39 members had a lovely
trip to WEG and congratulations to the GB team of
Laura Bechtolsheimer (Douglas Dorsey)
Wayne Channon (Lorenzo)
Emma Hindle (Lancet)
Sandy Phillips (Lara)
on finishing in 6th place and qualifying for the Special. |
AACHEN 2006 WORLD EQUESTRIAN
GAMES
A TRIUMPH OF TEAMWORK |
Report by Gwilym Owen |
Judy and I were looking forward to joining the
BDSC trip to Aachen, renewing friendships formed on earlier trips
and making new friends. Judy breaking her arm (horses, of course)
interrupted our preparations but, knowing how good the BDSC trips
are, we did not consider cancelling for more than a few minutes.
Monday morning and 17 of us meet at Lorries’ home at about
5:30 am. Road reports said the M25 was shut clockwise between the
Dartford crossing and us. We were due to leave at 6am to arrive
in Dover at 8am meeting up with the rest of the party and catching
the ferry. Chris, the coach driver, was delayed by another accident
on the M11. Using his local knowledge Chris missed the M25 delays
and we were entering Dover at 8am when Lorries’ phone rang
with one of the 17 in the Dover group wondering where we were.
35 of us arrived at the Hotel Riche in Valkenburg in pouring rain.
The luggage was unloaded into the reception area, rather than people
having to wait in the rain, while the hotel staff registered their
new guests. Breakfast each morning is normally served at 7:15am
but we were due to leave at 7am next day in order to watch the
start of the dressage competition. Lorrie worked her magic on the
hotel staff and they agreed to serve full breakfast, including
bacon and scrambled eggs, from 6am.
The 4 members of the party coming from Scotland were not so lucky
with their travelling arrangement, being delayed in Schipol for
8 hours and at least one set of baggage going missing.
Tuesday saw us arrive at the showground in time for the start of
the competition. This is not the place for, and I am not qualified
to deliver, a report on the tests: but the team done good. In addition
to the dressage there was retail therapy and a wide variety of
food and drink to enjoy. Poor Chris had a problem parking the coach
because the long-term coach park he normally used was occupied
by a fun fair; so he, and other coach drivers, had to use 2 hour
parking bays and keep the coach moving.
Wednesday was a more civilised start and we did not need the hotel
staff to start early. The bacon again got many good comments and
people were beginning to understand the coffee machine. The dressage
team continued to perform well with all 4 qualifying for the GP
Special.
The journey back saw Lorrie trying to balance the wishes of various
groups in the party for the next day. Some wanted to watch all
of the eventing dressage, some wanted to arrive later and watch
some dressage and enjoy the facilities at the showground whilst
others wanted to go into Aachen to explore the city. By the end
of the 30-minute journey Lorrie, with Penny’s help, had identified
the key milestones during the day allowing each of the 39 to enjoy
their preferred combination of activities and still arrive at the
hotel together at the end of the day.
Thursday itself started with another problem for Lorrie when one
of the party had lost their ticket. However she resolved that problem
and everyone enjoyed the combination of activities available to
them.
Friday and we set off for the GP Special. The cream of world dressage
was there and the event climaxed with the Fabulous Five. What a
way to end a competition, so good, so close and with so many up
and coming horses and riders. The cream on top for us was that
Emma qualified for the Kur.
More conflicting demands, some wanted to see all of the cross country
whilst others preferred a more leisurely start in view of the midnight
finish for the Kur. Again Lorrie managed to accommodate everyone,
with Chris’s co-operation. Before the start of the Kur we
attended an evening reception celebrating the dressage team’s
success in achieving at least 2 ‘firsts’, 4 qualifiers
for the GP Special and a qualifier for the Kur. This was organised
by Desi Dillingham of British Dressage to meet the riders and their
support team.
Wonderful performances in the Kur culminating in a win for Anky.
Sunday and a leisurely start for most of us, including church services
for some. However 2 or 3 did get up early and caught a taxi to
the showground to watch the ‘trot up’. The eventing
show jumping was very exciting, culminating in a Silver for the
British team and an individual Gold for Zara Phillips. Lorrie persuaded
the hotel to extend the opening hours of their brasserie and we
all enjoyed a meal to celebrate the trip.
Team work is important in achieving success in most walks of life,
but it requires someone special to lead the team to success. Lorrie
is that special person when it comes to these trips. Her first
trip was to the WEG in Rome, this was her tenth BDSC trip, and
she is already planning next years trip to Turin. She has the patience
of a saint, the persistence of a Rottweiler and the planning skills
of Hannibal. She is ably supported by Penny and the rest of the
BDSC committee. Everyone who enjoys these trips owes them a great
vote of thanks.
Roll on Turin 2007. |
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