RE: RE: Worlds Most Preferred--Really?

["Kathy Mayeda" <kathy_mayeda@atce.com>]

Okay, Bob - I deleted your private post part but I feel like venting
to the public now!  Ridecamp - don't worry.  Bob was gentlemanly in
his opinion....

Okay, I'm probably not as informed as you are, but maybe I have a viewpoint
that is less biased because I am looking at it from the outside.  You have
a personal grudge to bear against the UAE's "buying" competition.  I think
that Brazil also "buys" their competition, too.  We must have something
that they want to "buy" because they keep on wanting to "buy" it.  They are
looking to the USA for our endurance expertise, and if we are falling flat
on
our face then we have no one else to blame but ourselves if we don't keep
pace with the world competition.  If we do not compete on the World platform
we will fall behind (and our riders won't get all those great vacations
anymore!)

On the other hand, we need to have them come over and spend their
money here in the States, too, where we have our own home field advantage.
I'm not saying UAE buying the championships, I am thinking individuals
coming to compete.  (The Championship issue I am not informed, therefore
I will wait to see what plays out before I stick my foot in my mouth.)

If we don't FEI sanction our rides like we are starting to, there will
be less incentive for foreign competitors to come to the US to compete
where we have our own home field advantage.  So what do we do?  We could
just play in our own backyards forever and thrilling at our local Top 10,
which people will continue to do no matter what FEI does.  But there
is no place for those who want to go on to compete internationally to
compete, no place to practice competing internationally, and then we
find out that we are NOT able to compete internationally with our
own home grown sport.  Pretty sad.

I have no doubt that things aren't as cozy as they were years ago, but
that's the same in all areas of our lives now.  We shouldn't stick our
heads in the sand and wistfully wish that we can turn back the clock.

Kathy