All Eyes On Wellington As WEF Hosts Olympic Trials By Lauren Miró
All eyes will be on Wellington next month as top American show jumpers compete to represent their country in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. To be conducted at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, the official Olympic Games Selection Trials will take place March 21-24 as part of the $6 million FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. It will run over four days and determine the short list for the United States Equestrian Team this summer. “It’s the peak of their career for someone to represent their country in the Olympics,” Equestrian Sport Productions President Michael Stone said. “We’re excited to have them here in Wellington.” Qualifying next month will put riders on the short list for the team. The final selection is slated for June 16, with riders arriving in London at the beginning of August. The trials will kick off with a series of speed rounds, in which the fastest time and a clear round over fences is key, Stone said. The winner of the trials will also be named the United States Equestrian Federation National Champion.
“The finals will be held Saturday night,” Stone said. “It’s going to be a really exciting event. There will be a huge number of locals as well as people from all over the world flying in for it.” Vying for a spot this year is threetime Olympian Laura Kraut, a Wellington resident who first represented the U.S. 20 years ago. Kraut served as an alternate for the USET at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. “It was just awesome,” Kraut said of her first opening ceremonies. “1992 was the year of the dream team — Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. It was also the year of [long-jump champion] Carl Lewis. I walked beside him in line. It was a lot of fun.” In the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Kraut competed with Wellington’s Margie Engle, Nona Garson and Lauren Hough. She took home her first medal — team gold — in the 2008 Olympics after winning the selection trials on her horse, Cedric. Kraut, who got her start as a young child, said that going to the Olympics truly is a dream come true.
“When I was really, really young, being an Olympic rider was my goal,” she said. “It was sort of a pipe dream. I never would have thought I’d really do that. As you get older, you get a bit more cynical — you think it’s not feasible. It’s really nice to be able to say I achieved my childhood dream.” Kraut said she is focusing on preparing as she would for any other show. “I try not to get too worked up about it until I know what’s happening,” she said. This year, she’ll return with Cedric, who she said has benefited from more experience, as well as her mare Teirra. Riders may shortlist with more than one mount but will qualify for the team on only one, she said. Kraut said that holding the Olympic trials in Wellington is a natural fit — riders from all over the world compete here during season, much like in the Olympics. “It would seem awkward if they didn’t hold it here,” she said. “It has evolved into the only place for the trials for so many reasons. The footing and the equipment are of the highest quality. The atmosphere is great. The crowds in Wellington understand the sport, and it creates |wellington the magazine| February 2012
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