I love Spoilers!
And I love the Olympics....summer, winter, it doesn't matter. There is no better TV sporting experience! I remember growing up when the summer and winter olympics were the same year and you had to wait four, long years to see it - four years is a long time to wait! I much prefer the current format.
I also love when the Olympics are happening hours ahead of me, so when I wake up I don't have to wait very long to know the results. I don't know what it is, but I love knowing how things end. So I prefer to spoil everything whenever possible: movies, books and Olympic sporting events. It drives Mike nuts (though I don't tell him the ending!). He loves suspense - me, not so much.
I did get up at 7am on Monday to watch cross country live over the internet. Boyd Martin was first on course at 7:30 and I didn't want to miss it! Now I don't need to know the results of horse stuff, to be fixated on the TV for hours on end (or in this case, the computer screen). I felt horrible for Rebecca Howard, who fell on course. She is so nice and she got so choked up at her fundraiser when she talked about what a dream the Olympics were for her.
The Olympics are such a mix of heartache and triumph! Take Jordyn Weiber, world champion gymnast who didn't make the all-around finals. Just minutes after realizing she did not qualify to compete for an individual gold medal, she had to get composed and face the media. That kid had so much self-control, she was able to pull herself together, stop crying, turn to the camera and express her personal disappointment but still wish her friends and competitors well. I'm 34 and I still don't have that much grace and composure. Some of these kids are so impressive. Others really do show their youth - like the Russian gymnasts who were sobbing in disappointment because they won a silver medal.
In other non-Olympic news, Leo jumped around the cross country course at AOPF this past weekend during their jumper derby. It was the first time he's been xc since early June. The courses were very soft and easy, but super fun! Leo was a little crazy around the first course. When he gets really excited, he gets behind my leg and starts lunging and jumping up and down. He was much more settled for the second course.
In the second course, we had to jump out of the stadium ring. I didn't explain this very well to Leo and he refused the fence out of the ring. I underestimated how confused he would be (since he's ridden in that ring and never jumps out of it). The second course was quite fun - it had a one-stride combination, up/down bank combination, this funny log on a hump jump that has a really steep approach, and some larger galloping fences. Afterwards, we came back and practiced the line jumping out of the ring. It was a vertical, 5/6 strides, vertical, 5 strides, jump out of the ring. It took us 3 tries to get it really good. Karen Rainy, who was the show jump judge, gave me some advice which helped. She said not to work about how squirreling Leo is - what he's doing under me doesn't matter. I just need to open my shoulders, sit down and drive him forward. She said that response has to become second nature to me.
Find the line.
Sit down.
Open my shoulders.
Drive forward.
Sounds so easy doesn't it?
I also love when the Olympics are happening hours ahead of me, so when I wake up I don't have to wait very long to know the results. I don't know what it is, but I love knowing how things end. So I prefer to spoil everything whenever possible: movies, books and Olympic sporting events. It drives Mike nuts (though I don't tell him the ending!). He loves suspense - me, not so much.
I did get up at 7am on Monday to watch cross country live over the internet. Boyd Martin was first on course at 7:30 and I didn't want to miss it! Now I don't need to know the results of horse stuff, to be fixated on the TV for hours on end (or in this case, the computer screen). I felt horrible for Rebecca Howard, who fell on course. She is so nice and she got so choked up at her fundraiser when she talked about what a dream the Olympics were for her.
The Olympics are such a mix of heartache and triumph! Take Jordyn Weiber, world champion gymnast who didn't make the all-around finals. Just minutes after realizing she did not qualify to compete for an individual gold medal, she had to get composed and face the media. That kid had so much self-control, she was able to pull herself together, stop crying, turn to the camera and express her personal disappointment but still wish her friends and competitors well. I'm 34 and I still don't have that much grace and composure. Some of these kids are so impressive. Others really do show their youth - like the Russian gymnasts who were sobbing in disappointment because they won a silver medal.
In other non-Olympic news, Leo jumped around the cross country course at AOPF this past weekend during their jumper derby. It was the first time he's been xc since early June. The courses were very soft and easy, but super fun! Leo was a little crazy around the first course. When he gets really excited, he gets behind my leg and starts lunging and jumping up and down. He was much more settled for the second course.
In the second course, we had to jump out of the stadium ring. I didn't explain this very well to Leo and he refused the fence out of the ring. I underestimated how confused he would be (since he's ridden in that ring and never jumps out of it). The second course was quite fun - it had a one-stride combination, up/down bank combination, this funny log on a hump jump that has a really steep approach, and some larger galloping fences. Afterwards, we came back and practiced the line jumping out of the ring. It was a vertical, 5/6 strides, vertical, 5 strides, jump out of the ring. It took us 3 tries to get it really good. Karen Rainy, who was the show jump judge, gave me some advice which helped. She said not to work about how squirreling Leo is - what he's doing under me doesn't matter. I just need to open my shoulders, sit down and drive him forward. She said that response has to become second nature to me.
Find the line.
Sit down.
Open my shoulders.
Drive forward.
Sounds so easy doesn't it?
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