Olympic test event- reactions to the XC

I didn't have a ticket to get in but managed to peer through the railings longingly.

I did notice quite a few horses slipping at some of the twisty combinations despite studs.

Pippa Funnell was interviewed over the tannoy and said that when walking the course with William F-P the evening before, he had commented that it will be like being in a tumble dryer with all the ups, downs and twists and turns for the full Olympic course.

A very surreal experience seeing a number of the world's top riders in Greenwich Park!
 
I attended with 29 local schoolchildren, most of whom had never seen a horse. They were very, very excited and controlling them was a bit like nailing jelly to a wall. We had several complaints from fence judges and fellow spectators, and whilst I can understand their ire, I also feel that our local green space has been taken away from us and we have been given no local legacy.
Anyway, it was a hot day and we were walking towards the water fountain. We were ushered across a crossing point, only to be screamed at to run back. If we'd been five seconds later, half of 3/4L would've been trampled by Pippa Funnell. The lack of communication was, needless to say, shocking. When we reached the fountain, it had been closed, so there was no way for the children to fill up their water bottles without paying £1.50 to a burger vendor. Our children are from one of the poorest boroughs in London, they just don't have that kind of money.
My feeling is, if you're trying to appease local residents by involving them, make it a pleasurable experience for them - if you don't want noise and excitement, don't invite schoolchildren.
As for the course itself - no gallops, all twists and turns, the route going through the dressage arena - it's a ridiculous compromise when we have venues like Badminton. Why are we doing this? I wish some posh horsey folk would stick their necks out and admit that it's a massive mistake.
 
Just watched the short video. The screaming kids annoyed me, but at the same time I don't blame them either. Excited kids seeing horses galloping and jumping must have been a 'big' thing, let alone getting a day off school for it!! At the real thing next year, I imagin most will be 'horsey' and therefore know not to scream hysterics everytime a horse goes by. Saying that, some team spirit will be needed!
I think it is a shame that courses have lost the long galloping bits, interupted by too many twists and turns. Bring back some big beefy scarey fences... but haven't we been saying that for a while now?
All in all well done, especially to Piggy.
 
Loved the kids in the video – they sounded like they were having a whale of a time, and isn't that the point of having the event right in the city, and not in Windsor? I spent a bit of time with Ebony Horse Club and at a riding stable in Lewisham last year; there are plenty of horse-mad kids in South London (especially Brixton). I hope they also get invited along to the real thing.

I'm sorry the organisation was so problematic, Wondermare. I suppose that's why it's a test event – so you can tell them this and they can sort it out. Then again, how many bog standard ODE don't keep the course clear? Seems a pretty basic thing to mess up.

I have friends who live right on the park and have for fifty years, and theirs were the tickets I missed out on. One of them walked me round the park in February, and some "dummy" fences were already in place. It seemed like a tiny space, and the tumble dryer simile is apt. So many skinnies.
 
Wondermare said:
I also feel that our local green space has been taken away from us
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Umm am I missing something? But as far as I'm aware most of Greenwich park is still open to the general public is it not? And the royal parks are for everyone, not just the locals. This attitude of 'our' park comes across as really really NIMBY.


As for the course itself - no gallops, all twists and turns, the route going through the dressage arena - it's a ridiculous compromise when we have venues like Badminton. Why are we doing this? I wish some posh horsey folk would stick their necks out and admit that it's a massive mistake.
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Sounds like it's a cross between Burghley and Gatcombe in terms of twists, turns and hills. Sounds ideal! And riding at speed on twists and turns is far more of a test than a constant gallop down a flat stretch as time penalties will play a part. So at least we know it won't be a dressage competition.

In terms of other venues - can you imagine the chaos on those tiny back country lanes for Badminton and Burghley? Plus given the size of the estates, you've got massive issues over making sure security is top notch given the strict regimes that run during Olympic events. At least Greenwich is smaller to control and secure. Also, Badminton and Burghley are PRIVATE estates which would bring its own issues (most likely having to pay for the use amongst others). At least Greenwich and Windsor are slightly different as they're royal parks. Also, most big equestrian bases have crap transport links because of location, Greenwich doesn't. Windsor's a nightmare to get to both by train and by car.

