United States Eventing Association

Road to the Pan Am Games with Shannon Lilley (Part 6 & 7)

Day 20 – Upon arrival…

The past two days have been sort of a whirlwind tour as we got to Mexico, got settled, checked into the village, and started getting to work. The plane ride into Guadalajara was very smooth, we got through customs in record time, and made out way to the Athlete’s Village. Up until this point the idea of riding for my country had not quite set in but on the way to the village I saw the flame over the top of the main stadium and all the flags for each country hanging on the balconies of the dorms. Our building is covered in American flags and the sense of patriotism overwhelmed be as I stood outside the building. We checked in, waited for our luggage, got lunch and then made out way to see our horses. Our stalls are in prime position at the end and they are set up beautifully, thank you to Dougie Hannum for setting up the barns; they truly make us proud to be Americans.

In Mexico, you are taught to be very flexible with all aspects of life. No one works on a schedule, at least not a schedule that is consistent from day to day. Also, there is no sense of urgency in getting things done; we are on Mexican time. That being said, we have a fantastic Olympic Committee who gets things done whether or not it is possible. The safety of these Games was in question but I must say that so far I feel very safe at all the venues, in the village and traveling to and from each. I think it will be a good experience as a whole. Now it is just up to our US team to bring it!!

I rode Mango twice today; the first time he was pretty tight but this afternoon he got very good. I feel really encouraged after this afternoon’s ride. I think I felt the inspiration for riding dressage after going to the dressage venue and watching some of the tests be ridden. We watched Cesar Parra ride his lovely horse, Grandioso, who has an incredible trot and put in a good test.

Our team is getting along very well and each has assumed their own roles. I am known as “Mom” and as much as I try to live that down, I do something to prove everyone right, which, to me, is pretty ironic. Buck, aka Lance (as in Lance Armstrong) is the ‘most famous athlete the Pan American Games’ at least that is what everyone says when we ask the question. Michael is our clown; it has something to do with his makeup bag… Lynn and Hannah are still solidifying their roles but are getting closer. Sara Ike is now better known as Sike, thanks to Hannah’ creativity. We are very cohesive as a group and it has been very fun. I cannot wait for everything to start.

The venue for the dressage and show jumping, and where the horses are staying is fairly small. There isn’t a lot of space to hack or ride but luckily everyone from all the various countries are very friendly and work well together. The dressage venue on the other hand is beautiful and we were able to enjoy the country club for a couple hours today while watching dressage before returning to our side of town. (Theirs is on the left; ours is on the right.)

A lot of owners and family arrive tomorrow and Wednesday, which will make things even busier as we lead up to the event.

Stay tuned for more from Me and Mango…

Day 22 – Starting to feel real…

Today was the first day that it has felt like we might actually be here to ride in a horse show. The venue is making more preparations, although minute, to get things ready to start. We also had the team draw, briefing and course walk. The venue where the cross country is being held, Santa Sofia Country Club, is absolutely beautiful. The course, designed by John Williams, is a real two star, not a beefed up one star as some might have predicted. It travels over a lot of undulating ground with a couple of big hills in it, with it being 9:30 minutes long and a couple of tricky questions; it will be a test.

Jim Wolf, our Chef de Mission, did our team draw and drew fourth in the team order. There are 13 teams, which puts us early but we are prepared and intend to shine no matter where we are in the order. The jog is at 9am tomorrow and our grooms are hard at work making sure all the hairs are in the right place, all the feet shine and, all the bridles glimmer. Thank you to Cat, Sara (Irish), Kate, Katie, and Allie, we really appreciate all you do. I think we have quite possibly the best groom squad in the world!

After walking the cross country course today things started to seem really real and I am so excited to be here. I have been practicing dressage a lot because apparently that is a must for Mango and I but I really love the jumping phases and can’t wait to get there. After all, cross country is why I do this.

We went to a soccer game tonight in the main stadium, which is a site to behold. Mexico played Ecuador and a lot of locals were there, which made it very festive. We had a bit of an adventure getting home but were able to do so without trouble. The experience of being an athlete going to another venue is pretty great because we went in a back entrance and were escorted by staff to our seats. While being here in Mexico, the State Department has to know our whereabouts at all times and has agents all over keeping track. We thought we were stealth going to the soccer game but as soon as we got the main floor of the stadium an agent approached asking if we were equestrians and explained protocol for that venue. It is quite an experience. I cannot tell whether I feel important or whether it is creepy. Either way it adds to the experience of being an athlete for the United States of America.

Stay tuned for more from me and Mango…