mark. Our seats were in a fantastic spot; directly above the entrance for the horses to the arena, close to the rider stand, next to the commentary box and a great view of the arena (I don’t think this arena would have any seats with a poor view, unlike some seats at the WEG in Kentucky).
As Chris and Leilani went in we could see Jade and Jean Findlay (Lani’s owners) in the riders’ area and we could also see Prue Barrett (Australian National Performance Director), Clayton Fredericks and Brett Parbery (Team Dressage Coach) watching intently at the entrance to the arena. A few seats down was Jean Findlay’s partner Herman van Hummel who was really pleased when Chris took the early lead and held it until his Devon-based host and friend, Sam Griffiths sneaked ahead of him. Two Aussies in the lead – yay! Throughout the day there were various horses that seemed to be a bit fazed by the surroundings and the entrance into the imposing arena but none of the Australian horses seemed at all bothered or tense. They were all a delight to watch and personally I found Andrew’s test absolutely goosebumping (yes, I know there’s no such word). I adore Mary King, who gorgeously shushed the crowd as she entered the arena and shed tears in her BBC interview afterwards, admonishing herself “For heaven’s sake Mary, you don’t normally cry..”, but I’m afraid I think that Andrew’s test was better. I’ll leave at that.
The other person who cried was the groom of German rider, Dirk Schrade who took the lead from Sam. As Dirk finished his test, his groom was in tears of delight as she met them coming out of the arena. The grooms play a huge part in a team’s success as Alison Duthie points out in her article posted earlier today.
We left just before the last couple of riders as we wanted to hit the merchandise before the crowds and were rewarded with a quick shopping experience (and yes we have a London polo shirt to give away – stay tuned for details). From leaving the Park, it took a total of 30 minutes to get home and put the kettle on. That’s what I call a smooth Olympic first day experience. The only downside was the food at lunchtime which took well over an hour to get a takeaway pizza in the stadium. Apparently many stalls were running out of food and tomorrow we’ll be taking sandwiches.
On another note I also had a quick chat with Bill Levett who was sitting close by. It must be hard to sit there and watch – so close but so far – but Bill will be taking Hippolyte to Burghley so we’ll catch up with him then
Meanwhile tomorrow sees the rest of the dressage with probable highlights being;
10:16am: Zara Phillips and High Kingdom (GBR)
10:32am: Caroline Powell and Leamore (NZL)
10:56am: Nina Ligon and Butts Leon (THA)
11:28am: Lucinda Fredericks and Fluing Finish (AUS)
12:54pm: Kristina Cook and Miner’s Frolic (GBR)
13:10pm: Andrew Nicholson and Nereo (NZL)
14:38: Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper (USA)
14:48pm: Clayton Fredericks and Bendigo (AUS)
14:54pm: Nicolas Touzaint and Hildago de L’Lile (FRA)
15:02pm: Michael Jung and Sam (GER)
15:10pm: Mark Kyle and Coolio (IRL)
15:40pm: Karin Donckers and Gazelle de la Brasserie (BEL)
16:20: William Fox-Pitt and Lionheart (GBR)
16:28pm: Mark Todd and Campino (NZL)
Here are a few snaps from today including a few quirky characters