That said, I fully agree we could have done with a long standing permanent equestrian venue, that in itself would cause issues as people would argue over location. It's the London Olympics and they wanted the equestrian sports to be part of it (unlike Athens and Beijing) which is fair enough. And if the best of the best are happy with what's there for next year, then I think a round of applause is needed for the officials who have got everything ready so far and actually proved that Greenwich can be a suitable event.
 
Teapot - A very large chunk of the park is closed off and there is a real feeling of being shut out. It has been incredibly well organised - I was amazed that they got all the horses in on Saturday with hardly any fuss at all - but the park use is limited. I can understand the used of tarpaulin to stop people gawping into the stables but the path leading up to the Observatory has had its view blocked off too and I just can't think of a good reason for that - it's nowhere near the horses or the course.

I take your point about the 'our park' brigade; you'd think they paid for it out of their own pockets. I sat next to a very aggressive woman this morning who informed me that the Queen was against the event being held there. I can only assume this lady was a member of MI5 :rolleyes:
 
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LOL at the woman! Perhaps there are reasons unbeknown to us mere mortals with regards to views and covering them up?

I'm actually in that part of London tomorrow so am going to go for a nosey :D
 
I enjoyed my visit to Greenwich and thought it was a superb venue. Whether it will be ideal for the Olympics...mmmm, the jury is out?? How they will manage to get 50,000 people through next August, I wonder? Security was tight going in and then once you'd got on to the XC course and you wanted to come back into the "arena" areas, you were security checked once again..??!!

There were only 2 food stalls in the arena area and a couple of others around the course - all had run out of bottled water!! I heard that they ran out of water yesterday also. It took us just over an hour (no problems with trains/tube etc) to get from Liverpool Street to Greenwich so I guess a very early start would be in order next August.
 
Wondermare said:
I attended with 29 local schoolchildren, most of whom had never seen a horse. They were very, very excited and controlling them was a bit like nailing jelly to a wall. We had several complaints from fence judges and fellow spectators, and whilst I can understand their ire, I also feel that our local green space has been taken away from us and we have been given no local legacy.
Anyway, it was a hot day and we were walking towards the water fountain. We were ushered across a crossing point, only to be screamed at to run back. If we'd been five seconds later, half of 3/4L would've been trampled by Pippa Funnell. The lack of communication was, needless to say, shocking. When we reached the fountain, it had been closed, so there was no way for the children to fill up their water bottles without paying £1.50 to a burger vendor. Our children are from one of the poorest boroughs in London, they just don't have that kind of money.
My feeling is, if you're trying to appease local residents by involving them, make it a pleasurable experience for them - if you don't want noise and excitement, don't invite schoolchildren.
As for the course itself - no gallops, all twists and turns, the route going through the dressage arena - it's a ridiculous compromise when we have venues like Badminton. Why are we doing this? I wish some posh horsey folk would stick their necks out and admit that it's a massive mistake.
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How brilliant to take 29 young children who had no idea about the sport and keeping them under reasonable control. I really hope they enjoyed their day out. I am sorry that there were killjoys who complained. What is wrong with a bit of excitement and noise? It's not church!!! The riders commented on the noise but thought it added to the atmosphere and enjoyed it - many years ago there was lots of cheering particularly at major championships and it really lifted horses and riders especially if they were getting a little tired. Admittedly it was more once the horse had jumped a fence but did it cause any accidents - no, and several of the horses were young and unaccustomed to crowds so they learned something today.
Many courses now go through the arena nowadays including Badminton and Burghley. The thing about an olympic 3 day event is that it is different and to be included in the whole experience is a major thing. While we would all love a legacy, to find somewhere within easy reach of the centre of the games that is suitable for the purpose is not that simple. To hear hardened pros who were not fans of the idea sound so animated when interviewed tells it's own story and it would be good for the residents of Greenwich to be proud of what they have and want to be a major part of the games and share it with us for a short time.
I am sorry they turned off the fountain (may have been a good reason for it) and that the crossing point steward was not sufficiently aware but it is a test event - to test that sort of thing among others. Points perhaps putting to the organising committee so they don't happen next year.
 
I went to the cross country event today, and here's my two pence worth.

1. The course was very twisty with some dramatic ups and downs (reminded me a bit of the course at the now sadly defunct Windsor 3DE). However, everyone I saw riding seemed to cope pretty well, a few slips but nothing to cause any real problems. Wasn't always that easy for spectators to find their way around though (maps were available but hidden away in a very poorly marked "spectator information" tent). Agree that the double security checks in and out of the arena seemed a trifle excessive.

