I was lucky to be able to see the last round of the Individual Jumping competition, as well as the Jump-off for the Silver and Bronze. I had hoped that Nick Skelton would make a clear ride, so there would be a jump-off for the Gold, but his mount ticked the front, top rail of the final oxer - and Nick ended up out of the medals. The Gold was won by Steve Guerdat - the first Swiss rider to win a gold medal in 88 years; Gerco Schroder, of the Netherlands, took the Silver, after Cian O'Connor, of Ireland, took down a rail in the jump-off and was awarded the Bronze. Rich Fellers finished 8th in the Individual for the US, and Ian Millar tied for 9th for Canada. The Individual Dressage competition is underway on MSNBC this morning.
Lovey is sitting on the corner of my desk, occasionally butting my chin with her head, while Nedi is out pestering the raven family in the back yard. Rosie and Remy both slept with me last night, and I had some really strange dreams about my husband, Jeff, and I herding cattle in New York state - but it was through some steep and narrow pine-clad ravines, that seemed more like Washington state... It was just weird.
Tonight, I must admit that I won't be watching the Olympics, as I'll be watching Payton Manning quarterback the Broncos for at least one quarter against the Chicago Bears. And if I can find coverage of the Jets game tomorrow evening, I'll be watching that as well, so I can see Tim Tebow (I hope). I still think that the Broncos should have kept Tim Tebow, and allowed him to absorb the wisdom and game-reading skills of Manning - ah, what might have been!
Showing posts with label 2012 Olympics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2012 Olympics. Show all posts
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Jumping into the Olympics & Assateague Light
The real news of today's equestrian Olympics is that famed rider Beezie Patten Madden and her mount Via Volo did not qualify for either the Individual or Team rides. I haven't yet sen what occurred, but Beezie and Volo had 42 faults... The other Team USA performed as follows: McLain Ward and Antares had a clean qualifying round, as did Rich Fellars and Flexible; Reed Kessler and Cylana had a 1-fault round. Ten-time Olympian Ian Millar and Star Power finished with 4 faults (for Canada); while Rodrigo Pessoa and Rebozo ended the qualifying round with 1 fault. - Again, I had a super time watching Michael Phelps and local girl Missy Franklin win gold last night.
It seems that Accomack County in Virginia has been having a bad time with both waterspouts and funnel clouds during July. I was, apparently, too caught up in Pony Penning to see the "real" weather news for the area...
And, if you'd like a true piece of history from the Assateague Lighthouse, the Chincoteague Natural History Association has just the thing for you. Beth Hanback is the executive director of the nonprofit group that is involved with the Assateague Lighthouse restoration. The original lighthouse was built in 1833; the one we see today was built in 1867 and is 142 feet tall. During the first phase of restoration, which cost a little over $500,000, all of the lantern room's window panes were removed and replaced with new, shatter-resistant glass.
Dozens of window panes remained intact after the removal and were preserved, but Hanback says there was about 1,200 pounds of damaged glass with cracks and brittle edges. "My heart just ached that this glass which had seen so much over 140 years would be discarded," she said. Shortly after deciding to transform the broken window panes into commemorative artifacts, Hanback recruited volunteers to break up the glass into pieces about the size of a silver dollar. These smaller pieces were placed in buckets and delivered by truck to the Jamestown Glasshouse, where artisans produce glass pieces using similar tools and methods as 17th century settlers.Once blown into its circular shape, the medallion was stamped with a custom-made image of the lighthouse surrounded by a text that reads, "Assateague Lighthouse 1867." Two types of the medallion were manufactured, one with a hook that functions as a suncatcher and one without a hook. A total of 1,000 medallions were crafted in Jamestown.
In March, the CNHA began selling the medallions at the refuge visitor center's gift shop, which is operated by the friends group. "They do seem to be very popular with refuge visitors, especially those interested in the lighthouse," Hanback said. Each medallion costs $49.95. All of the proceeds go toward future phases of lighthouse restoration, which include removing the structure's current paint and replacing it with an epoxy-based paint guaranteed to last for 50 years. "What we're saving is a piece of history and we're selling a piece of history to our visitors," Lou Hinds, the manager of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, said.
Hanback mentioned that with the current economy, the federal government is unable to offer restoration funds and "do all the things it wants to do."
"These historic buildings on federal property sorely need a helping hand right now," she said.
To date, the CNHA has sold about 200 medallions at the gift shop, adding up to $10,000 that will help preserve an historical island icon.
It seems that Accomack County in Virginia has been having a bad time with both waterspouts and funnel clouds during July. I was, apparently, too caught up in Pony Penning to see the "real" weather news for the area...
And, if you'd like a true piece of history from the Assateague Lighthouse, the Chincoteague Natural History Association has just the thing for you. Beth Hanback is the executive director of the nonprofit group that is involved with the Assateague Lighthouse restoration. The original lighthouse was built in 1833; the one we see today was built in 1867 and is 142 feet tall. During the first phase of restoration, which cost a little over $500,000, all of the lantern room's window panes were removed and replaced with new, shatter-resistant glass.
Dozens of window panes remained intact after the removal and were preserved, but Hanback says there was about 1,200 pounds of damaged glass with cracks and brittle edges. "My heart just ached that this glass which had seen so much over 140 years would be discarded," she said. Shortly after deciding to transform the broken window panes into commemorative artifacts, Hanback recruited volunteers to break up the glass into pieces about the size of a silver dollar. These smaller pieces were placed in buckets and delivered by truck to the Jamestown Glasshouse, where artisans produce glass pieces using similar tools and methods as 17th century settlers.Once blown into its circular shape, the medallion was stamped with a custom-made image of the lighthouse surrounded by a text that reads, "Assateague Lighthouse 1867." Two types of the medallion were manufactured, one with a hook that functions as a suncatcher and one without a hook. A total of 1,000 medallions were crafted in Jamestown.
