VA Regionals 2007

VA Regionals 2007 Renaissance Team

(Yes Lois is really bigger her coach Pam. It is not an optical illusion.)

VA Regionals 2007 Lois Heel Click

Pop: A pretty fine move.

When Lois competed in her first trot national competition (Hadley 2001?), the heel click was really a toe scrape across the horse’s rump. Shows you what 6 years of vaulting can do.

The amazing thing about compulsories is that everyone has to do them, so differences are very evident.  I still remember seeing a 17- year old boy, whose heel click was really a hand-stand. Amazing talent. As I remember his Mom was the longeur, his dad was the coach. (I wonder who made the sandwiches.)

The other amazing memory was watching one of Lois’s teammates get her first mount that day. The determination of this little girl to not let her team down was very moving. It was a terrible and heroic mount. She got her leg up, but it then required 2 or 3 beats for her to haul herself up from horizontal to vertical.

VA Regionals 2007 Lois Split

Horse: I am looking good. I am feeling good.

Lois: You better like this. My forearms are killing me after all of the practice.

Judge: (speechless)

Updated 6/17/2009 12:29:54 AM