Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 23, 1990 TAG: 9006230259
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
There he will enter the trials for the Canadian national equestrian team that competes in the World Cup championship in Sweden at the end of July.
The Deslauriers live in Culpeper. Pam Deslauriers is from Louisville, Ky., and Mario, 25, is from Bromont, a small town east of Montreal. He has ridden for the Canadian national equestrian team for the last eight years and says he hopes his best days as a rider are in the future.
This is his second year to compete in the Roanoke Valley Horse Show, and he will be one of the favorites for tonight's Grand Prix. "Last year I had a good week and a bad Grand Prix. I finished sixth or seventh," said Deslauriers.
He must hope that tonight isn't deja vu. He had two firsts going into Friday night's $10,000 Open Jumper Gambler's Choice. The horses entered in that event are guided over the course in an allotted amount of time and score points for each jump taken, with one barrier worth 200 points if the horse clears it or minus-200 points if the jump is knocked down.
Deslauriers is riding Asterix, his wife's horse, in this week's competition, and he finished second behind The King, ridden by Henri Prudent, in the Gambler's Choice. Make My Day, ridden by Henri Prudent's wife, Katie, finished third.
"I think the horse did well," said Deslauriers of Asterix. "To win here every night is impossible. There are too many good horses here. Horses have their ups and downs as do the riders."
The family makes 20 to 25 shows a year and spends nearly eight months on the road. When they are not traveling up and down the East Coast and into Canada, they are at home in Culpeper, giving lessons and running shows at Commonwealth Park.
Asterix is not the Deslauriers' top horse. Box Car Willie and Calvados already are in Canada awaiting Mario's arrival and an attempt to make the Canadian national team.
Deslauriers rode for Canada in the last two Olympics at Los Angeles and Seoul, South Korea. He just missed winning a medal.
"We missed in a jumpoff at Los Angeles and by a rail [knocked down] at Seoul," he said.
The question is when do riders reach their peak, such as baseball players in their late 20s and early 30s or professional tennis players in their 20s?
"I'd say riders can go to 30-35 years. I've been doing this a long time [eight years] and I have a lot of experience," said Deslauriers. "Every rider is different.
"I've been on the Canadian team for eight years, and that's unusual. Some people don't ride eight years for a team in their careers."
While waiting for Friday night's competition, the family sat in the stands watching the other contestants. The travel is hectic, but they've found a way to make a home away from home.
"We try to stay in our camper at most shows and it's like our home. In certain shows, we don't have any choice but to stay in hotel," said Deslauriers.
The family spends a month or so in the summer taking in Canadian shows to avoid the heat of Virginia. Deslauriers also rides horses for other people and has six of his own.
What attracted them to the Roanoke Valley Horse Show last year?
"There is a lot of money here," said Pam Deslauriers, "and the people are really nice. Some shows you enter and they never talk to you again."
"Yeah," Mario Deslauriers said, "they call you every year to try and get you to enter."
So the Deslauriers are back hoping to cart off tonight's biggest prize before going for a world championship next month.
by CNB