WORK BEFORE PLAY

As with any passion or hobby when you see someone performing publicly you many times don't know all the behind the scenes work that has gone into it.  When you have animals of anykind there is work and teenagers and the "w" word don't always go together.  Courtney with the assistance of her mom, morning and night have to clean stalls and feed the horses.  There are many nights when she has friends over who have to spend time with her in the barn while she gets her chores done. 

Although it is not responsibility she always wants to accept or appreciates she does a pretty good job. 
Her mom is always there to "bail" her out when necessary and ocassionally dad gets pulled in for emergencies!  The exercise of walking out to the barn on cold mornings is not something Courtney relishes but it is an important and necessary part of her passion. 

Courtney is learning some valuable lessons about responsibility that hopefully will serve her well in life. 
We all have responsibilities in life at work or home that are lower on our priority list but you learn then must be done.  I am grateful for the lessons that she is learning now because I believe it will make her a better person as an adult.

Aristotle:


"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

FROM THE BARNYARD TO THE COURT

Although you may not realize it horseback riding takes a great deal of athleticism.  To ride a horse requires balance and a tremendous amount of strength in your legs.  Courtney has benefited from her horseback riding experience to benefit her on the volleyball court.  She played 8th grade volleyball this past fall and as we enter into club season she was invited to move up and play with the 9th grade along with another girl. 

She has really developed a passion for volleyball as well and looks for opportunities to gain experience and improve.  Waverly-Shell Rock has an outstanding volleyball tradition and over the past 3 years is something like 100-10 with three state final appearances and one state championship.   Courtney has the desire to help continue to build on that tradition and is eager to play.

So one day she is preparing to jump a 3 foot fence with Al and the next she is rising above the net to spike the ball on an opponent. 

NO HORSING AROUND

Earlier this fall Courtney successfully completed her C-2 rating by attending a session where a judge critiqued her on various aspects of her horse knowledge and riding ability.  As a horse novice I wasn't aware of how rare or difficult it is to achieve your C-1 rating and C-2 rating within 6 months when many only accomplish this over a two year period.  Courtney is such a natural in the saddle and the whole process seems to be effortless to her.   We are extremely proud of Courtney and what she has been able to accomplish at such a young age relative to horses. 

In addition to performing Dressage, stadium jumping and cross country Courtney has to show that she has good knowledge of horse care and etiquette. 

She and her horse will rest over the winter and then determine when to tackle the next rating level and what competitions to attend in the spring.  Her schedule continues to become more hectic as she gets older and becomes involved in other things like volleyball.