Re: past Champions

["Barbara McCrary" <bigcreekranch@cruzio.com>]

At the time we changed to the one day, one race system we have now, many
riders felt we SHOULD choose the champion based on a one-day, head-to-head
race.  But I have observed that very few seem to remember who last year's
champions were, and don't even care.  It's sad, really.  Riders felt the
"trailer race" wasn't fair, and now they aren't happy with the present
system.  I can't imagine what other options are available to show who is
"the champion".

It seems that having a horse/rider team do well, ride after ride, is more
what we're looking for than a one-day win.  After all, this is supposed to
be what endurance is all about.  I know what prompted the change to our
present system, and that was having one rider who rode slowly in MANY rides
win National Champion, and that upset some.  They figured there should be
some speed involved and that finishing last in more rides wasn't the way to
do it.  But when one thinks about it, that IS endurance, because that
horse/rider team endured....over and over again.  It's just that some felt
it wasn't "fair" because one rider could afford, in both time and money, to
do so many rides.  Also, riders in regions other than the west, which is
generally blessed with about 9 months of competition weather, felt that the
western riders had an unfair advantage.  Well, as someone recently posted,
"life isn't fair; get over it."  Maybe that's what life is all about.  Life
is what you make of it; it doesn't come with any guarantees of happiness,
success, or fairness.

Barbara McCrary
West region director
Chair-Rules Committee

----- Original Message -----
From: <guest@endurance.net>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2002 12:14 PM
Subject: RC: past Champions


> Sue Nance snance2002@yahoo.com
> I think they were just starting weight divisions then or close to that
> time (1980's) Still there was one champion in the Jr division and Sr.
> Division regardlesas of the weights. I knew the complaints back then were
> that the championship was a "trailer" race. The other complaint was that
> you had to be either a featherwight or lightweight to be able to win the
> championship. Looking back at those champions I would say not. They
> competed all year long consistently and were either winning or in the top
> ten, and these horses were coming back year after year to compete. I can't
> give you stats on every horse, but I feel comfortable in saying this. I
> agreed with the system then, the best horse/rider team was named champion.
> People set a goal and went for it. Having been in flat track racing, the
> race goes to the horse that is on his "A" day. Doesn't neccessarily mean
> they are the best of the best overall. They were the best that day. JMHO
>
>
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