Following the emergence of a number of different perspectives, opinions and concerns raised by the eventing community, Equine Canada initiated an extensive third-party review of the Eventing High Performance program. The goal of which was to identify any necessary changes to resolve those concerns, and to provide suggestions on how to strengthen the overall program.
Following the initial review process which collected feedback from a broad cross-section of stakeholders, a small group of attendees were invited to a ‘Rio Planning Summit’ held Monday September 28 through Tuesday 29, 2015, in Toronto, Ontario, to discuss one of the primary concerns-a need for a stronger high performance plan in advance of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janerio, Brazil.
Representatives from athlete, technical, management, owner, and committee stakeholder groups met to develop recommendations for selection, planning, and team decisions, to be presented for consideration to Equine Canada’s High Performance Director, Amie O’Shaughnessy.
“Professional, athlete-centered, and efficient performance programs are the base for sustainable success,” said O’Shaughnessy. “It was evident changes were needed in the Eventing High Performance program to resolve issues and strengthen the program. I would like to recognize everyone who has contributed to the process to date, and all of the summit attendees for their participation, insights, and input. The summit was an essential step to building the performance culture and momentum needed for a stronger Eventing High Performance system.”
Summit participants were presented with a report on the current state of affairs of the program. Attendees showed a strong desire to address the matters in hand and agreed on guiding principles needed to improve the success of the program.
Equine Canada’s newly recruited Performance Analyst, Jessica Dilliott, presented an objective view of elite high performance programming, demonstrating the power of analytics. Her presentation ignited rich dialog and discussion aimed at enhancing the selection process and communication procedures needed to achieve high performance goals.
Summit participants were motivated to see the program improve from its current state to a stronger, sustainable system that will lead to high performance success. They approached their work with passion and intensity and quickly accepted the need to work openly, collaboratively, and cooperatively for the benefit of the program and the wider eventing community.
Equine Canada Eventing International Technical Advisor and Eventing Olympic medalist, Clayton Fredericks, guided the final phase of the two-day process. He presented a thorough and comprehensive high performance plan through to the 2016 Olympic Games through a collaborative process with the summit attendees. By the end of the summit, the group endorsed all recommendations made and demonstrated their commitment by discussing sensitive topics around planning, management, and selection.
Changes to the high performance program will be implemented based on the recommendations from the summit, and announced by November 2015.
Summit Attendees:
Eva Havaris-Equine Canada CEO
Peter Gray-Canadian Eventing Committee Chair
Jessica Phoenix-High Performance Athlete
Waylon Roberts-High Performance Athlete
Holly Jacks-Smithers-High Performance Athlete
Peter Barry-High Performance Athlete and Owner
Jennifer Holling-Eventing High Performance Chair
Charlotte Schickedanz-Owner
Jorge Bernhard-Equine Canada Board Member
Peggy Hambly-Equine Canada Board Member and Canadian Eventing Committee Member
Fleur Tipton-Equine Canada Manager of Eventing
Jessica Dilliott-Equine Canada Performance Analyst
Clayton Fredericks-Canadian Eventing Team International Technical Advisor
The review process and summit was expertly facilitated by John Coumbe-Lilley of Learn2Peak and Ozzie Sawicki of Pozitive Results Sport Strategies.
Attendee quotes:
“The high performance eventing summit was a huge success,” said Peter Gray, Canadian Eventing Committee Chair. “The restructured and highly motivated Equine Canada leadership provided excellent presenters who kept the group on task; to provide an environment for the best possible success on the journey to Rio.”
“We all, coming from different corners of eventing, worked together for two days to make Eventing High Performance a much more streamlined and efficient entity,” said athlete and owner Peter Barry. “The purpose is to allow our riders to be the best they can be in Rio, and ultimately take their spot on the podium. I am convinced we are heading in the right direction.”
“We as riders have to let the past be the past and move forward to a common goal in mind and success at Rio,” said Holly Jacks-Smithers, another Canadian athlete attending the summit. “We need to protect our athletes and help them be the absolute best they can be leading up to the Games. I feel like we have put things in place to do this.”
“The willingness to change, knowledge, honesty, and passion present at the summit will allow the sport of eventing to move forward to Rio and beyond,” said Peggy Hambly, Equine Canada Board Member and Canadian Eventing Committee Member.
“I am enthused by the unity of the group to streamline and clarify the high performance system in support of a competitive 2016 team,” added Jennifer Holling, Chair of the Eventing High Performance Committee.
“I’m excited and looking forward to Rio with transparency and management.” Jessica Phoenix, Eventing High Performance Athlete
“We have come together over these two days to combine our assets and abilities and transparent selection criteria enable our athletes and horses, and support staff to deliver Canada the best possible result for at Rio 2016.” Charlotte Schickedanz, Owner
“I feel a plan has been laid out that will provide me as a rider a clear vision to pursue Rio Olympic selection and achieve the best result for Canada.” Waylon Roberts, Eventing High Performance Athlete
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