I’ve had a feeling for months that this was going to be the year that Off To Paris would come into her own and carry Lauren Barwick back onto the podium. I’m delighted to report that I was right. Lauren followed yesterday’s bronze medal performance with a brilliant ride in the freestyle today. 76.25% and silver! The only little fly in the ointment is that she missed out on gold by only a tenth of a percentage point. It was so very, very close.
Lauren closely watching the competition after her test
Thanks to Lauren, Canada already has almost as many medals at this WEG as it won in all of Lexington 2010. Hats off and thrown joyfully in the air! (I’m cheering doubly because I created Lauren’s freestyle)
I took video of Lauren’s ride but I can’t upload it and share it with you because the internet I’m using isn’t fast enough. I’ve completely given up on trying to use the WEG media internet, and am tethering to a French phone that I was fortunate to have lent to me. If I didn’t have that you wouldn’t be seeing a whole lot of blogging action from me because the media internet is as close to nonexistent as you can get without actually not existing.
The Para venue is so much more pleasant a place to hang out than the d’Ornano stadium, which is a utilitarian concrete monolith that the WEG organizers deemed perfectly lovely and not in need of any paint, decoration, or even toilets with seats – never mind toilet paper. I mentioned the disgusting state of the bathrooms the other day. My Alberta toilet researchers sent me a picture the following day. The floaters had been cleared away and the blocked drains cleared, but the place was already a dump again as you can see from the photo she sent me.
Every time I blog from a major championship, I find a theme that I carry throughout the competition in my blogs. I’m afraid the theme that has emerged in Normandy is to enumerate all the failings of this event, which I really truly and honestly expected to be marvelously presented. I am going to do some more anti-WEG-organizer ranting this morning, even though I’m enjoying the view and the sunshine at the Para venue. Speaking of that, I’ll start with my first peeve of the day. My friend Bridget wanted to come and watch Lauren this morning, because she knows her and because Paris is remarkably similar to her former horse Millie. I went on line yesterday to get a ticket for her, but the event was listed as sold out. Does this look sold out to you?
Moving right along now to the vendor village. First of all, it’s perhaps one of the worst design flaws of this WEG that there is absolutely nothing to do or buy at the main stadium except those French ‘hot dogs’ and official WEG merchandise. You have to take a shuttle or enjoy a bracing 15 minute walk to reach the vendor village. My previously mentioned friend Bridget, determined not to let herself be too disappointed by not being able to attend the Para freestyles this morning, headed with another friend, Marina, to the vendor village at around 10 am. Their plan was to beat the crowds, which they would have done if it weren’t for the fact that the vendor village is locked up tight as Rapunzel in her tower until 11 am. As you can imagine, there is quite the mass of humanity accumulating on the narrow strip of concrete between the closed gate and the very busy road right now. It would seem the French are determined to prevent any possibility of financial gain for themselves (by selling tickets), or for their vendors (by letting them keep regular retail hours).
Dressage freestyles this afternoon, I’ll be back!
