Qué piensa Kim?: Argentine show jumping team, let's be realistic

Opinion

published by the Buenos Aires Herald Saturday, September 27, 2014

Argentine show jumping team, let’s be realistic

By Kim Mandel
Herald staff

No athlete competes thinking that he can’t win, that he has already lost. While some have better chances of winning, there are others who are trying to improve so they can do better in the future.

These comments are with regard to the performance of the Argentine show jumping team at the recent World Equestrian Games (WEG) in France, and the criticism it has received. First, it should be noted that the Argentine Equestrian Federation hired an experienced European coach, Dutchman Bert Romp, to train riders and their mounts, an important and welcome initiative. Also the three-month-long preparatory tour before the WEG, requiring a great deal of effort by all involved, was a positive step. None of this could have happened without the essential support of the Argentine Olympic Committee (COA) and the National Entity for Sport High Performance (ENARD).

Now let’s analyze the reasons for the results as well as taking a look toward the future. Team riders in general gave a good account of themselves in the tour prior to the World Championship, fostering hopes of a respectable performance.

What happened at the WEG? At a World Championship, except for the first class, all the competitions are 1.60m courses. Argentina hasn’t held 1.60m classes for many years, preventing riders and horses from acquiring experience over that height. Argentine riders, who are good, compete with a handicap as their horses aren’t experienced at that level.

At the same time, Olympic and World Championship horses are extremely valuable, worth several million euros. A simple matter of supply and demand. All sports progress over time and show jumping is not the exception. It has become exceedingly expensive, making it difficult to compete at high performance levels.

Also unexpected things happen in sports. For example, José María Larocca’s horse jumped the side of an obstacle and didn’t pass through the flags on the jump, resulting in elimination. Brazilian rider Álvaro “Doda” de Miranda Neto, four Olympic Games, two Olympic medals and top competitor on the international grand prix circuit, had exactly the same thing happen to him at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004.

French rider Penelope Leprevost, member of the silver medal team at the WEG and currently ninth in the Longines World Ranking, was in seventh place in the semifinals with a decent chance of making the finals. But her mare Flora de Mariposa tripped over the water jump and the rider fell, an automatic elimination.

Alejandro Madorno fell and was eliminated when Milano de Fiore refused at a liverpool (water tray under the fence). Owner Eduardo Rosemberg explained there were last minute equipment changes made by the coach (shorter spurs and a band to protect the horse’s sides from being nicked because of a campaign in Europe against long spurs) and these led to the misstep.

Thus on the first day, the team was decimated. The other team members, Martín Dopazo had knockdowns and didn't jump the second competition while Alexis Trosch withdrew on the second day.

Now, the query: should they have gone to the WEG? In response, one should ask oneself, should the Pumas not play against South Africa, Australia or New Zealand because they haven’t won a rugby match up to now?* The Argentine national basketball team is no longer the Golden Generation, but should they cease playing internationally?

It is essential for an athlete to compete against top rivals in order to improve.

Let’s be realistic and not just measure success by results. It is practically impossible to “pull a rabbit out of the hat”, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop competing against the best. The only way to improve is by continuing to compete abroad. Continuity is essential for future success.

Staying at home is not an option if an athlete wants to play in the big leagues, no matter what the sport is.

Editor´s Note: The Pumas beat the Wallabies (Australia) 21-17 in Mendoza on October 5th.

Reflections: Another viewpoint on this subject. U.S. national team soccer coach Jurgen Klinsmann, known for saying what he thinks, even if it´s not politically correct, recently drew strong criticism when he contended that American stars Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey, need to play in Europe and not in the States if they want to be on a par with world class players. Another example of the need to compete against the best to in order develop and improve, no matter the sport.