(22 July 1996; Day 03)
Very few three day event endurance course designers are given the opportunity to design a course for the Olympic Games, but Georgia International Horse Park course designer Roger HALLER was given the task of designing two interlocking courses. Because of International Olympic Committee concerns about a horse and rider pair receiving two medals (team and individual) for one performance, the Atlanta Games will debut a new format, where team scores will be held separate from individual medal contenders. In order not to give an unfair advantage to riders competing in both the team and individual competitions, two courses on the same site became necessary.
HALLER spent a great deal of time touring rural Georgia before completing design of the course. The New York City-area native discovered the variety and history of the southern United States during this time and incorporated many of the concepts into the course. HALLER started the design process in July 1993, and had the obstacle concepts finalized by April 1994. "There was a lot more to Georgia's history than I had thought," said HALLER.
One of the most historically interesting complexes of the course will be featured during the team competition on Tuesday. The Indian Village, team obstacles 7-9, includes the Indian Palisades, Sweat Houses and Rock Eagle. The Palisades features a ditch preceding an obstacle reminiscent of the log walls that once surrounded Native American villages. The Sweat Houses are two adobe huts that form what is called a "bounce." A bounce is an athletic test of a horse that requires the horse to land and jump again without the benefit of taking a full stride in between. The final element is the Rock Eagle, a scaled-down version of a giant eagle that measured 50 feet head-to-tail with a 160-foot wingspan, which was created by Native Americans more than 200 years ago.
The footing on the course is also top-notch. The entire galloping track was hand-sifted to remove all rocks, and a special mix of fescue and bluegrass will provide extra cushioning. "Don't underestimate the cross country course," said Eric SMILEY of Ireland. "Haller has made a rider's course. It's like riding a bobsled -- there's a curve every second."
The 1 hour, 25-minute endurance test is scheduled to begin on Tuesday morning at 6:45 when Blyth TAIT and Chesterfield of New Zealand take to the course.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Amy H. Symons.
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| The volunteer staff of the 1996 Olympic Games totaled 50,152. They worked an estimated 850,000 shifts. |