Live from the Equestrian Olympics : 2008 Equestrian Olympics

Farewell, Hong Kong

Jennifer — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:21:00 GMT

I'm writing this from my own desk chair, looking at the comfortingly familiar surroundings of my home office. Yes, I'm finally home from the 2008 Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong.

The journey encompassed a 15-hour departure-flight delay due to Typhoon Nuri -- Hong Kong's worst in nearly a decade, and scoring a direct hit on the city -- a long flight that crossed the international date line, thereby rendering me incapable of knowing what day it was or how long I'd been in the air; the inevitable missed connection; some nail-biting moments at the U.S. Airways gate during which I wasn't sure whether I'd get on the next available flight; and several more cramped hours in the air before a mid-evening landing on the East Coast. It was, no exaggeration, a long day's journey into night.

I've been logging 10+ hours of sleep a night since I've been home, and probably will continue to do so for a few more days until I've erased the sleep deficit. But I wanted to write one last blog entry while the sights, smells, and events of this incredible experience are still fresh.

Attending an Olympic Games is an extraordinary immersion in international culture, not only of the host nation but also of the many participating countries. You'll meet people from all over the world and get the chance to compare notes, to learn a bit about one another's world views, and to gain new perspectives on how you and your own nation are regarded by others, and why. By traveling halfway around the world, I got to know myself better. Curious but true. As a fan of equestrian sport, attending an Olympics is a chance to see the very best that each country has to offer.

An Olympic Games is not just another international competition, and the participants know it. Competing not just for oneself but as a representative of one's country adds an entirely new dimension and significance, and it shows. Watching with a critical eye, one soon perceives that not all nations field the same caliber of athlete. Riders from the top countries generally exhibit an attention to detail and a precision that are lacking in many from nations that tend not to make the leader boards. And although there is no denying the fact that competing at the Olympic level takes money, money alone can't buy medals. Just ask the jumper riders from Saudi Arabia, to name just one example. Most of all, watching the equestrian competition in Hong Kong, I had a sense of continued amazement that horses do for us all of what they do.

At this level of competition, horses are asked to remain relaxed, confident, focused, and to perform at their athletic peak in the middle of the night while handling grueling journeys, strange surroundings, noisy and restless crowds, marching bands, gigantic jumbotron images, elaborate decorations, TV cameras, and an "electric" atmosphere that no garden-variety horse show can equal. Let me tell you, I'm astonished that those horses went into that arena at all, much less performed at the levels they did. The horses showed a willingness and a generosity of spirit that we as riders can only strive to emulate. In the end, when all the fanfare is stripped away, it's still all about the wonderful partnership that humans can have with horses. To see some partnerships crescendo in the glare of the Olympic spotlight is not a memory that will soon fade.

I feel privileged to have been in attendance. If you get the opportunity to attend an Olympic Games, I'd urge you to go. It'll be an experience you will never forget.

Dressage Medals Controversy

Jennifer — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:01:00 GMT

Olympic dressage competition joins the ranks of ice dancing with accusations of nationalism in judging. In the Grand Prix Freestyle, held last night, Germany's Isabell Werth earned a score of 78.100 percent to win the individual silver medal despite a major disobedience by her mount, Satchmo, who backed and bucked instead of piaffing at one point during their ride. It was essentially a repeat of the disobedience Satchmo showed in the Grand Prix Special test three days earlier.

The gold medalist, for a history-making third consecutive Olympics, was Anky van Grunsven of the Netherlands, paired again with her 2004 Games partner, Salinero. Their freestyle in Hong Kong earned a whopping 82.400 to secure the pair the undisputed top spot. Winning the bronze -- her first individual Olympic medal -- was Heike Kemmer of Germany, who had a lovely freestyle test aboard Bonaparte. I'd never met Kemmer before last night, but she was thrilled with her horse and their performance and struck me as someone I'd like to get to know better. If she comes to town to clinic, I'll sign up.

The controversy swirled around the failure of U.S. rider Steffen Peters on Ravel to medal. Their final average score (Special and Freestyle) was 74.150, a heartbreaking 0.305 behind Kemmer's 74.455. The crux of the grumbling was the fact that the head of the judging panel, Gotthilf Riexinger, who is German, placed Peters ninth in the freestyle while the other judges placed him second or third -- both medal positions. Riexinger defended the scoring by saying that Werth's freestyle had a higher degree of difficulty than Peters's and that, other than the disobedience, many aspects of Werth's ride were of superior quality. But if the annoyed buzzing on the shuttle buses and at the media hotel is any indication, not everyone believes Riexinger's explanation. "Steffen got robbed!" someone exclaimed this morning.

Peters, who is a gracious competitor as well as a superb horseman, isn't saying anything negative, at least in public. Werth, for her part, spoke frankly about the fact that Satchmo lost his confidence -- apparently this has been in issue in the past -- and said she'll have to work to regain it. She seemed in no way arrogant about her final placing -- happy to medal, of course; but I actually got the feeling that, had she not medaled, she would have been OK with it, despite some inevitable disappointment. She is too experienced a competitor to think that every competition will go exactly as she'd like it to.

Will anything come of this hubbub? If it does, I'll let you know.

A Golden Moment

Jennifer — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 03:21:00 GMT

I can't count the number of Olympic medal ceremonies I've watched on TV over the years. I even got to see one in person when I attended the 1996 Atlanta Games and saw Germany's Isabell Werth on Gigolo win the individual dressage gold medal over the Netherlands' Anky van Grunsven on Bonfire.

