Editor's
Note: As of 8:00 PM July 16th, the below List is
OFFICIAL! FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 16, 2004 USEF
Announces Eventing Team for 2004 Olympic Games The United States
Equestrian Federation announced today the Eventing team for the 2004 Olympic Games
in Athens. The five horse and rider combinations are as follows: Eventing
Team:
Darren
Chiacchia, Springville, NY, Windfall 2, Owner: Tim Holekamp
Trakehner
Stallion Julie Richards, Atlanta, GA, Jacob Two Two, Owner: Jim
Richards
Canadian Thoroughbred Gelding Kim Severson, Keene,
VA, Winsome Adante, Owner: Linda Wachtmeister
English Thoroughbred
Gelding Amy Tryon, Duvall, WA, My Beau, Owners: Leigh Mesher,
Bob & Barbara Mesher
Thoroughbred Gelding John Williams, Middleburg,
VA, Carrick, Owners: Anne Williams and Dr. Elise DePapp
Canadian Thoroughbred
Gelding Alternates:: Will Faudree,
Southern Pines, NC, Antigua, Owners: Will and Matt Faudree
Australian
Thoroughbred Gelding
David O’Connor, The Plains, VA, Outlawed,
Owner: Jennifer Taxay
New Zealand Thoroughbred Gelding
Jan
Thompson, Purcellville, VA, Task Force, Owners: Jo Ellen Byyny and
Richard Byyny
Thoroughbred Gelding Amy Tryon, Duvall, WA, Poggio
II, Owner: Amy Tryon and Mark Hart
Thoroughbred Gelding Heidi
White, Chadds Ford, PA, Northern Spy, Iwner: Heidi White
English
Thoroughbred Gelding “The riders on the short list from which
the team was selected are a very talented group,” said US Eventing Team Coach
Mark Phillips “Those selected for the team are the best of the best,
however, they will find the competition in Athens very tough and a big challenge.” The
team and the alternates will ship to England on July 19th to train with Phillips.
On August 10th the team and one alternate will ship to Athens. The alternate going
to Athens will be named on August 9th. The Eventing competition in Athens takes
place August 15th through 18th. The dressage takes place on August 15th and 16th;
cross country on August 17th; and stadium jumping on August 18th. For the
first time the cross country competition at the Athens Olympic Games will be conducted
over the “modified” cross-country course. The traditional 20-mile phase
of endurance tests, which includes roads and tracks, and steeplechase, have been
eliminated. After warming up their horses, the riders will proceed directly to
the cross-country course at their allocated start time. As the horses will tackle
the cross-country phase fresher, the riders will have new strategic challenges
to consider. This modified course will be approximately 5700 meters, a shorter
distance than the usual international and Olympic level competition of about 7000
meters. However, there will still be approximately 45 obstacles to clear. “I
think we have a great group of experienced horses and riders. I’m now looking
forward to getting to England so that we can focus on our final preparations for
the challenges ahead in Athens,” said Phillips. On Tuesday of
this week at the Final Mandatory Outing, the final phase of the selection process,
Phillips sized up the Olympic competition, “on paper the French and British
have the strongest chance, but at the Olympics you have to show up and shape up.
If we go and do our business we’ll be competitive.” END For
more information, please contact Maria Partlow, Senior Vice President of Marketing
and Communications on (859) 225-6941 or via email at mpartlow@usef.org. USEF press
releases are available on our web site – www.usef.org. Editor's
Note: Please take Special care to remember this list is UNOFFICIAL,
as of 6:10 PM, EDST, Friday, July 16, 2004.
As soon as eventingetc receives
OFFICIAL notice, it will be posted.
Usually
well informed sources state that the Team for Athens
is as follows:
Darren Chiacchia,
Windfall II, Owner - Dr. Timothy Holekamp
Julie Richards, Jacob Two
Two, Owner - Jim Richards
Kim Severson, Winsome Adante, Owner
-Linda Wachtmeister
Amy Tryon, My Beau, Owners - Leigh Mesher, Bob
and Barbara Mesher
John Williams, Carrick, Owners - Ann Williams and
Dr. Elise DePapp
Alternates
Traveling to England:
Will Faudree, Antigua, Owners - Will
and Matt Faudree
David O'Connor, Outlawed, Owner - Jennifer Taxay
Jan
Thompson, Task Force, Owners - Jo Ellen and Richard Byyny
Amy Tryon,
Poggio II, Owners - Amy Tryon and Mark Hart
Heidi White, Northern Spy,
Owner - Heidi White
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