As part of Eventing Nation’s endeavor to speak to all the applicants for the role of US Chef/Technical Advisor that we know of, I managed to figure out conference calling this week and speak to Phillip Dutton and Bobby Costello. They may not be a married eventing power couple, as some people have referred to the O’Connors, Hoys, and Laws, (who are not applying jointly), but they are certainly at the top of their game and have a relationship akin to a long and happy marriage – a friendship that goes way back, striving for the same goals, and often finishing each others sentences.
I started by asking how the notion of applying as a couple was born.
Philip: I suppose it was because I teach a lot of people all the time–that’s a large part of what I do now–and people had mentioned to me that they thought I’d be a good candidate, or a good coach for the country. I’d obviously been considering it for some time because we knew Mark’s tenure was up after London, but the magnitude of the job and what it entailed had always put me off. Bobby and I were talking in general terms about what would make a good coach, how one would go about it, and one thing led to another and we started talking about putting in a joint bid. That’s when I started getting really serious about it because it’s fortunate that both of us get along great – we have the same goals and the same vision. The job that we’re proposing that we can do is going to encompass the whole sport, not just coaching a team as such, but we’re going to be trying to bring along a big pool of four star riders ultimately, and having a pipeline of riders, horses, and owners, and encompassing the whole spectrum which will ultimately make this country a great eventing nation.
Bobby: I went up to Phillip’s farm in Pennsylvania for a couple of days before Christmas to continue our conversation, and so that we could both bring our ideas to the table. It became clear very quickly that what we both had in mind was very similar. We both want to fundamentally change the ways in which this country is bringing along and selecting teams. Being successful at the very top level is going to require a very dynamic, new approach to things, and anyone who sees our proposal would agree that it’s going to take at least two people, and a strong back-up team as well to realise our goals.
Q: And I’m presuming that Phillip, as TA will do most of the coaching, while Bobby in the chef’s role, you’ll assume more of the admin duties?
Bobby: I will be very hands-on, not just at the competitions. The Chef job means doing a lot of the day to day organisation of the team, orchestrating where we’re going to train and logistics. Then obviously there’s what we were talking about earlier, the delving a little bit deeper down into the pool of riders and trying to bring along riders sooner, and that will require a lot of organisation, a lot of traveling around the country, parts of the country that we don’t even think about right now, trying to locate talent, bring it along, and work with these riders all the way through to the very top tier. Obviously our involvement will grow and grow as the riders come along, so we won’t be able to spend all our time with the youngest riders but we’ll be a presence in the Young Rider ranks and the Developing Rider ranks, and as the pipeline keeps coming through there’ll be more and more involvement with the riders all the way up to World Class level.
Phillip: Certainly, what Bobby brings to the table as a really well-organised person, and as any of us know that have ever been around any successful team, is that no team works without a really well-oiled, well-managed operation, and that’s we plan to do as well at the highest level.
Q: Philip, do you mind just clearing up for us, will you retire from team competition only, or international competition entirely?
Phillip: I will retire from international competition. I think it will be good for my teaching to keep riding, doing some competing, and certainly getting lessons. For example, I could even imagine spending some time in Germany doing some dressage training. I know now for myself that if I go to Wellington for instance and do a couple of weeks training I come back a much more motivated, more knowledgeable teacher. I think we’re all of us always, whether we’re a coach or rider, trying to up our game and trying to become better at it. I certainly don’t feel like I know everything now, I think I can find ways to be a better rider, and find ways for riders to get better and if I don’t how to, then I’ll find someone who can, as it’s my job to get better every year as a coach as well.
Q: Will the team train with you exclusively, or continue relationships with established coaches?
Phillip: There’ll be a bit of both. We’ll be encouraging the higher level riders to work with the designated coaches that we each agree on. There’ll be a conversation with each rider in an individual situation. Having said that, we will ultimately have a team dressage coach, and a team show-jumping coach as well. At major championships it’s just not feasible for everyone to bring their coach in. The way that we have it structured is that from time to time we would encourage, and hopefully help support people to go to outside coaches and really up their game and improve, but the Team Coach – myself, and the Dressage and Show-Jumping Team Coach need to know these horses and riders well, in fact know everything about them so that when it comes down to a Championship we can fit it in, and work together closely as well.
Q: I don’t remember if it was you, Phillip, who was quoted as saying it was almost harder being the home team at WEG last year, because the teams that travelled here perhaps had more team spirit by dint of their journey here, and had some of that underdog mentality going for them, whereas it seems there is always vague criticism of the US team, either in the media, or on the forums…
Phillip: I didn’t say that it was a disadvantage to be here in the US. It was actually one of the highlights of my career, (of course it would have been a real highlight if it had gone a bit better!), but riding in front of a home crowd – nothing can beat that. I’ve been fortunate to have represented two countries now, and I’ve been in some good teams, and also some teams that didn’t have good morale so I know what it takes, and Bobby’s been in the same situation representing the US in a couple of major Championships. That part of it is not lost on us. We are going to have a very close, working relationship with every rider. We’re not just going to be here for a couple of months of the year. There’s going to be no surprises and I think there’ll be a good feeling amongst everybody, and that will create good morale.