In March, the CNHA began selling the medallions at the refuge visitor center's gift shop, which is operated by the friends group. "They do seem to be very popular with refuge visitors, especially those interested in the lighthouse," Hanback said. Each medallion costs $49.95. All of the proceeds go toward future phases of lighthouse restoration, which include removing the structure's current paint and replacing it with an epoxy-based paint guaranteed to last for 50 years. "What we're saving is a piece of history and we're selling a piece of history to our visitors," Lou Hinds, the manager of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, said.
Hanback mentioned that with the current economy, the federal government is unable to offer restoration funds and "do all the things it wants to do."
"These historic buildings on federal property sorely need a helping hand right now," she said.
To date, the CNHA has sold about 200 medallions at the gift shop, adding up to $10,000 that will help preserve an historical island icon.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Oh Me, Oh My
After the finish of the first day's Dressage Test, the American rider with the highest score was Jan Ebeling riding Anne Romney's Rafalo; today, after another 25 horses have competed, the US leading rider is Steffen Peters on Ravel in 6th place. Tina Konyat, on Calecto V, is in 27th, and Ebeling has fallen to 30th. Adrienne Lyle and Wizard did not qualify for the Special or Freestyle. Great Britain is leading Germany and the Netherlands in Team competition; Denmark is fourth, and the US is fifth. And, unfortunately, there is an alleged abuse report against Patrik Kittel, of the Swedidh team, of using rollkur on his mount, Scandic. (Rollkur is defined as "flexion of the horse's neck achieved through aggressive force" and banned by equestrian's world governing body. Fans have alleged Kittel has continued to use the method since the ban.)
I have had a blast watching Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte swim, I've been cheering on Missy Franklin (a local girl), and Taylor Phinney. I've thoroughly enjoyed the cycling, beach volleyball, and synchronized diving competitions. So far, the high point for me was seeing Gabby Douglas (aka "the Flying Squirrel") take the Gold in All-Round Gymnastics. That 16-year-old is a superb example to girls every where! - And so are her team-mates!
I am home, other than walking doggies, until Wednesday. It will be nice to settle in with Lovey and Nedi and relax with them. I hope that all of you have a wonderful weekend!
I have had a blast watching Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte swim, I've been cheering on Missy Franklin (a local girl), and Taylor Phinney. I've thoroughly enjoyed the cycling, beach volleyball, and synchronized diving competitions. So far, the high point for me was seeing Gabby Douglas (aka "the Flying Squirrel") take the Gold in All-Round Gymnastics. That 16-year-old is a superb example to girls every where! - And so are her team-mates!
I am home, other than walking doggies, until Wednesday. It will be nice to settle in with Lovey and Nedi and relax with them. I hope that all of you have a wonderful weekend!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
2012 Three-Day Event Results
No one riding on the US Team, nor as a US individual, earned a medal in the Eventing tests. Team results were: Gold - Germany, Silver - Great Britain, Bronze - New Zealand. The Queen of England's granddaughter, Zara Phillips, helped earn the Silver Team medal for Great Britain. Both of Zara's parents, Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, rode in the Olympics themselves. The US Team finished in seventh position.
As individuals, Michael Jung (riding Sam) won the Gold for Germany; Sara Algotsson Osthost (mounted on Wega) won the Silver medal for Sweden; and Sandra Auffarth (working with Opgun Louvo) won the Bronze for Germany. Zara Phillips (on High Kingdom) finished 8th as an individual, and Karen O'Connor (on Mr. Medicott) was the highest-placed US rider at 9th position. If you'd like to look at spills and falls from the Cross-Country phase, they may be viewed at:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/equestrian/highlights-crashes-in-cross-country-eventing.html
Grand Prix Dressage competition begins tomorrow.
As individuals, Michael Jung (riding Sam) won the Gold for Germany; Sara Algotsson Osthost (mounted on Wega) won the Silver medal for Sweden; and Sandra Auffarth (working with Opgun Louvo) won the Bronze for Germany. Zara Phillips (on High Kingdom) finished 8th as an individual, and Karen O'Connor (on Mr. Medicott) was the highest-placed US rider at 9th position. If you'd like to look at spills and falls from the Cross-Country phase, they may be viewed at:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/equestrian/highlights-crashes-in-cross-country-eventing.html
Grand Prix Dressage competition begins tomorrow.
Michael Jung on Sam in the Dressage phase - German team
Sara Algotsson Osthost on Wega going Cross-Counrty - Swedish team
Sandra Auffarth on Opgun Louvo in Stadium Jumping - German team
Zara Phillips and High Kingdom going Cross-Country - Great Britain's team
Karen O'Connor and Mr. Medicott going Cross-Country - Team USA
Friday, July 27, 2012
Ian Millar's TENTH Olympics Appearance
Oh. My. Gosh. I was sitting here, watching the Olympic Parade of Nations walk into the stadium in London... The country of Canada was announced, and, walking in the first row of competitors behind the flag carrier, I recognized someone. Someone who's hand I have shaken on three occasions... Some who is quite tall (to me, anyway), and has grey hair... Someone who is 65 years old. I thought he had retired and was training other riders and young horses. I am speaking of Ian Millar of Perth, Ontario. My first question was, where's Big Ben? Unfortunately, that great jumper is no more... but here is Ian Millar, appearing in his
tenth set of Olympic Games. The man is incredible! Go, Ian!
tenth set of Olympic Games. The man is incredible! Go, Ian!
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