Olympic stars of the future? ... who knows ...
With the Olympic Eventing competition over, I can finally catch up on some sleep and express some of my views on the selection process for the games.
Initially I found it hard to be hard to be overly motivated by the Games, with the lack of local Aussie riders it was a bit disheartening and, being an Aussie based rider myself, I really wanted to cheer some of my ‘friends’ on. But I found myself loyally sitting up watching the action and sharing in the ups and downs of the results. I felt really disappointed for the riders who competed and tried so hard at the Games. Eventing is tough, you need a lot of skill and a little bit of luck and it didn’t seem to go our way this time. However it is the lack of Aussie based riders in the team in the first place which makes me worried as a competitor in this sport who intends to continue living in this awesome country. Why? do I ask has this happened and how can we make it for future WEG and Games selection when it seems to be a clear disadvantage to be based here in Oz.
When I wasn’t selected, I was naturally disappointed, however I felt that I wasn’t as consistent this year with my performances I could see why I might have been left off the team. But when I found out that some of my fellow Aussie based competitors also didn’t make the team, I was angry to say the least.
I do believe that the initial team and reserves selected were very strong and on another day could have been definite medal chances. In fact we could field three teams that could also be as good as the other on any given day. That’s what makes it hard to be selected in the first place. But I do have to say, the selection process was, to put it simply not fair! It seemed that we were over managed here in Australia, made to run at a heap of events, which puts risk on our horse’s soundness, especially before a huge trip to England. Told one thing or another, it seemed as if we were dragged through the mud only to find out that the selectors obviously didn’t think we were good enough.
The cancellation of Badminton certainly threw everything up in the air
The UK based riders, once Badminton was canned, seemed to be in a whole disarray and they were able to compete anywhere and it appears that you could fall off or have 100 rails and if you were a big name, you were in the team. That may be a little harshly said, but is really how a lot of people over here feel.
So how do we get around it ...There have been many heated discussions via social media, with some good ideas which we need to explore. For starters it would be a much fairer system if we were on a level playing field. I guess to do this Aussie based potentials will have to go overseas to try to prove we are up with the UK riders OR why not bring them here? Can’t we all compete at the same event to get selected like the athletics or swimming? I know the logistics of this is extremely difficult, but the UK riders and the EA would most likely expect us to go over there to qualify at OUR expense. Why not make Adelaide the selection event for all Australian riders wanting to make WEG or the Games. Now that would freak the UK guys out. But over here we have to give up our lives to go over there, so why not visa versa?
Now I do understand that competing in the UK is like competing against the best in the world. I think the Aussie riders based in the UK are achieving amazing results. Maybe the EA need to find a way to help fund some of us to go over there to compete then from time to time to gain experience and to know where we lie in comparison to the rest of the world. A points system might also work, as at least we would know where we are sitting.
But all in all, if the UK guys want to receive the funding from the EA, which is supported by members primarily from Australia, I do think they need to either give back by either doing the odd clinics or to do some Australian competitions or both. If you want to compete for Australia, then we want something back for it. Some of the riders have already done this, but it should be some sort of rule. That way we would feel we are barracking for actual Aussies that we know and love and the backlash on the selection might not have been so great.
These are just some of the idea’s that have been voiced, and I think they need to be heard.
The Olympic Team unfortunately didn’t go so well which is devastating, so it has started a new wave of discussions on who ‘should’ have been selected. This is not my point. What’s done is done, but the way they were selected seems completely random. I think the selection process itself needs to be more transparent and fair for us all whether Aussie, UK or American based riders. The secrecy and the feeling that we are in no man’s land whilst waiting for the selectors final decision needs to be stamped out. We want to know where we stand whether good or bad. The reasons for selection or non selection should be known to the riders, owners and EA members. After all, we are representing our country and the supporting EA members who help pay for this. So after all this is over, I really hope that all the voiced opinions and concerns from many riders and supporters are adhered to and positive changes are made in the future.
A member of the Harden Pony Club pops over a log ... who knows where she might be in ten years time
On a lighter note, I have had a great start to the second half of the year with Girl with a Curl winning the 1 star at Sydney recently. Life is starting to get back to normal, with me trying to get back to a normal routine in coaching and training horses. I did a free clinic for the Harden pony club kids. Lots of gutsy potential future champions there who don’t get a lot of opportunity to have private lessons, so I wanted to give back to the community whilst promoting our great sport!
The Nalgebra raffle was drawn on Tuesday night whilst we watched the final eventing showjumping at the soldiers club in Yass. Some of the prizes included a WOW saddle, Mal Burn bridle and many more cool prizes donated to the Nalgebra cause. For full prize winners and results go to http://nalgebra.com/?p=769
I am already trying to make plans in my program to get to WEG in France and am on the search for another horse to take me to Rio. Four years isn’t long to try to get another horse up to that level. I may not have gone to London, but the dream doesn’t stop for me here!
