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[RC] Malaysia YDSM-Penn Endurance Challenge - Stephanie TeeterI'm back in Malaysia - this time for a new ride, co-sponsored by YDSM (Royal Foundation of the Sultan of Terengganu) and PENN Endurance - one of the Endurance clubs. This ride is being held at the Endurance Park in Terengganu, one of a series of rides for 2007 held at the location of the 2008 WEC. Another test ride of sorts. The OC is trying to work the bugs out and be ready for a perfect demo ride in November. They've hired an event organizer - Azrin Zuhdi - a previously London based woman with education and career experience in banking - business/management/administration - who decided to give up the high pay banking life and come back to Malaysia - and follow her passions - horses and gourmet cooking! So she worked her way up as an event management professional. Last year she was show coordinator for the 2006 World Cup Jumping competition in Kuala Lumpur. The WEC OC hired her this winter to coordinate the WEC, and she's on a fast learning curve! She's sharp and focused, and will really help pull this event together. The OC is also running a trial at this ride for a timing system. They brought over a team from Abu Dhabi that developed a timing system for Al Wathba and Bou Thib stables using the swipe card method. (plastic card with bar coding that identifies the rider, and records time as the card is swiped through a machine). The group seems well organized and has managed to round up all of the various bits and pieces of hardware needed to run the system. The ride is small, I think there are only 15 or so doing the 160km, maybe 50 in the 80km, and about that many in the 40km and 26km rides. Several of the riders who had planned on doing the 160km as a qualifying ride have backed off - waiting to see what the final ruling from FEI will be on the special qualifications being imposed for the Malaysia WEC. People here are frustrated with the new qualification and even more frustrated with the lack of communication from the FEI. The change in qualifications came pretty much out of the blue, and though there seems to be indication that the decision is not final, there is no timeline for making a final decision, and no formal requests from Federations for response and feedback. Even though the FEI press release states that the new qualifications were being proposed, and that feed back from Federations was being accepted, the letter that was sent to the Federations gave no indication of this. It was more of a statement of fact than a request for feedback. So the atmosphere here is a little tense, a little worried and wondering... I haven't found a good internet connection (am on the hotel computer now) so don't know if I'll be able to send reports out, but I'll try. I have some photos ready to go - we'll see... the 160km starts tomorrow (Saturday) early evening (it's Friday night now). later - Steph =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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