Virtual Brush Box

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. NPR: Michigan medical students walk out on an anti-abortion keynote speaker, Sullivan, July 25, 2022.

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Having finished doing everything, and writing about doing everything, time to recap this year’s Virtual Tevis. [Dance Card]

Started on Thursday, April 7 with a 1-mile ride. Finished on Friday, July 8, with a 1.84-mile ride. All at walk. All in home pasture. Going around the pasture instead of going around the ring area counts as “trail miles” for this crew.

We rode 55 times in 92 days. (Or so, spread sheet lists 54 rides. I am going to be mature and NOT track down the missing ride. Let it go. Let it go.) Longest ride was 3.15 miles. Average ride was 1.8 miles. Sounds about right. We usually rode for either 1 or 2 miles, depending on time available.

This was our third Virtual Tevis. It felt like the hardest one to finish.

100 miles in 100 days is easy – if you keep at it.

I took a week off. [I’m Bored Already]

My horse took a week off. [Playing Catch Up]

Milton and his rider were kind enough to wait and finish with us.

When it was looking dubious, I made the claim that I wanted to finished because I liked this year’s shirt. It was an excuse. I wanted to finish.

Before we started, I said I would be okay with not finishing. [Virtual Tevis Announced For 2022]

First off, when I said it, I meant not finish because we were so busy with shows and lessons and trailering to exotic, exciting showcation destinations.

Second, pfffft, who am I kidding. I want it all. Busy show schedule AND time to do the VT. I didn’t say it was reasonable, just that I wanted it.

This year, props to the horses for being amenable about all the pre-breakfast rides. In truth, I think they prefer it. [Let The Summer Hours Begin]

Next year. More gaits. More places. More milestone photos. I said the same about this year. Something to work towards.

[VT archives]

Onwards!
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. CBC: Bodies of Work, Olivia Apps

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Lovely, narrow 3/8″ curb reins from Fennel’s. To go with my dual steering set-up. [Riding With Two Reins]

Bought from a saddle seat store. Asked Coach Courtney to recommend a tack shop as she is the only person I know who deals with double bridles on the regular.

Requisite photo bomb.

Onwards!
Katherine

Images

Art from the outside world. Birmingham Times: Ramsay High School Student Captures 1st Place in World Games Art Contest, Michaels, May 23, 2022.

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Prize Statuette

Legacy Arena, 14 July 2022.

AL.com: Podium reactions to Vulcan trophy highlight World Games, Goodman, Jul. 16, 2022.

Medal

TWG: The World Games 2022 Medal Reveal, image from website.

Mascot

TWG: Vulcan & Vesta, Official Mascots of The World Games 2022

Signage as part of skyline

UAB Fields, 15 July 2022.

Climbing

Screenshot from Olympics.org, 10 July 2022. Part of introductory chatter for TWG event livestreams and videos.

Cartoon

AL.com: ‘Let the World Games begin!’ The pants-less Vulcan dude abides, Crowe, Jul. 08, 2022.

Links

The World Games 2022 & IWGA

Vulcan Park & Museum

Archive [Views Of Vulcan]

Onwards!
Katherine

Words

Books from the outside world. Head On, Scalzi, 2018. “It has everything: Futuristic sports, murder, sex, love, home invasion, shady business people and midnight flights to central Europe. As one must.” Whatever: Head On Post-Writing Post. Read prologue, Tor.com: Head On.

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The World Games bills itself as “New Generation of Global Sports.”

What sports will we be playing in the 2120 Games? A quick Internet search shows that movies and books predict future sport becoming high tech and/or death matches.

I predict we will move in the opposite direction. As tech expands, we will place a priority on “pure sport”, i.e. what a human can do unassisted.

Competitions than use little or no technology will become the status sports. Running. High Jump. Wrestling. Straight up human effort.

Of course there will be no such thing as an unassisted competitor.

Before the competition there will be nutrition, immersive training, questionable medications, misuse of nanotechnology. During the competition, there will be the playing surface, the clothing, the shoes.

When we speak of tech, we tend to think of things that beep and blink. However, anything built is technology. The rope in tug of war. The shot in shot put. When seconds or inches count, huge amounts of money are spent on materials and design.

Yet, despite the dictates of logic, the ideal will remain the naked dude running in ancient Greece.

I haven’t touched on team sports or sports from the past, such as fencing or riding. Thoughts?

Update. Check out food for thought in first comment.

Update 2026. Have not read Gold Dust. Going off of summary, “I decided to have sports divide into two types, leagues that allowed augmented athletes and leagues that didn’t.” Whatever: The Big Idea: Catherine Asaro, October 13, 2025.

Onwards!
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Just heard about Walgreens. Depressing. Feels like intolerance is winning.

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Double sessions were a factor in our recent everything-all-at-once experience. [A Full Dance Card]

Not twice the work. More like splitting the day’s work into two pieces. Virtual Tevis in the morning to beat the heat. Trailer Rodney over to Falcon Hill Farm in the late afternoon to approximate the timing of the upcoming evening show.

Really liking how it turned out.

Morning sessions were low-key because Rodney had an appointment that evening. When we got to FHF, we could get right to work because he’d gotten the oil moving earlier in the day.

Of course it’s more effort because you have to dress horse and self twice. Sometimes it seemed silly to ship over for a short ride. OTOH, Rodney did well on the regimen.

We’re going to see if we can incorporate this moving forward. Maybe riding in the morning and ground work in the evening. Or more trail ride/travel days.

Onwards!
Katherine

Horse Life and Non-Horse Life

Awareness of the outside world.

Screenshot. “Stop referring to the pandemic in the past tense and climate change in the future tense Dr. Elizabeth Sawin” Original post, Igram: alexhuttinger July 18. Source, Elizabeth Sawin. HT, Igram: dr.berthahidalgo.