2. There were a lot of very excited schoolchildren and they were often very noisy, but all the kids I saw were reasonably well behaved, obeyed instructions to stay the right side of the ropes,etc. Interesting that there are reports of fence judges complaining here; at least one of the judges I saw was actively encouraging the kids to cheer and clap after the horses had jumped. Personally I thought it was a great idea to invite local schools and provided the noise didn't upset the competitors, thought they helped give it atmosphere .

3. It will look brilliant on TV - the combination of historic Greenwich and modern Docklands will make a spectacular backdrop.

BUT (and it's a big BUT)

IMHO it is too small a venue for the event proper. I don't know how many people were there today (5000 was quoted ) but it gave the impression of being a well attended, if not overcrowded event. Two or even three times that many people could be accommodated - however I find it hard to see how 50,000 will be able to squeeze in the space available. The twisty course layout doesn't help, with people being sandwiched in narrow spaces between loops of track, and I think it would be very hard for spectators to move around the course. My friend, who has always been a die hard supporter of the games being held at Greenwich, came to the same conclusion.

Of course others may disagree, and I genuinely hope things do work out on the day - but on this evidence, I remain unconvinced.
 
I was there today and also am of the view that the venue is just not big enough. There were lots of bottle necks with the contant bag checking (mine was checked 5 times today including when I was trying to leave!) and thats with just 5000 people there! I cant imagine what it would be like with 10 times that many people.

All of the school children I saw were very well behaved. Yes, they cheered and clapped as horses approached the fences, however, it certainly added to the atmostphere and wasnt a problem.

There was no water for sale after about 12 o clock and it was very hot today. I filled up some water bottles from a bowser!! (hopefully it was drinkable!!!)

Travelling there was easy so good on that front. I just think the area is far too small to hold the numbers expected next year so Im actually quite glad I didnt get the tickets I wanted and will be able to watch it all on the tv.
 
I too was there today and whole hearted agree with what has been said in the previous posts. How on earth this venue is going to cope with 10x the amount of people that were there today is beyond me. The viewing of many of the fences was cramped and at the fences on the sides of the hills the ground was very slippery. There were not many places where you could see several fences together which was disappointing and the course was so full of twists and turns the horses could not do any serious galloping.It was a shame that as soon as the last horse had finished the xc, fences were being dismantled. A hot day with no water available after midday is not good and why no icecream vans?

The best fence has to be the boomerang at number 6 with the view of Canary Wharf and the O2 behind it. Thankfully I did not get tickets for any of the horse events, watching it on the tv in the comfort of my living room has to be a better option.
 
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I think it's great that there were loads of school kids there, what an opportunity to give them exposure to horses & hopefully get them hooked! Also great experience for the young horses to compete in that atmosphere without the pressure of a championship event. I've got tickets to the dressage next year & can't wait!
 
I was a fence judge there yesterday and we had a FAB day! To be honest, the children made it a great day for me. They were sooooo interested in what was happening, asking hundreds of questions, trying to work out what to shout in the right language for the next rider to offer support, telling me about their hobbies and pets and so on. Yes there were some problems for example pushing against the string and so on, but the teachers did their best, and there is nothing that won't be ironed out before next year.

There were some problems with the commentary but presumably the volume had been turned down to appease the locals who were protesting.

The riders I spoke to all really enjoyed the experience and learnt a lot from it, and the horses coped well. The infrastructure for the competitors is second to none.

Don't forget this is an Olympic event - very different from a normal 3DE - so security is completely different, as is some of the terminology and so on. But that is what makes it so exciting and the fact that we will be able to watch on TV/attend in person/volunteer for our own country's Olympic games is just thrilling. My mum can still remember attending the London games in 1948 and the atmosphere. It's a chance in a lifetime.
 
I was there yesterday. I had a wonderful time and am even more firmly convinced that Greenwich is the right venue.

For those who say the venue is small - don't forget that this was a very much shortened course and next year there will be much more parkland available.

I did wonder about getting 50K people on given the amount of security to get in (although I only had my bag checked twice - think it depends which way you went round the XC course, and one of the security blokes said he was going to say to the organisers that it was unnecessary).

