Everything You Need To Know About International Selection
and More...
By: Tony Benedetti, Selector's Chairman
You've heard all the stories about Holland and you know that
Valerie Kanavy is the reigning World Champion. Every time you
see the video of Valerie and Cash galloping through the streets
of Den Haag your eyes well up with tears ofjoy as you watch
an American win the gold medal. You know that Marcia Smith
outsprinted Chris Knoch at the finish line in Flagstaff, Arizona
to become the 1995 North American Champion. You think you know
enough about International competition and now you've made a
decision. No more watching videos or reading about selection,
nominees, or race results in the Endurance News. You have a
goal. You want to represent your zone at the 1997 North American
Championship in Bend, Oregon, or maybe even sooner than that, you
want to represent the USA at the 1996 World Championship in
Kansas. Now what do you do?
The next World Championship for endurance will be held in
Junction City Kansas on September 21, 1996.
Mark your calendars because we want you! We need you there
either as a rider, if you have the honor of being selected, or as
a member of the support team for the United States.
HOW TO GET STARTED
First, you must nominate. Request a nomination packet from USET,
Gladstone, NJ 07934, phone (908) 234-1251. Nominations open
January 1, 1996 and close March 5, 1996. Your nomination must be
received by USET postmarked no later than March 5, 1996. This is
the NOMINATION PERIOD.
QUALIFICATIONS?
Nominating is simple. Meeting the minimum qualifications takes a
little work. The required qualifications are included in the
nomination packet but here are the most basic ones:
The horse must have completed a minimum of 750 lifetime miles
including at least two 100 mile in one day rides.
The rider must have completed a minimum of 750 lifetime miles
including at least two 100 mile in one day rides.
The horse and rider must have completed at least 200 miles
together of which 100 miles must have been a 100 mile in one day
ride.
SELECTION OF THE LONG LIST
So you've decided to nominate. You've filled out the nomination
form, joined the organizations that need joining, met your
qualifications, and sent in your nomination. Now what? USET
sends this information to the five Selectors (one from each
International zone) and the Selector's Chairman. They analyze
this information, possibly gather additional information, and
have a conference call to discuss all of the nominees (AT&T
loves us!). After discussing the nominees, the selectors vote
and choose the LONG LIST by April 1st. This list will consist of
36 horse and rider combinations that will be observed during the
EVALUATION PERIOD. These are the only nominees that will be
eligible to be selected to the Squad that will represent the USA
at the World Championship.
Now that you understand how the cut to the LONG LIST is made, do
you want to know what the Selectors consider when choosing the
LONG LIST? The Selectors utilize the information from the
nomination forms and their first hand knowledge of each
individual nominee to make decisions. Each Selector has a good
knowledge of the nominees from their individual zones from the
previous year's zone selection process and a basic knowledge of
the top horses from around the country. A simple way of rating
horses from other parts of the country is to analyze
how well they fared against horses you know well (usually horses
from your zone) in either head to head competition or against
common competitors. This analysis works well utilizing
competitions such as the Race of Champions, the North
American Championship, or other rides of this caliber.
The selection of the LONG LIST is not just based on the horses
with the best records because consideration has to be given to
whether a horse is on the downhill side of its career or whether
it is an up and coming competitor. Remember, every nominated
horse must have met minimum qualifications which means every
nominated horse has some sort of record.
The Evaluation Period and What the Selectors Evaluate...
Now that the LONG LIST has been selected, what's next? The
period from April 1st to August 12th is the EVALUATION PERIOD.
This is the period when each horse/rider combination has the
opportunity to show that they are capable and prepared to compete
at the highest level of competition. Each LONG LISTED rider
will be observed by a Selector or a qualified representative of
the Selector at every competition in which a LONG LISTED rider
competes. LONG LISTED riders are to submit a ride schedule with
their nomination packet. The Selectors will use the submitted
ride schedule to keep track of which rides a LONG LISTED rider
plans to attend. This ride schedule can be changed during the
EVALUATION PERIOD as long as notification is given to the
Selector's Chairman. The Selectors use the information gathered
at each ride to analyze if a horse is fit, sound, and if it
is peaking for the World Championship. Consideration is given to
the fact that some horses begin a season slowly and peak late,
some horse compete at a high level all season long, and some
horses will fade as the season progresses.
Soundness is probably the single most important consideration and
must be monitored closely during the EVALUATION PERIOD. The
Selectors use the information gathered during the EVALUATION
PERIOD to select the Squad.
Now that you have a basic understanding of the mechanics of
selection, you want to know EXACTLY what you have to do to be
selected? That's a question without a black and white answer.
This is a subjective process in which the Selector's job
is to select the fastest, soundest horses with the highest
probability of winning a medal. There is no mathematical formula
or scorecard that answers this question during the selection
process. Selection can only be based on horse sense.
The Selectors must consider everything from how sound a horse has
been to how well it can travel. Selectors must decide if the
horse that has been there and done that is still capable of
performing at that level, or if the horse and rider that has
been winning the local rides can compete with the big boys in the
top competitions.
