Re: RC: Various thoughts/recent posts

[David LeBlanc <dleblanc@mindspring.com>]

Didn't mean to start a flame-war.  Of course, that doesn't seem to be a
hard thing to do on most of the internet...  Good thing I started out on
USENET 8 years ago and have a thick hide...

At 07:09 AM 11/4/99 PST, Nancy Mitts wrote:
>Boy this thread sure went downhill fast after the next few posts. I's like 
>to make one more stab at this 2nd class thing. What I was getting at is that 
>it is a label some people have taken onto themselves, not one that is given 
>them by the sport. 

There are distinctions in the rules between LD and 50 miles and up,
depending on where you are looking, whether it is AERC or regional.  This
distinction leads to some degree of 'real endurance rider' vs. 'not-a-real
endurance rider' business, and I think it is nonsense.

>The definition of endurance is 50 miles or more. Just 
>like bases are a certain distance apart, hoops are a certain height, & 
>marathons are 26. something miles long. 

I think the definition ought to be changed.  YMMV.  BTW, the hoops are
different heights in college and pro, but they are all 'real' basketball
players.  'Real' runners compete anywhere from 400 yards to > 26 miles, and
most runners compete in several different distances.  A standard marathon
is ~26 miles, but not all are that long.  Also, the heights of hoops have
changed over the years.  NASCAR changes the rules constantly to try and
ensure competitiveness.  College football just introduced overtime, and
baseball just instituted cross-league play recently.  All sports change
rules for a lot of reasons, and in the overall scheme of things, our's is
very young.  I think it would be good for the sport to drop the
distinction.  You (or anyone else) are free to feel otherwise.

>Legitimate sports have to set 
>defining parameters somewhere. No one would claim that 50 miles is a magic 
>number that is so much harder that 49, or 45, whatever. Accept it as an 
>arbitrary cutoff if you will. 

It is arbitrary, but I'm not going to accept it.  I think it is wrong, bad
for the sport, and ought to be changed.  Maybe one day it will get changed.

>Limited distance rides are held in conjunction 
>w/endurance rides as an opportunity for people to participate & learn what 
>endurance is about. 

I think it is much more than an opportunity to learn - most rides I've been
to have had as many people (or more) doing 25's as there were 50's.  Many
of these people only do 25's.  I think these people are just as much a part
of the sport as anyone else, and that it should be more inclusive.  Again,
you don't have to agree, and I'm going to (try to) drop this thread after
this - don't have time for religeous debates where we don't get anywhere.

>Yes, you can learn so much, maybe more by watching & 
>helping at your first ride. But folks you enjoy sports like endurance are 
>pretty much hands on people, not spectators. They'd really rather jump in & 
>try.

Sure they would - just put that out there, since I had the experience of
begging for a horse to ride, ending up crewing, and I thought it was one of
the most valuable experiences I've had so far.  It was actually the 4th
ride I'd gone to, and after I'd ridden in 2.  Specifically, if you can get
set up next to the vet check, you can learn a lot.  Maybe someone will read
this and do it and also find it valuable.  Maybe not.  I tried.  Your
original question was along the lines of "why don't people listen to people
with experience, and burn up their horses?"  I think if more people did
what I did, they'd be less likely to burn up their horses.

>Can you believe it is meant to ENCOURAGE people, NOT 
>denigrate them?

I can believe that's how it started out, and from most accounts, that's the
way it went.

>Headed to the Southeast, REALLY hope I haven't pissed you people off! ;>

Nah - I'm much thicker-skinned than that.  I don't agree with you about
everything, but that's pretty normal 8-)

David again...

David LeBlanc
dleblanc@mindspring.com


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