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Not the evaluation of the way the jury proceeded at the historical course
of the EC Dressage event, nor the lectures or the ever lasting hyperflexion
discussion, but the vision of Aken-directing manager Frank Kemperman and
Joep Bartels turned out to be the most future focussed item at the Global
Dressage Forum 2007. One remarkable comment Kemperman made was: „A jumping
track takes 70 seconds, rhythmic gymnastics 90 seconds, a test with
synchronised swimming takes 130 seconds, a dressage test no less than 360
seconds! You can't make that exciting for the greater public! "
Dressage still is not a discipline for professionals, Kemperman feels. Only
a few can make a living in dressage and a better marketing is desperately
needed.
Frank Kemperman continued: „The dressage is lucky only for one thing at the
moment. And that is that our two real professionals and superstars Isabell
Werth and Anky van Grunsven were born in different countries. Otherwise the
sport would have been doomed totally…„
Too many different types of shows make the importance unclear und poorly marketable for the public, says Frank Kemperman.
Kemperman did not only criticize the current situation, he also did some
suggestions. First of all dressage has to watch the shining examples of
extreme successful tournaments in other sports. Explanation of the
discipline in a better way becomes second. Kemperman: "To name some more
possible improvements: return to lesser and therefore stronger World Cup
qualifiers. Build onto a summer sequence of three or four competitions with
an exciting final. Think about shorter and more exciting dressage tests and
a Nations Cup series. Possible with stronger national emotions added. A
'jump off' for the best four."
FEI commercial director Christoph Troendle listened to it all with interest,
but Kemperman finished stating not to wait for the National Federations or
the FEI. "The show organisers and the riders will have to take initiatives,
if the dressage sport wishes to finally become professional, with higher
prize money, more riders who can make their living in it and a mature
status", Kemperman concluded.
The situation reminds of the one 23 years ago in Los Angeles, when, inspired
by the flying one tempi changes performed by Olympic champion Ahlerich and
Dr Reiner Klimke to the Olympic hymne, the idea for a Freestyle to music
came up in the mind of Joep Bartels. Then too, the riders and the
federations initially were dawdling third parties. Now, the Kür to music is
the greatest success of the past decades. And it still is, as piano virtuoso
Wibi Soerjadi showed when he became emotionally involved when explaining the
birth of the Freestyle music for Sunrise. He brought the audience to tears
and to silence with his explanation. Only the future can tell what
successful idea will be born now of the involvement of Kemperman.