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Re: [RC] Weight - heidiAs usual, Julie has put it all in a nutshell. I'll second Barbara's "take" on this, other than I really don't care if there are weight divisions, or what they are--I simply feel that if we are to have them, the national champion(s) should still be determined by the overall points, and that the overall placings should be given in addition to the weight division placings. This is about recognition, not about "stuff"--it need not be a separate award, just something that acknowledges the accomplishment. In other words, let's say I'm the 3rd HW in the nation, and I'm 9th overall--the award could be one thing (jacket, plaque, whatever) that says both of those things, to avoid the expense of duplication. But somebody earns the most points of anybody--and that somebody deserves the credit for doing so and the respect of a champion. Heidi The whole weight issue really makes no sense at all when it is permissible to get off and run with your horse and he is only carrying the weight of the saddle. It just seems as though everybody should go into a ride with whatever liabilities or assets they personally have and if they find the sport unfulfillng because they do not excel, find another sport. If they can get off and run â??great. If they can'tâ??too bad. And if they "can't," go find some way to compensate. It has also been proved repeatedly that the heavy weight riders can win over the lightweights. They just make up for it in other waysâ??by being better riders, by finding the right horse, by paying more attention to training. To me, the greatest asset you can have if you want to do well, far more important than weight, is to be riding a trail that your horse knows. Just look at the Tevis Cup and Haggin Cup winners and you will see that the odds of winning are enhanced greatly if you live on or near that trail. Your horse is always going home. And if you are a veterinarian, your odds are even greater. As the system is now, we have so many national champions that we can't remember any of them. If my life depended on it, I could not tell you who even one of our multiple national champions for 2003 is. And that is a shame. I do not mean this with any disrespect to them. Each of them went as high as they could go in the category open to them. Before weight divisions we had one National Champion and we all knew who that was and I can still name most of them. We have diluted the program so that now the term National Champion has no real meaning. The attendance at the recent National Champion 50 and 100 mile rides in Southern California proves that m ost people have lost interest in the present setup. So maybe it is time for a change. At least reducing it to two weight categories would help some and give the title National Champion more meaning. But ideally, in my eyes, a national champion is one person only. Julie Suhr =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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