I don't agree at all that the venue felt crowded. In fact my friend and I both commented that it was much LESS crowded than say Badminton where you can't get to see the fences without waiting for half an hour!

Yes you can't see many fences together - but isn't that the same for many events?

The schoolkids were the highlight of the day for us - and again is an advantage of having the horse events in the city because it brings them to a whole new audience. And THAT is what is important in terms of legacy in my view.
 
I was there yesterday and having initially been a real sceptic about it being held there I was blown away with the venue, the views of all London's icons is magnificent, and you really feel part of the City. It was comical seeing others on DLR carry shooting sticks etc and getting very strange looks from commuters! The school children we met all loved the occassion and the opportunity to make plenty of noise, the atmosphere was great some of the horses looked a bit bemused at the begiining of the course but grew in stature as they went round, what a great education for them. It was great going to an event were there were enough loos not to have to queue! The going was incredible, you could really feel the difference when you walked onto the course as opposed to the rest of the course ( we did see one resident taking close up pics of horses footprints where they had cut into the turf a little on a steep bit of the hill, suggest he gets a real life!!!!) I gather some of the locals are now whingeing that the grass is a different shade of green where its been improved! OK it was a glorious sunny day yesterday and only 5000 people but I for one would dearly love to have been sucessful in the ticket ballot for the games.
 
Swirly, I'm very jealous you were fence judging. My OH was there yesterday and even though we have both applied (and been interviewed) for fence judging next year, he was picked to be a Screen team Member (yep, one of those folks that runs on with screens to put around horses before they are put down :(

Did you apply for fence judging?
 
I applied to do anything actually! I am experienced at fence judging but I just wanted to be involved in some way so would have poo picked the arenas frankly!! It was fabulous though - just lovely to be involved :) Don't worry though, they will need more for next year so fingers crossed .....

And your husband - his first name doesn't begin with M does it? We had a very nice screen man in our sector.
 
whatawizard said:
I was there yesterday and having initially been a real sceptic about it being held there I was blown away with the venue, the views of all London's icons is magnificent, and you really feel part of the City. It was comical seeing others on DLR carry shooting sticks etc and getting very strange looks from commuters! The school children we met all loved the occassion and the opportunity to make plenty of noise, the atmosphere was great some of the horses looked a bit bemused at the begiining of the course but grew in stature as they went round, what a great education for them. It was great going to an event were there were enough loos not to have to queue! The going was incredible, you could really feel the difference when you walked onto the course as opposed to the rest of the course ( we did see one resident taking close up pics of horses footprints where they had cut into the turf a little on a steep bit of the hill, suggest he gets a real life!!!!) I gather some of the locals are now whingeing that the grass is a different shade of green where its been improved! OK it was a glorious sunny day yesterday and only 5000 people but I for one would dearly love to have been sucessful in the ticket ballot for the games.
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I wondered how long it would be before they cottoned on to the grass. The woman who told me the Queen disapproved was also going on about how she hadn't seen any squirrels for days :confused: I walked through the flower garden later and there were loads of them.

There are kids in Greenwich who live in council flats and don't have anywhere else to run around, but the people complaining tend to be rather privileged. Someone I know lives in one of the big houses overlooking the park and was going on about how their daughter was being deprived of her 'front garden'. Quite frankly, I think it will do their daughter good to be deprived of something in her extremely comfortable life. It's not as if they don't have a back garden :rolleyes:
 
I went yesterday and had a great day out, but I did think the venue looked small even if they are going to add in extra land for the Olympics. I was expecting there to be areas where you could get a view of several fences, but that wasn't the case because of all the trees. It seemed to be well organised (apart from the bag check to leave!) and the organisers were well informed and happy to answer questions about next year. Loved the kids and I thought they added to the atmosphere. I still think it should have been held at Windsor, but I think it will be an interesting venue and I think the riders are looking forward to being in the heart of the Olympics. I didn't get a ticket for next year so I'm glad I got the opportunity to see the place for myself this year.
 
watertray53 said:
It was a shame that as soon as the last horse had finished the xc, fences were being dismantled.
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Is this not a good thing? People are complaining that their green space has been "taken away from them", so surely making an effort to get the park back to its original state as quickly as possible is going someway to appease them?
 
We saw two squirrels scurry across the course near fence 4 between horses, later on I nearly tripped over one that was standing on the path in front of me! So I don't think they have any worries re the squirrel population in the park!
 
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