Last week, in a post-hockey-gold-coital state of euphoria, I suggested that we needed to get equestrian sports into the Winter Olympics so that Canada can do better. Well, apparently our jumpers don’t need snow and ice to kick the competition out of contention. Yes, I realize this is old news to anyone with a pulse and a computer; but I just finally found the time to watch the on-demand video of last weekend’s Nations’ Cup, where Canada was so awesome Captain L’Amazing didn’t even have to do his second round.
Actually, I was spoiled for choice with video options, something I understand was not the case for those who tried to watch the event live. FEI TV was blocked North America-wide. I’m not sure what happened with Chronicle’s live streaming (maybe you have to subscribe to watch it live), but I know at least one Canadian who had to resort to following the action via Facebook. FB is many things, but an ideal place to keep abreast of Nations’ Cup Show Jumping it’s not. Now that the event is over, FEI TV is unblocked (though you do have to subscribe), and the Chronicle unabridged version is also available for your non-paying viewing pleasure. Please allow me to help you decide where you should go to watch the Nations’ Cup.
If you want super awesome hi-def, Chronicle is the hands down winner. Which is strange, since the video feed is clearly the same for both Chronicle and FEI TV (could it possibly have something to do with the boss of WEF being the owner of Chronicle I wonder?). The FEI TV version is grainy and furry. One odd inconvenience with the Chronicle video: it’s hard to find. I find no link to any video archives on the Chronicle’s home page (though I realize I may be trees-seeing and and not woods-seeing). I googled ‘wef nations cup live stream’ and that took me to a schedule that included the elusive link.
If you want to hear the pounding of hooves and the sounds of rails being struck and then striking earth, you’ll have to put up with the lousy picture on FEI TV. The Chronicle coverage is oddly silent for each round, with the sound of a commentator and club/sports anthem music fading in only at the start and finish of each one. The experience of silent show jumping is a bit like wearing noise cancelling headphones on the street. Kind of weird.
If you want to be spared inane chatter during the rounds, you should go with the vacuum-like silence of the Chronicle coverage. I’m not sure where Jimmy Torano and Frank Madden, the fellows FEI TV rounded up to do voice overs of the proceedings, were sitting – but it sounds like they had been stuffed underneath a table occupied by a gaggle of drunken women. Frequent outbursts of raucous laughter form the soundtrack accompanying Jimmy’s and Frank’s occasionally interesting and often vapid comments. Apparently Jimmy and Frank were unaware of FEI TV’s American blackout. One of them said during Laura Kraut’s second round that he knew this was a ‘world broadcast’ but that it’s hard not to ‘root for your own team’. Even when no one but a few random American viewers based outside of North America would sympathize with your rooting.
If you want to watch Eric and Powerplay you will have to go to the Chronicle coverage. He does his one and only masterful round at around 2:39 (that’s two hours, not two minutes, into the video). FEI TV provided only a couple of first rounds, and Eric’s wasn’t one of them. Since Canada had already won the thing after Yann (double clear), Tiffany (four and four), and Ian (clear and four) had done their second rounds, Eric spared Powerplay the effort and did not start in the second.
If you can’t be bothered to watch the on-demand video – and if you treasure the element of suspense in your sports viewing I don’t blame you – here are a few observations that stood out to my eyes and ears. First of all, the course wasn’t very big – though what it lacked in size it made up for in technical difficulty, especially a couple of mean verticals with flat cups and lots of air. There weren’t tons of clear rounds, partly because this NC didn’t count as a qualifier for any teams but the US, Canada and Mexico. That meant the Brits brought some untried horses and the German team was made up mostly of people I had never heard of. All that does not diminish Canada’s win, not one bit. Yann and Showgirl looked like a great team out there with Canada’s only double clear, and one of only three overall.
Even though Britain’s one-two punch of Scott and Ben were on younger mares (best ears of the night: Scott’s mare Hello Annie), they still managed to stay ahead of the home team Americans, who apparently haven’t managed to outrun the bad smell that has kept their team from winning anything since Hong Kong. Unhappiest horse of the night: Mclain’s Rothschild. Think grumpy pony with ears pinned almost constantly. Not a horse who looks like he loves his rider.
One thing I noticed in the video was the significant number of empty seats. Jimmy/Frank made mention of the WEF circuit being long and wearing out some of the horses, but I guess there is also such a thing as spectator fatigue. How much show jumping can a person watch in one long twelve week stretch? Supply may well have exceeded demand – and it’s not even over yet.
So of course the big question is this: how does Canada’s win last week bode for the team looking ahead to Normandy? There is definitely room for cautious optimism. I only wish there were a bigger talent pool. We really need these four riders and these four horses to make it all the way through the spring and summer and turn up in France as fit and ready as they can be.
