This week is a quiet but busy time for the USEF’s Chef D’Equippe/Technical Advisor search. Here’s a quick update on the process so far and thoughts about where it might be going.
As a quick update for those returning from Siberia, the USEF announced via press release in early March that the Search Committee would recommend a short list of David O’Connor and Leslie Law to the High Performance Committee. This was just a recommendation, and the Eligible Athletes were then tasked with making their recommendation to the High Performance Committee. After Red Hills, Phillip and Bobby announced that they would be withdrawing from the process as candidates. The latest press release from the USEF two weeks ago announced that the Eligible Athletes would be “reviewing other applicants,” not just those on the short list.
As we all know, the Eligible Athletes met last Thursday along with the High Performance riders at The Fork to interview David and Leslie. From what I have heard of the meeting, it was very positive for both candidates and gave Leslie a chance to thrive in a more personal setting and David the chance to openly and thoroughly address all aspects of the process. The Eligible Athletes have definitely looked thoroughly into other applicants following the meeting at The Fork and they will meet later this week to formulate their recommendation to the High Performance Committee. That recommendation will hopefully be made by the athletes in the next week. At this point, no one, not even the athletes, knows who the Eligible Athletes will decide to recommend, but their recommendation is independent of the Search Committee’s.
The good thing about the process right now is that the athletes are very much involved in the decision making, and my opinion continues to be that the athletes will have the biggest say in the final decision.
The Eligible Athletes:
Phillip Dutton
Stephen Bradley
Jan Byyny
Buck Davidson
Lauren Hart O’Brien
Becky Holder
Marcia Kulak
Bonnie Mosser
Karen O’Connor (Recused)
Kim Severson
After the Eligible Athletes make their recommendation to the High Performance Committee, the High Performance Committee will formulate their recommendation which will be a major decision of the process–and that will be the recommendation. From there, the final candidate will move on to USEF CEO John Long and the Executive Committee to negotiate the final contract. My guess from how the process has gone so far is that we will have a recommendation but not a final contract negotiated by Rolex. Hopefully we will hear more about this process sometime soon through another USEF press release updating us on what the Eligible Athletes recommended. Go eventing.
