Make it rain
When you sit through 8 hours of speaking in one day, you get a lot of practice at summarizing things. The USEF Active Athletes meeting was an open meeting between the top dogs in the USEF and…well, active athletes. The CliffNotes version of the meeting is that the US will likely not be involved in the 2011 FEI World Cup, there is a lot of organizing that still needs to be done for the Pan American Games, and the London 2012 course is going to be a big endurance test. Here is how it played out:
World Cup: The meeting started with a discussion of the USA’s role in the FEI World Cup competitions. US coach Mark Phillips explained that HSBC has withdrawn their title sponsorship of the WC series which means that the prize money goes away and that there will be no FEI WC finals competition in 2011.
The proposed new plan from the FEI for 2011 is that each WC event’s organizers will put up prize money and then contribute a certain amount to an end-of-year prize pool, which will drop from the 2010 six-figure amount to around 50,000 Euros. The problem is that this proposed system presents no real upside for the event organizers and not a great deal of upside for the riders. The consensus from the many top riders in the room was that, while everyone would like a meaningful World Cup system, as long as there is no finals and no major financial prize, the US doesn’t have much interest in continuing to host FEI WC events. Their proposal was to send a letter to the FEI explaining just that and mentioning that the US would be glad to discuss rejoining the World Cup if a more meaningful format is found.
The 2011 Pan American Games: To put things frankly, it sounds like the Pan Ams are a mess because the event’s organizers have not finalized many basic organizational details. Such a laid back policy towards important issues has been a problem in South and Central American events in the past. Sara Ike of the USEF explained that we know where the venue will be held, that we have a verbal agreement that 5 US eventers will be competing, and when the Games will be held but not to much else. The USEF has not received a final draft schedule, ticket prices, or many other critical organizational information.
As we all know, the Pan Ams will be run as a two-star in 2011. This puts the USEF in a challenging selection situation because the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, passed by Congress in 1998 stipulates that the USOC should send the most qualified athletes to win international competitions. This puts a potential burden on the USEF to select a 4* pair that applies to go to the Pan Ams over a 2* or 3* horse that is a more suitable developmental prospect. It sounds like a selection compromise will be reached at that only 2* and 3* horses will go to the Pan Ams.
With that in mind, Mark came right out and stated that it will be unlikely that any horse will go to both the Pan Ams and the 2012 Olympics. As US selector Mike Huber explained, most riders looking to 2012 will want to get their horse qualified for a 4* in 2011 rather than worrying about a two-star.
The issue of whether Pinque coats should be awarded for competing in the 2011 Pan Ams was also discussed. My view on the matter is that competing at a 2* should not be awarded with a Pinque coat, but the final decision is up to the USEF.
Olympics: The London 2012 discussion was mostly about the logistics of rider accommodations and transportation, but Mark did mention that the Greenwich XC venue is going to be a real endurance strain on the horses. The course will be just 10 minutes long but most of it will be winding uphill. Many of the facilities at Greenwich, including the main arena, are being built above the ground to preserve the treasured Greewich grounds.
With that, the USEF Active Athletes meeting concluded. I’m off to my first meal of the day and Annie will have Friday morning’s news and notes later. Friday is going to be incredibly busy with the Board of Governors’ Meeting starting at 7:30am local time, but I will have a report as soon as possible on Friday. Oh, and I apologize for the deplorable photos–the choices are either people sitting at tables or signs. Go eventing.
