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2009 Pan American Championship
Images by Steph Teeter
2009 Pan American Championship
Images by Steph Teeter
2009 Pan American Championship
Images by Steph Teeter
Home || Starters List || Official Website || Final Results
Stories: Got Here Just in Time - Steph || Arrival in Uruguay - Dinah Rojek || Day Before the Race - Kathy Brunjes || Hola!! Kyle Gibbon
Vet In Day - Steph || Thursday Morning - Kathy Brunjes || Thursday Afternoon - Kathy Brunjes || On Loop 3 - Steph
Friday Night - Kathy || The Day After - Kathy|| Heading Home - Dinah || Pan Am Departure - Kyle
2 Medallas de oro para la Argentina - Claudia Quentin
Steph's Story:
Part 1, The Venue
Part 2, Team Effort - Uruguay and Argentina
Part 3, Team Effort - USA
Part 4, Team Effort - Guatemala and Malaysia
Images of the Event:
Vetting In ||
The Road ||
The Beach ||
The Camp ||
The Camp - more ||
The Finish ||
Awards Celebration ||
Team USA
Vet In Day
The day is over now, horses are vetted in, riders, crews, officials - all of the people who make these events - are pretty much ready for tomorrow. The OC is still printing and updating and answering questions and trying to keep smiling as the tasks keep piling up - the details, the fires to fight... all the STUFF that goes hand in hand with hosting an major FEI Endurance Championship. All in all spirits are high. The weather is absolutely perfect - warm but not too hot, some sunshine, and a nice breeze to go with it. The smell of the beach and sandy forest trees - eucalyptus, pines - a little touch of fall in the air.The riders will take their horses along the beach for almost a quarter of the total mileage of theevent, along the firm sand at the water's edge. Trails also go through forests and along dirt roads, and some grassy road way. The footing is excellent, and there are modulating elevation changes, nothing extreme. It will probably be a fast course. The daytime temperatures will determine the speed ultimately along with the skill and strategy of the riders. This championship is being run over 120km. The starting time is 7AM, the total hold time is 1:20, so the first finishers could easily finish in the early afternoon.
The venue here is lovely. Nothing overly ostentatious, a nice 'local' feel to the area. Horses are stabled in wooden barns, pastured in electric-wire paddocks. Grooms and riders have easy access to trails and facilities. It's pleasant and definitely Uruguay. Smoke from the asados (south american style barbeques) wafts on the evening air - gauchos mingling with foreign riders, cups of matte, bottles of sports drinks, glasses of cervesa - a general feel of hospitality and relaxation.
In the Pan American Championship there are riders from Argentina (6), Brazil (6), Columbia (1), Chile, (3), Guatemala (6), USA (4) and Uruguay (12). Teams will be comprised of 4 riders, the rest will ride as individuals. Also riding in the Senior Open Division are riders from Belgium, Great Britain and Malaysia.
In the Young Rider division of the Pan American Championship are riders from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala and Urugay. There is one rider in the Open Young Rider Championship from Spain.
I took several photos today, though I arrived just after the veterinary inspection - I'll try to get them posted tonight... but with just a few cat-naps since I left Idaho 40 hours again, I might not last too much longer. we'll see!
hasta manana,
Steph