Michael and Nathalie Pollard are attending the Olympics this weekend to cheer on Nathalie’s father, Carl Bouckaert, who is competing for Belgium. Michael has generously offered to keep us updated on his experiences as a rider watching in London. If you don’t follow Michael on Twitter and Facebook, you should do so now or risk missing out on awesomeness.
—-
“Futures so bright…I steal American team shades”
From Michael:
Whew, Monday was a thriller! There have been more good recaps than you can read before tomorrow, so I’ll leave that out tonight. Here’s a quick look at how I spent my day and my thoughts after:
In an effort to feed a “lazy American” stereotype, I spent the entirety of the day parked in front of a TV. Yes, I probably could have done this from home and avoided the 16 hours of flight time, but it is pretty cool to be able to see and speak to the competitors before and after they finish.
After Saturday night’s excursion, we decided an early night was needed. Seven o’clock on Monday still dawned quickly, and we scrapped our workout plan in favor of 45 min more rest (don’t worry Randy, we will be ready for your workout Thursday). We rushed ourselves to the venue to get there as the park opened at ten, and parked ourselves in the international team hospitality area where most team members, family, and owners stationed themselves to watch. Thanks to our early arrival, we scored a primo spot complete with couch, big screen, and high top table and stools. Add to this a bar and catered concessions, and you can understand why I didn’t go far.
It was a great day for the sport. It was enough of a test, proved very exciting, and importantly, there were no overshadowing dramatic incidents. In the end, the very best proved why they are, and the less experienced looked that way. You can’t ask for much more from a day of cross country.
We were very close today, and you never know what can happen tomorrow. I think there is still a bit of a chance to win a team medal, but with 24 points back and no drop score available, it will be tough. We were a bit unlucky here and there, but I thought in general, every member of the team did what we thought they could do. If you are looking for a fairy tale performance, look in a different sport. What wins medals in eventing is preparation, experience, and depth from all five team members. We are close, but looking at the form sheet, I really thought we were about a 4-6 placed team, and that is about where we seem to be. Luckily, I am not the one to have to decide how to rebuild from here, and I think we will have the right man for the job. As riders, we need to focus on building on where we are now in order to gain in the three key points I mentioned above. For the country as a whole, many people have different ideas. People discuss the need for breeding, rider development, grants, trainers, owners, horses, and many other factors. Personally, I feel that all of these items need to be addressed, as most have been neglected far too long. If you don’t believe me, think about where we would be today if we hadn’t snatched two of Australia’s best…
I’m inspired to go to work. If you care about our results in the future…What can you do to help?
