(sorry for the absence of pictorial accompaniment today, but the internet here is too slow to upload any photos)
As the last of the Canadian team members – the jumpers and the vaulters – are winging their way homeward, it seems like an appropriate moment to reflect on Canada’s results here in Normandy. There was a consistency of sorts to the team results; apart from Endurance, all our teams (six disciplines) finished between eighth and tenth. It goes without saying that the athletes did their best, and that their horses faced whatever was put in front of them with the talent and character that got them on the team in the first place. But this was not the WEG most of the Canadian teams would have been hoping for.
For our neighbours immediately to the south, there was good cause for optimism after a lengthy dry spell. The dressage team, with the help of rising stars Laura Graves and Verdades, came within striking distance of the podium; and the jumpers finally climbed back into the medals after four years of results best described as indifferent.
Our Canadian eventers were more fortunate than the Americans, since we did manage to finish three team members. But the days of being happy to complete as a team are long over – or at least they should be. The sport is far too expensive and there is always considerable risk in the discipline – to horse and human alike. Canada’s eventers proved they were medal-worthy in 2010, but they have not followed up with anything that comes close in the four years since, other than a peppering of excellent individual results.
On the other hand, our horses are all heading home sound and healthy, as are their riders. What we did witness here in France was the potential of some young talent, both two and four legged, that will have a chance to rise to the occasion in Toronto next summer, where it will really count. We didn’t gain a single Rio team spot here in France. The jumpers are in decent shape with the US and Brazil already qualified; but the American dressage and eventing teams will be just as hungry for those lone Rio spots (again, FEI, we thank you) as will the Canadians. For anyone who thinks there will be a home team advantage, you might want to take a look at our results in Winnipeg 1999 before banking too much on that notion.
I would venture to say that the only discipline to remain on Own The Podium’s payroll next year will be Para Dressage, thanks to the only two medals Canada took home from Normandy – Lauren Barwick’s Individual Grade II bronze and freestyle silver. I am personally thrilled to have been at the Para for both of Lauren’s performances with Off To Paris. It was a sporting highlight for the Canadian team.
Another bright spark for Canada was the great set of performances by the vaulters. Perhaps now the media (myself included) will give them some overdue and much earned attention. Congratulations to their unprecedented top ten results.
I did not get to any of the reining, but the results reflect a downward trend that has been going on since the first WEG that included the discipline. In 2002, Canada won team and individual medals. By 2010, a single individual bronze was all the Canadian reiners took home. They hit a new low here in Normandy with a ninth place team finish. Congratulations to Cody Sapergia for the top individual Canadian result, sixth place with Nu Chexomatic – but it was still well short of the podium. None of our Endurance team members completed the WEG Endurance, but as only 38 completed out of 173 starters, I don’t presume anything there, other than my usual skepticism about running horses for 100 miles nonstop being a good idea.
We had no one in the combined driving, so nothing to report on that discipline. It’s easily the most expensive discipline in which to participate, and the lack of a Canadian team would reflect the absence of any Canadian Richie Rich’s in the sport. I had wanted to watch some of the driving marathon, but it happened at the same time as the individual show jumping, and so far I haven’t figured out how to be in two places at once – a skill that would have greatly benefited me at this WEG.
I did not even make it to the WEG Village, which was too far to walk to, had no parking nearby, and always had massive line ups of panicky people at the entrance who were trying to get there and back to the stadium in the too-short lunch breaks each day. I didn’t spend a penny on WEG souvenirs. I suspect there are quite a few people who can say the same, not for lack of want but of opportunity – suggesting that the vendors were also dealt a short hand by the WEG disorganizing committee.
For those of you who think I’m a Debbie Downer, I’m just reporting the reality. Canada’s two medals left us 13th in the overall medal rankings – the same ranking we came into Normandy with from the previous six WEGs. As I said above, inconsistency is not Canada’s problem, consistency is our problem.
Eva Havaris, if you are reading this, please Please PLEASE sit down with the books and figure out how to spare the resources to hire a High Performance Director in EC, and then find more resources to hire someone COMPETENT to promote and market the Canadian Equestrian Team to potential sponsors. A saddle pad and a bag of feed are just not cutting it. (apologies to CDAAP, Artisan Farms and a few other sponsors who are doing a great deal for our athletes. We need more people like you!)
As soon as I get a better signal, I’ll be back with some further reflections (with photos!) on what was great, not so great and truly awful about the 2014 WEG. Bad trips always make for better reading than good ones. If this WEG has one thing to its credit, it’s an almost limitless quantity of blog material.
