DeRosa Daily - The 2007 Rolex FEI Las Vegas World Cup

Shutterfly’s Big Jump

What was interesting was Meredith’s reasoning for why she didn’t place higher in the first round. Meredith explained that her horse jumps big and lands far from the fence which for the first course meant that by the time they landed she wasn’t able to make some of those tight turns that McLain negotiated.

For the second round there was a jump-off, which meant she didn’t have to tear around the first course. And while she did have to negotiate turns in the jump-off she could also move her pace up a bit and angle her jumps rather than have to land tight and turn.

Meredith further explained that in Europe the riders compete a lot in small indoor arenas and so they are used to it. She explained, “We all agree that this arena is very difficult. The turns are hard and the fences come up quickly.”

While that creates an added challenge for both the horses and the riders, it also presents an added problem for the course designer, Jorge Guillerme. “It is a very difficult arena and I always try to squeeze as much as I can out of the course,” noted Jorge.

While the size of the arena certainly posed problems for both the course designer and the competitors it certainly was ideal for the crowd who seemed to enjoy every bit of the evening performance.

In between rounds there’s always a Las Vegas act taking place to ensure no one gets bored. There’s also a t-shirt toss and every t-shirt is signed by one or more of the riders competing in this year’s Volvo World Cup. In addition, the announcing is powerful and a variety of powerful music is interspersed throughout the evening. They seem to know when it’s time to wake up the crowd to ensure that no one loses their enthusiasm for attending. It’s something that those who put on other events throughout the U.S. should learn from because you never seem to get that feeling that things are dragging on. They’ve figured out what needs to be done to keep the audience alive and entertained.