Dave and Brian's Excellent Adventures

Today is the big day. We've spent the last week preparing for today - Eventing: Cross-Country. For those that don't know Eventing is an equestrian event that comprises of three different disciplines: Dressage, Cross-Country, and Jumping. This means that the same rider and horse go through each discipline and get judged on their performance for all three events. Cross-Country is when the horse is jumping over fixed jumps (not the one's that break-away if the horse misses) that could be made of anything: We have bourbon barrels, fallen trees, a chainsaw Blue Jay, and water obstacles. This can be very dangerous for both the horse and rider. The rider's wear a protective vest that inflates once the rider is dislodged from the saddle. The idea is, if the horse lands or rolls on the rider, the inflatable vest will expand and protect the rider's body. This was the event Christopher Reeves was participating in when he fell and was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

The reason it's taken so long is that we have 28 cameras (26 that will be accompanied by a camera-operator, one that is a POV (Point-of-View camera that is a fixed view), and one Q-ball (which is a robotic camera). The truck I'm working with (NEP's SS-10) is only controlling 13 of the 26. NEP's Denali: Summit (the truck that is working on the shows out of the Main Stadium) is controlling the other 13. Here's the reason we're at work so early: As my mother described, last night (until about 11 PM) Summit was working on Dressage and has been busy every day. This means today, at about 7:30 AM, will be the first time we've tested all 26 cameras at once!

We've tested the cameras and the cables, but never everything at once. The good news is the engineering staff that is here has been on top of the ball since Day 1. With all the planning we've done, today's the day to see what it's gotten us.

From the Horse Park

brian