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LIFE IN LEXINGTON IS GOOD FOR ONE IHSA RIDER It took a phone call, a packed car with the “essentials”, and a roadmap. I am off on a long road trip to a new place...a new adventure! Where am I heading? This Jersey-shore bound girl is heading to Lexington, Kentucky. That’s right! Where the green grass is called “bluegrass”, Versailles is pronounced “Ver-SALES”, and country music prevails. Am I going to experience culture shock? Probably. All I knew was that I had a Lexington apartment (which I found through a girl on Facebook) and I was heading to the horse capital of the United States for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games! I settled in Lexington with a big heartache for the Jersey shore and ocean breezes. I am used to waking up and putting my bathing suit on for the day – not office clothes! I spent my first few days exploring the new scenery. It was not long before I began driving throughout Kentucky that I realized I was falling in love with this place. As many fellow equestrians understand, we drool at exquisite barns with beautiful fencing and horses as far as the eyes can see. Kentucky is all about the Thoroughbred breed and they cater to the horses with top quality barns, landscape, and pride. Everything you see in Lexington has a horse-reference. Whether you are looking at beautiful racing paintings in a restaurant with racing on flat-screen Televisions, jockey statues throughout shopping centers, equine product billboards, or the many barns that cover the Kentucky land, you are sure to enjoy an equine experience. There are even life-size painted horses distributed throughout the area that have been decorated by many Kentucky artists and sponsored by local organizations. For my summer internship I pursued working with the World Equestrian Games Foundation which is located right next to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. After many years of sending my resume and information to the Foundation, I landed my summer internship in May (which was good timing – I didn’t know what to do otherwise!). I am currently a senior for Equine Studies – Equibusiness – at the Delaware Valley College and shared the exciting news with my fellow friends and instructors. My job title was “Floater” to work with all the Games departments while preparations continue for the Opening Ceremonies in September 2010. For those of you who may not know, the World Equestrian Games are an eight-event championship made up of Reining, Dressage, Eventing, Show Jumping, Endurance, Driving, Cross-Country, and the newly added Para-Dressage. Only three events continue on to the Olympics; Riders competing in the remaining five consider this the pinnacle of their careers. It is held every four years and will be making its first appearance outside of Europe. The Games will have over 500,000 spectators, 500 horses, and 500 athletes from over 50 nations around the world. As you can tell, I was very excited to hear about my opportunity to work at the Games Foundation! As a “Floater” I work with several different departments such as Endurance, Equipment, Volunteer, Marketing, Community Relations, Finance, press releases, office-duties and much more. This also involved talking to enthusiastic fans, businesses, athletes, media, or public figures that are involved or want more information on this world-class event. Many people from businesses are interested in hearing more about the Games and how it will affect their hometown as we near September 25th, 2010. I made sure to do a lot of “Games Homework” so I was educated enough to help a wide variety of people with a wide variety of questions! It is an exciting challenge to answer questions from both locals and people from around the world. Recently, the World Equestrian Games Foundation celebrated the grand opening of the new indoor stadium that will seat over 8,000 spectators. I was able to meet the dedicated and respected people who worked extremely hard to get this enormous project done. They even held a special celebration of Reining and Vaulting inside the stadium to welcome the beginning of W.E.G. Test Events this summer. These Test Events are a prestigious qualifying competition for the eight events to be held at the 2010 Games. There is never a dull moment at the Kentucky Horse Park! I grabbed the reins of a great opportunity that came my way through the social media network Twitter. Yes, that’s right! I “tweeted” and “twittered” my excitement about the summer internship with the World Equestrian Games. Before I knew it, a follower by the name of “Horse Radio Network” contacted me with an interest in finding a source for official updates for their radio show. I have always loved television and communications, so I jumped at the opportunity. Now I present information on a weekly basis to the 2010 Radio Show as an “Official WEG Representative” with new information and factual updates along with some fun conversations as we share our excitement for the games. My summer is still going with growing anticipation for the Games and future goals for my career and dreams. Though it felt like culture shock in the beginning, Kentucky has opened my heart and mind to new experiences and loving hospitality. Although I cannot call myself a true Kentuckian, I feel that I have been welcomed like any other local with kindness, respect, and patience (the Kentucky road system is very different from hectic New Jersey). I can’t wait to see how the Games unfold in the coming months as I return to Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, Pennsylvania for my last semester. I am also thrilled to be returning back to school to see the familiar faces that helped me decide where my passion truly lies – with the people who share the same feelings – the grace, power, and beauty of the horse. As you can see, my heart is not torn between two amazing places, but has grown and opened up to embrace all new experiences, people, and places that I will encounter to shape my future in the equine world. --Chrissy Moller Learn more about the Games at www.alltechfeigames.com Follow Chrissy's WEG Updates at 2010RadioShow.com Follow Chrissy's WEG Twitter Updates and 'Kentucky Fun' at CJoyM And follow Chrissy on Facebook (For WEG, Kentucky and Photos) at facebook.com/CJoyM --Steve Maxwell
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