One thing you can be sure of is that, especially going into Olympic and World Championship years, the building of our teams, be they for any sports, is always a big issue for competitors, sponsors, and pretty much anyone else with an opinion. And with horses it’s more than easy to understand why. It’s not just that everyone concerned with a particular horse/rider combination knows just how difficult and full of hardships the extremely long road up to that point has been; it is also that we all know that from the many people across the country trying out, only 4 lucky contenders will ultimately receive the privilege of representing the U.S.A. at the games. (actually only 3 at Olympics as of now!)
So the question is: Is it fair to allow someone who has represented another country internationally to become a U.S. citizen and, if selected, be placed on our team?
First let me say that there are both International Olympic Committee and Federation Equestre International rules pertaining to athletes who request to change their nationality and represent their new homeland on teams. Naturally, one must first become a legal citizen of this new country which, as anyone who has done can tell you, is a long and cumbersome process. This is why so many times new citizens seem more “American” in their patriotic and proud attitudes toward their new homeland then do many naturally born residents. I can tell you for sure that nobody is more “American” than my friends and old teammates, Guenter, Steffen, and Christine. I love it!
But, back to the rules. In order for someone to change countries once they have represented them at major Games, CDIO’s (in Dressage), or World Cups, their National Federations must “release them” which allows them to request to be taken on by the country they hope to ride for. If the new country accepts them and they are qualified, they normally must still wait at least two years from the date from which they last competed at any of those international events I mentioned above. However, the FEI, citing extraordinary circumstances, does have the right to grant a waiver to the two year rule. This is the same with all sports as far as I know within the Olympic family. As a matter of fact, every Olympic year one can read about athletes who receive citizenship for a particular country and almost imediatley are named onto the team from their new homeland.
Now, I understand why you might say it doesn’t seem fare to all those athletes who have worked so long to try to make one of those very few team spots, not to mention the owners and sponsors of our ridiculously expensive partners, the horses. After all the money, time, training, energy and emotion extended to get so close, how could someone come in and seemingly steal their spot?
So here’s the thing. Making a team is just not easy no matter where one comes from, or even how much of a “shoe in” everyone thinks they are going to be, even in the case of top riders from other countries. I remember back to one year when a top Olympic medalist tried to make our team, shortly after changing citizenship. It didn’t go her way that year, which has nothing to do with her capabilities, for she was absolutely fantastic! Just not the right moment for her that time. Making the team is unbelievably stressful and the best, most prepared, and hopefully talented ones will usually rise to the top. I also remember when Jane Clark bought me the great Kennedy to ride, and many people wrote in to websites that they thought it was wrong and unfair that she and I could ” buy” our way onto the team. Two things occur to me when I think about that time. First, anyone thinking that Turbo (Kennedy) was a piece of cake should have taken one ride on him and they would probably never have made that mistake again. He wasn’t called Turbo for nothin! Secondly, I recall that many of the very people critical of Jane and me when we got the horse, became our best friends when it was clear he would help bring back medals to the U.S.A.
At the end of the day, it depends on your perspective as to how you feel about this issue. While I understand the frustration of riders and owners who feel they have gone through the whole process correctly, only to be either “out horsed or out ridden” at the last minute by a “ringer”, I also know that, put in the position of trying to build the best possible team for one’s country, I would want to avail myself of every top rider and horse which, under the rules and regulations, I could use to ensure our team came home with those all elusive medals hanging from around their necks.
Let me hear how you all feel about it.
Cheers!
RD
