A Horse Named Petoskey

Today I had my first riding lesson and it was the day that I found out for sure whether I made the team or not. As of last night, I still hadn't heard anything and was beginning to tell myself, "Well, I didn't make the team . . . guess this means I don't have to spend $400 on show clothes!" Despite my up-beat, always-a-silver-lining attitude, I was feeling both worried and disappointed. I have never not made a sport I tried out for. And for all that I love Albion just as a school, the whole reason I came here was to compete on the equestrian team. So, what would happen if I didn't make it?

Well, my alarm went off at 6 a.m. this morning. I rose only long enough to turn it off before rolling over and sleeping for the next half hour before the second alarm sounded. This past weekend had not been especially productive. I spent the whole time in my room watching t.v. shows. I didn't start doing homework or laundery until Monday. This meant that despite my goal to be in bed early last night, I didn't get to sleep until around 2 a.m.. Ouch. Nonetheless, I was excited when I finally did pull myself out of bed and got ready for my lesson. Excited and a bit apprehensive.

I ran into Greer in the cafeteria when I slipped in with the first batch of much-too-awake early birds. We sat together and talked of classes while we waited for the food to take effect and our brains to wake up. Greer is one of the people in my Tuesday lessons, but I hitched a ride from campus security to the barn. That early in the morning, I guess the campus police don't have much to do, because my ride was waiting out front of the dining hall exactly when I asked to be picked up. I arrived at the barn with plenty of time to spare.

The first thing I did was locate the white board that told me what horse I was riding. Petoskey. Not a horse I was familiar with, but I've never met a horse I didn't like, so I was excited to meet this gelding. Next, I obediantly checked the card on his grooming box to find out if there were any specific instructions I had to follow when dealing with him. There weren't. Now, since I still had a little time before I needed to start getting tacked up, I went in search of Danielle to ask her whether the teams had been picked and the riders informed. As I passed the huge bulletin board outside of the indoor arena on my way to find Danielle, the word "congratulations" caught my eye:

Congratulations to the 2010-2011 Dressage Team!

Second Level
Kjirsten Sneed
Nicole Howey

First Level
Greer Clemons
Johnna Serydynski

Training Level
Alyssa Olsen
Sarah Morris

Introductory Level
Samantha Green
Nora Cox

That's right, peoples. I made the team.