Selectors are always concerned that nominees will feel that they
must win a certain race or beat a particular competitor.
Nominees must realize that all factors are considered. This has
become more apparent as the selection process has evolved. A
line from the Selection Procedures sums this up. The Selectors
will recognize and take into account each nominee's performance
during the EVALUATION PERIOD in relation to the nominee's goal of
delivering a peak performance at the World Championship. The
Selectors have differing performance expectations for each
horse/rider combination during the EVALUATION PERIOD based on
each Long Listed rider's past performance.
I have comprised a short list of considerations which is in no
way inclusive nor in any particular order, although the first
consideration listed is the most important:
Is this horse unquestionably sound?
Is this horse peaking for the championship?
Have this horse and rider been competitive at the top
competitions?
Have this horse and rider demonstrated the ability to travel out
of their own region and compete successfully?
Is this a competitive horse and rider team? Do they always win,
place in the top five, top ten, or just finish?
I like to use the mythical horse scenario when people ask me what
Selectors look for when evaluating nominated horses. I tell them
that there is one horse that would always be selected. It is the
horse that wins every ride in which it competes, always wins best
condition, is never lame and has never been pulled. The problem
is that this horse does not exist. Therefore, Selectors want to
select the horse that comes as close as possible to matching this
mythical horse. The problem is deciding whether a horse that
wins half of its rides but gets pulled 20% of the time
is closer to the mythical horse than the horse that is always in
the top 5 and only gets pulled 5% of the time. Selection comes
down to the best judgment of the selectors working together to
try to select the fastest, soundest horses with the highest
probability of winning a medal.
Selection is a reality check for nominees. The selection process
is great if you are one fortunate enough to be selected. If you
are not selected, feel proud that you were considered to
represent the United States in the World Championship.
Common sense tells you some nominees WILL NOT BE SELECTED. This
is just reality and those not selected must show good
sportsmanship and continue to be supportive of the process and
the United States effort. The selectors will do their best to
select a Squad that can win medals in a CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT for
the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. This is not a popularity contest.
WHAT IS A DEMONSTRATION RIDE?
There is a common misconception that a nominee must win or at
least do very well in a demonstration ride to be selected. A
DEMONSTRATION RIDE is only a MINIMUM requirement which requires
that a LONG LISTED rider complete a 100 mile in one day ride
carrying the minimum weight per FEI rules of 165 pounds. This
DEMONSTRATION RIDE is to be completed between April 1, 1996 and
July 22, 1996. The purpose of the DEMONSTRATION RIDE is for each
LONG LISTED rider to demonstrate that their horse is still fit
and sound enough to complete a 100 mile in one day ride and that
they can compete successfully at weight. LONG LISTED riders will
be evaluated based on every ride in which they compete during the
EVALUATION PERIOD. The DEMONSTRATION RIDE is the only ride that
LONG LISTED rider must complete during the EVALUATION PERIOD in
order to be considered for the ENTRY LIST.
SELECTION OF THE ENTRY LIST ...
The ENTRY LIST will be selected on August 12, 1996. The ENTRY
LIST is comprised of the Squad of 12 horse/rider combinations who
will compete for the USA in the World Championship and the 12
horse/rider combinations who will be the alternates. An
alternate is added to the Squad if one of the original Squad
members cannot compete. The ENTRY LIST is turned over to the
Chef d'Equipe (Mike Tomlinson) who is then responsible for
organizing the Squad, travel arrangements, and the competition
itself.
STRESS, PRESSURE?
I won't kid you, there is a lot of pressure during the selection
process and you just have to deal with it. You get stressed
because you dream of representing the United States in the World
Championship for Endurance. You and 50 other nominees or 35
other Long Listed Riders all share that dream. You will have to
make decisions that effect your chances of being selected. These
include which rides you enter and at what pace you will ride. The
Selector's job is to evaluate your performance against the other
nominees based on the decisions you made. Be prepared for the
stress and pressure and the possibility of disappointment
because it is part of the process. Conversely, when you find
out you've been selected, you probably won't be able to sleep for
a few nights.
IMPORTANT DATES
December 1, 1995 Nomination packets can be requested from
USET
January 1, 1996 Nomination Period opens
March 5, 1996 Nominations Period closes; nominations must
be post marked by this date.
April 1, 1996 Selection of the Long List
April 1, 1996 to August 12, 1996
Evaluation Period
April 1, 1996 to July 22, 1996
Period to Complete your Demonstration Ride
August 12, 1996 Selection of the Entry List
September 21, 1996 1996 World Championship in
Junction City Kansas. Be There!
QUESTIONS?
If you are interested in nominating but have some questions,
please call me. My job as Selection Chairman is to answer your
questions before and during selection. My phone number is (707)
538-8865. E-Mail Address is: TBen425@aol.com
E-mail from: R. K. and L. D. Stewart, 06-Dec-1995