As thrilling as that experience was, last night I learned that nothing compares to hearing one's own national anthem played in person. The USA won the jumping team gold medal in a nail-biting jump-off with Canada, and when "The Star-Spangled Banner" rang out for Laura Kraut, Beezie Madden, Will Simpson, and McLain Ward and the stars and stripes were raised, it made for an unforgettable Olympic moment for this American journalist.

Olympic competition is so tightly scheduled that the medal ceremonies are finished practically before the results sink in, apparently even for some of the athletes. After last night's jump-off, the TV cameras caught Laura Kraut turning to Beezie Madden with a somebody-pinch-me-I-think-I'm-dreaming expression and saying, "Oh my God, we just won the gold medal!" The whirlwind of activity is such that it's hard to savor the moment. I hope the riders were able to do so. I know I did.

Coverage Update

Jennifer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 03:33:00 GMT

I see that a couple of blog readers have wondered about the competition schedule and how to access live coverage.

As I write this, the morning of August 16 in Hong Kong, team dressage has ended and individual competition begins tonight with the Grand Prix Special. US riders Courtney King-Dye on Mythilus and Steffen Peters on Ravel have qualified for the Special by placing 25th or better in the Grand Prix. Debbie McDonald on Brentina didn't make the cut. And yes, the mare performed very oddly but all those in the U.S. camp have insisted that Brentina is not unsound.

Individual jumping competition began last night with the first qualifier. So here's what's ahead: August 16: Dressage, Grand Prix Special August 17: Jumping, team round 1 & individual second qualifier August 18: Jumping, team round 2 and medal ceremony; individual third qualifier August 19: Dressage, Grand Prix Freestyle and individual medal ceremony August 20: rest day August 21: Jumping, individual final rounds A and B and individual medal ceremony NBCOlympics.com is streaming live coverage.

Hong Kong is twelve hours ahead of the US East Coast, so a competition that begins at 7:15 p.m. local time will be streaming at 7:15 a.m. that same day on your East Coast computer.

The Culture Club

Jennifer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:18:00 GMT

The morning's roundup of sights and observations at and around the 2008 Olympic equestrian events: The transport system.

Inter-venue shuttle buses are segregated by accreditation type, meaning that thou shalt not share a ride with an athlete or a venue worker. Environmentalists would shed more than one tear at seeing full-size motorcoaches idling empty, doors open and A/C blasting, waiting for passengers while would-be riders stand sweating, waiting for their buses -- both going to the same place. Begging, cajoling, and arguing with the security people have no effect.

The Dutch party room. A lounge in one of the official host hotels has been commandeered by the Dutch team, which has rented the space for the duration of the Games. Orange-accented posters of Dutch riders decorate the walls, thereby adding even more lurid contrast to the already over-the-top room, which is decorated with pink and purple upholstered chairs and a truly horrid carpet with hot pink and purple circles and swirls.

Out front is a large Heineken display, and I wonder what it looks like with a few (or more) beers under one's belt. Judging by the fact that the Dutch are nowhere to be found most mornings, my guess is that the effect can be pretty overwhelming. And I'm glad I'm on the twelfth floor of the hotel because the disco music kept several other journalists awake who were situated on lower floors.

When the crowds are away, the riders will play. The victorious German dressage team and its supporters gathered on the apron outside the main arena Thursday night around midnight, after the medals ceremony. There was Isabell Werth, walking over to the party with an official, still in her sweaty white breeches and show shirt. Walk inside the main building and there were the judges, grabbing a snack in the cafeteria at 12:45 a.m. The party went on until about 3:00 a.m., I'm told.

Want to cross the street? Take the "subway." Barriers prevent pedestrians in Hong Kong from crossing at street level (except for when this jogger vaulted a railing and crossed, half-expecting the police to descend). Instead, you're supposed to descend a flight of stairs (or a ramp, for cyclists) and pass through a tunnel under the street (the "subway"), coming up at the other end. The system is handy because you don't have to worry about traffic lights, but it can be tricky if you are directionally challenged, as I am. More than once I have emerged from a subway only to find myself proceeding in the opposite direction from the one I intended, thanks in part to the stairways that double back on themselves.

Interesting local cuisine. I'm reminded of the line by the comedian (I can't remember who it was) who said something along the lines of, "In China, they don't call it Chinese food; they just call it food." The nearby mega-shopping mall, New Town Plaza, has a Starbucks and a Shakey's Pizza; but the streetside establishments are just...food, many with outside floor-to-ceiling tanks housing all manner of sea creatures. Some of the dishes are relatively familiar to one who's visited lots of Chinese restaurants in the U.S., but others are quite a bit more exotic.

A daily special, spotted yesterday on a blackboard: fried spaghetti with ox tongue and tomato. Um, I think I'll pass. Ditto for the carp heads and the pigs' intestines. But my fried prawns in spicy salt were delicious and clear-your-sinuses spicy, served in heaps of panko crumbs dotted with little slices of red peppers. Shoppers' paradise. That mega-mall I mentioned? When I visited, it was thronged with visitors, some of whom lined the first-floor railing watching Olympic sports on a giant screen in the mall's huge open atrium. Equal numbers were dining in the many eateries, which range from the aforementioned Starbucks to every Asian specialty.

And then it was on to six (or was it seven?) floors of shopping, plus a movie theater. Each floor has a theme: electronics, sporting goods and apparel, cosmetics, etc. And each is staffed by young female customer-service guides attired in white newsboys' caps, white knickers, and white knee-high go-go boots.

The glasses. I don't know if contact lenses are popular here among the vision-impaired, but many young Chinese people sport glasses. The current fashion must be thick, black, narrow, rectangular "geek look" frames, for that's all I see on both guys and girls, except for a few girls who choose white frames instead of black. Not a flattering look in either color.