Q: Do you hope to be able to travel to Europe/England and compete over there with the team?
Phillip: Yes. What we are proposing is to actually expand on the Team competition as we know it now, creating more Team competitions here in the US, so that we can practice being a team, working with me as a Coach, and with the other Coaches, we practice riding as a team, we practice dealing with the pressure, working with the Team Veterinarian etc and then once we’ve got that down pat, and the riders and the horses come through that well, then the next step would be to take a team overseas and then practice there again. By the time we get to the Championship level, as in a World Championship, or an Olympics, it will be just like going to work, there’ll be no surprises for anybody, so yes, that’s a big part of our proposal. We do want to to travel overseas but the trick to that is we want to get it all worked out in this country first.
Bobby: I think in the US we don’t get as much practice as the Europeans do at Team competition; on their off years from the Olympics or World Games they have the European Championships, so every single year they’re able to practice coming together as a team and even winning as a team, we just don’t get as much practice. Some years there may not even be a Pan Am Eventing Championship depending on the year, and the level of competition is obviously so high over there. I think what Phillip is talking about is so correct – we’ve actually got to work together as a team, and practice winning as a team, and if we can do that in this country as well as overseas, it’s only going to make us stronger at the Championships.
Phillip: Purely from a financial point of view too, it’s good to get things worked out in this country , and it’s a lot more efficient to do it here, and then once we’re secure with each combination, then the next step is to have funded trips to Europe as well.
Q: If you get the job, how long do you imagine it will be for? Do you have a master plan for a certain amount of years, or is it completely open-ended?
Phillip: We see our plan of building the large pool of championship four-star riders taking two-four year cycles, but we also feel very good about the riders we have in the system right now being able to go out and win medals for the U.S. There is a very exciting and talented group of riders arriving on the scene, which will certainly be a good start.
Q: Phillip, if you don’t get the job, will you retire regardless?
Phillip: I wasn’t planning on not getting the job!
Q: And your wife and children are resigned to you retiring, and immediately taking up a job that involves almost as much work, travel and competition?!
Phillip: Yes, they played quite a big part in this decision. I’ve been riding and competing for a long time now. This will be a great new challenge, a new opportunity and a great chance to help direct the sport.
Q: You have coached, or do coach now so many of the US listed riders, past and present.
Phillip: I’ve had an influence on a lot of the riders. What’s rewarding to me is that they all spread their wings and move on, and have their own businesses. I encourage them to get help from other people, but when it gets close to the big event I usually get a phone call asking for help! That part of it to me is very satisfying, it’s not all about giving someone a lesson every week, it’s more about helping them with their careers and directing them, and I’ve done that with a lot of people. I certainly don’t want to control anyone’s life to the extent that they have to do everything I say, I’m here to guide and help them along the way, and if I can coach them and help them, that’s great, but it doesn’t have to be every day.
Q: If you do get the job, would you spend the next year and a half shadowing Mark Phillips?
Bobby: I’m quite sure that Phillip will be competing right up until the last moment, most likely. We’re both very familiar with the American system, I’ve been involved in it in one way or another for the last 15 or 20 years. However, I would be thrilled to shadow Mark if we do get the position. I’d be happy and honoured to shadow him over the next year and a half or so leading up to London, and do whatever I can behind the scenes to help the cause, and I would obviously be a little bit more available to do that than Phillip, but he would hopefully see it as well as an actual team rider.
Q: Once the Search Committee has had a chance to view the proposals of all the applicants, they then forward them to the Active Athletes, or Riders, and you’re encouraging eventers to speak to their representatives, and be active in the process?
Bobby: To the best of my knowledge, the Search Committee is still going through the proposals, and is in the interview process now. Once they get through interviewing all the applicants I believe that they will make a short list, and that the riders soon thereafter will take over, and I’m sure that they will be conducting some interviews of their own and they will be making a recommendation to the High Performance Committee. I think the active riders will have the biggest voice in this decision which is a very good thing.
(The Active Athletes are Amy Tryon, Stephen Bradley, Lauren O’Brien, Bonnie Mosser, Becky Holder, Kim Severson and Jan Byny. Phillip and Karen O’Connor have had to step aside for obvious reasons)
Phillip: The decision about your coach is a huge part of your career, and I’m sure riders of the future, and riders who have experience as well will think about this long and hard, and try and talk to their rider representatives about their thoughts.
Bobby: It would be great for any rider who’s interested in being involved one day in the High Performance Program, whether it’s this year, or down the road, to make their voice heard to these representatives because they will have a very big decision to make coming up here pretty soon.
We’re so committed and passionate about this possibility of being the Technical Advisor and Chef, and we’re just very hopeful that we’re going to be able to put our proposal into action and help the country realise some fantastic results over the next few years.
