Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

> There is no competition in LD as far as AERC is concerned.  It's listed
> as a  training ride.  There's no finish line, there's no recognition for
> BC  (nationally), and no points awarded to placing, which means
> placement has no  point value.  No standings, regionally or nationally.
Gee, Howard, I must have hit close to home to have rated all that
invective.  I'm SO sorry--you're absolutely right that AERC does NOT have
an LD award for the rider who can blast around the loop the fastest to try
to keep up with "my gal Val" or whoever else you care to brag about
running with on a given day.

What AERC DOES offer to LDs is a national mileage competition, a regional
mileage competition, and regional BC competitions.  And if you had a
longer memory, perhaps you MIGHT have recalled that I was one of the
proponents to adding a national BC category for LD.  In addition, LD
riders get mileage patches for accrued mileage, just like endurance riders
do.

The ONLY thing that LD riders do NOT have recognized is points.  But then
the emphasis of LD is not supposed to BE about points--with good reason!

(BTW, many sports have an intro level that doesn't get points.  Ours
happens to be LD.  At that level, one enjoys one's self, one learns the
skills, one trains one's horse, etc.  And if one cares about points, one
hones one's skills sufficiently to move up to the level that DOES earn
points.)

What happened to all that poetry about how much you love to ride your
horse?  Or was that all just a bunch of soft soap to cover up some innate
feeling of inadequacy caused because AERC did not bequeath you with
"points"?

You accused AERC at one point of treating LD riders like children.  I work
with children all day long, and believe me, children (particularly some of
the emotionally mixed-up kids I work with) are VERY wrapped up in
"rewards" for what they do, because they have no adult sense of
accomplishment (or self-restraint, for that matter).  Your attitude on
this subject is making me reassess my position--if you are typical of LD
riders, then perhaps we DO need to treat LD riders like children.

Gee, Howard, I have a whole box of generic Matchbox cars and a big bag of
marbles in my Special Services room that I use to bribe very young
children to do the right thing.  "If you stay on task and get your work
done today, you can pick a car or a marble!"  If it would REALLY make you
feel better, I'd be MORE than happy to pledge one toy car or one marble
(your choice!) to you every time you can exhibit the self-restraint to
complete an LD ride on a sound horse.  If you have more marbles than the
rest of the LD guys in your region at the end of the year, then I'd be
happy to proclaim you THE WINNER and let you get a sticker from the
Special Services secretary!  (That's another real biggie for my kids...) 
I'm sure we could order some up just for you with the AERC logo on them. 
You seem to be saying that that sort of childish incentive is what LD
riders need.  In my experience, the majority of LD riders (particularly
the kids!) are far more mature than that, and already have a good sense of
what they have accomplished.

And not only that, if any of my alternative high school kids addressed
ANYONE (not just me) with the sort of invective you used in your last
post, they would LOSE all their points for the day and get a zero.  Or get
kicked out of class, if the lack of self-control was repeated.  (And my
little kids would lose their chance at a toy car...  <sigh>)  Get a grip,
Howard--leave the tantrums to the little kids.

Heidi


============================================================
One would think that logic would prevail. But then, if logic did prevail,
men would ride sidesaddle. 
~  Bob Morris

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

============================================================