Maggie's article

[Susan Evans Garlinghouse <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

For those that haven't gotten this month's EN yet, below is Maggy's
article that mentions Ride Camp.  I admit that the first time I read the
article, I felt a little stung, but I'm willing to believe that Maggie's
real intent was only to applaud and ask for the wisdom of the the
pioneers who don't happen to be online (and also for the benefit of
readers who aren't online), not dismiss those of us on ride camp.  Maybe
it could have been worded a little differently, but Maggy posts here
fairly often too, so I would think that if she truly thought we were all
a bunch of yahoos, she wouldn't waste her time here at all, eh?  And
even if she does, what of it?  Heck, I've been called worse....recently!
:-D

And for what it's worth, I get private posts on a VERY regular basis
from endurance riders that definitely fit into the "pioneer" category
asking for clarification on something I've said, or asking for specific
help, or "can I pass this on to a friend" or whatever.  I'm very sure
I'm not the only one getting these private posts---there are ALOT of
lurkers out there and just because they're not posting publicly doesn't
mean they're not out there and don't value this forum---so although I'm
sure this wasn't Maggie's intent, if she does mean to dismiss all us
yammering fools, well...no skin off my nose.  But I really don't think
she meant it that way.  Just my opinion, of course.

Anyway, for you guys back East, here it is:

BEEN THERE! DONE THAT!  by Maggie Price

It was at the Far Out Forest 100 in Florida this past February that I
approached Dane Frazier about the idea I have for a series of articles
for EN.

There's no doubt that my daily foray into the computer world of RideCamp
has been the inspiration to see that this series gets ridden.  Although
there's a world of useful information therein, I am interested to see
how many of the opinions are expressed by riders who are new to the
world of endurance, who want to change the rules to fit individual
levels, who want loopholes so that everybody has a chance to finish, or
who spend far more time on their computers than they do in the saddle!!!

As current chairman of the competitions committee, I will certainly find
many of these "new" ideas thrown at us for approval. "We need to make
the sport GROW!"  Certainly this is true, but will the changes benefit
us, or will they change the basic concept of the sport?  Our motto is TO
FINISH IS TO WIN.  The very words connote that just finishing is an
accomplishment to be cherished.  I don't see any _guarentee_ in any of
our rules or bylaws that everybody will reach that goal.

And to point out what I am saying, I am asking a group of AERC riders to
"tell it like it is".  These folks are ALL over 60, many of them have
been inducted into the HALL OF FAME, some of them ride internationally
and have won both team and individual medals, some have enviable wins in
MAJOR rides.  Added together, their mileage totals into the _hundreds_
of thousands!!

Furthermore, I rarely see their opinions on our e-mail network.  WHY? 
Because every single one of them is too busy out DOING IT!!  AND they're
still going strong!!

What do these folks feel about endurance today?  What do they see in its
future?  Do they think the rules should be changed to accomodate unfit
horses, unfit riders, or riders who are over 80, 70, 60 years old?

I'm asking each in his article or interview to give you his opinions
about any phase of our sport---and also to tell you some of the history
behind his own involvement in endurance.

I think all of our readers will find this series interesting and
informative.  Perhaps you'll be lucky enough that at least one of them
will share with you his map to the Fountain of Youth.

BEEN THERE! DONE THAT! will make its debut in the July issue of
Endurance News.

But then, I read the article again, and I guess I don't have all that
much problem with it, although maybe it could have been worded a little
differently.  I think there are two lines that are potentially a little
disturbing;
"Although there's a world of useful information therein, I am interested
to see how many of the opinions are expressed by riders who are new to
the world of endurance, who want to change the rules to fit individual
levels, who want loopholes so that everyone has a chance to finish