I took this seriously while volunteering. Wore a sturdy mask whenever I was indoors. Very much in the minority, but not alone. The rest of the activities were outdoors or did not involve other people. In related news, Braymere Custom Saddlery: PlagueFest.

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I don’t get out much. I’d like find more entertainment, but few activities are worth the drive into town. Whether the fault lies with me or with Alabama or somewhere in between is a debate for another day. Bottom line, my schedule is frightfully free of frolic.

Suddenly, zap. My calendar becomes an overstuffed pinata.

To Do

[Show Report]

Show. Preparing for a show in the 16th meant many, many trips to Falcon Hill Farm to acclimatize Rodney to a ring full of jump standards. [Getting The Point Across(rails)]

Ankle. Preventing reinjury. [I’m Bored Already]

To Watch

Screenshot. Stepping Stone Farm rider enters the ring at Kentucky Horse Park.

Lexington Junior League Horse Show, BreyerFest, & Tour de France – The yearly couch potato festival [On Being An Energetic Couch Jockey]

Note to self. Let the first screenshot clear before you take the next one.

To Both

Photo. Signs for the Parade of Countries at the Opening Ceremonies. Taken by a fellow volunteer.

Tevis. Ride the Virtual Tevis. Follow the IRL Tevis online. Archive [Virtual Tevis]

TWG. Volunteer. Watch live & replays online. [Volunteering at The World Games]

Some Were Compatible

Show & Virtual Tevis. All the long, slow riding for the Virtual Tevis was a great way to get ready for the show. Otherwise, I would have gotten my tail in a knot and overworked my horse.

Ankle & Show & Virtual Tevis. I started riding a week or so after my ignoble dismount from the stool. All I could do was ride at a walk. That was all we were doing for Virtual Tevis anyway. Forcing me to slow down the FHF schooling to a walk meant giving Rodney more time to think and adjust.

Some Were Not

Clashing Schedules. Show & Virtual Tevis vs. The World Games. If we hadn’t had two riding deadlines, I might have moved things around to do more to volunteering at TWG. For example, perhaps a chance to carry one of the signs in the actual Opening Ceremonies and schooling at FHF on another day.

Doing/Watching. Show & Virtual Tevis & The World Games vs. IRL Tevis & The World Games & Lexington Junior League Horse Show & BreyerFest & Tour de France. Being busy (yay!) left me little time to follow all the online content. Saturday, there were five things to watch, two of which I paid for. It was show day, so you can imagine how much I saw.

Outro

Then, come Monday, poof, everything except the Tour de France was over. Show horses were back in their own barns. Athletes were heading toward the airport. BreyerFest attendees were posting pictures of the new members of their plastic pony herds. Back to status quo sleepy.

It was all great. Did it have to be great all at once?

Onwards!
Katherine

Non-Horse Life

Awareness of the outside world. TWG: The World Games 2022 contributes $54,000 to Help Ukrainian Athletes and Sports, July 18, 2022.

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Sand Sculpture by John Gowdy

Did you know Tug of War used to be in the Olympics? Confession, I chose that venue from a sense of ‘What in the world?’ I enjoyed it immensely.

“The TOWA consider that tug of war certainly warrants re-introduction into the Olympic Games. The rules are easy to understand and the sport is spectator friendly. In addition, the results do not depend on subjective scoring by a panel of judges. Tug of war is accessible to everyone at all levels as the sport does not require large amounts of costly equipment, space, or bespoke sports stadia.” U.S.A. Tug of War Association: Olympics History.

They are not wrong. Having seen it live, I would go to watch Tug of War again.

My Shifts

Day 0 – online training

Day 1 – UAB, Concierge Services

Day 1.5 – BJCC, pick up uniform etc.

Day 2 – Protective Stadium, Opening Ceremony Rehearsal

Day 3 – Birmingham Southern College, Athlete Check-in & Concierge

Day 4 – BJCC, Video Archery (spectator activity), lobby outside of Floorball

Day 5 – Avondale Park, Archery/Legacy Arena, Aerobic & Rhythmic Gymnastics

Day 6 – UAB Fields, Tug of War

Since we rode in the morning, I ended up with afternoon shifts, when things tended to be quiet. I spent a lot of time preventing chairs from escaping.

My most entertaining shift was when I was positioned where I could see both warm-up and the competition. Watched folks get ready and then watched them put on their games faces as they went through the curtain.

My most useful shift was when we were in charge of keeping the coolers filled. Grabbed a handful of chilled water bottles. Wandered around the venue. Offered a bottle to anyone with a badge around their neck. Gone in minutes.

Why Working With People Is Different Than Working With Horses

Oh no, that tent leg is flapping. I must tie it down before it causes a spook. Oh…

Posts

[When Fact Is More Interesting Than Fiction]

[Walk, World Games, and Wee Mouser, This Week on Instagram]

[Volunteering for the World Games]

Links

The World Games 2022 & IWGA

AL.com: World Games had high cost, hard to measure returns for Birmingham, Garrison, Jul. 19, 2022.

“It was enough to see #Birmingham trend on Twitter on Thursday” AL.com: Archibald: Was the World Games worth it? Jul. 17, 2022.

TWG: The World Games 2022 Puts Haudenosaunee Nationals, The Inventor Of Lacrosse, On International Stage, March 8, 2022.

Fascinating. BarBend: Raw vs Equipped Powerlifting, Siem, July 10th, 2017.

In Closing

Digital flag ceremony

This is what happens when Italy (silver), Bulgaria (gold), and Hungary (bronze) win medals. Rhythmic Gymnastic, Hoop.

Onwards!
Katherine