The games are afoot!
We are fortunate to have a subscription to NBC’s streaming platform, Peacock, although in this household we prefer to refer to it as Pelican. Unlike watching it on TV years ago, we have full control of the schedule, and can pick and choose which events we want to watch.
As a kid growing up in Australia, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Olympics was just one long swim meet. With only one broadcast, programmers had to make difficult choices on what to show. An Australian athlete winning, or a close competition, or a popular event? Is an Australian competing in the archery more popular than Michael Phelps breaking a world record? With streaming, all those problems are now gone. If you want to watch 4.5 hours of Three Day eventing, you can, and in my case, did.
My thoughts: One of the highlights of hosting the Olympics is showing off the city’s landmarks. This can be difficult for some metropolises, but not Paris. The equestrian events are being held at the Palace of Versaille, which honestly couldn’t be more perfect. The chance to ride through the trees and across the ponds make this course nothing short of iconic.
With that said, I thought the course left a little on the table. The majority of athletes went clear, and lost points on time. This suggests that the course was too long but too easy for the majority of riders. My personal opinion is that this is largely due to the topography of the course; it is entirely flat, which makes it slightly easier for horse and rider. A bit more variety over the ground would have been more interesting, but the good news is that there is everything to play for tomorrow in the jumping.
I will be tuning in!
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