So, here we are, four months after the launch of Team Quest and hasn’t it flown! Never in a million years did we think it’d take off this quickly or reached such dizzy heights. So far, an amazing 2,579 horse and rider combinations have registered – and we’ll let you into a little secret…we were hoping for 500 or so! That’s one target smashed! We’ve got 449 open teams in the mix, 23 under 25s and 41 under 16s which gives 513 in total which grows every day.
A coveted place in the final at Bury Farm (01 – 02 November) is firmly in the sights of many teams – there are 15 up for grabs in each level. Nearly 400 teams have competed already and we’ve just had the first team break the magical 100 points barrier – a big well done to The Northern Bells. No celebrating for them just yet though as every week, teams are out competing and scoring valuable points so the competition are hot on their tails. Hold on to your hats, it’s definitely going to be a thrilling race to the end of the qualifying period in September.
Looking at the photos and reading the stories here at TQHQ, we’re floored by how everyone has captured the spirit of the competition. Every week we receive tons of updates from teams that have been out competing over the weekend, stories of escapades, successes and even sometimes mishaps – but always with a healthy dose of photos to show us exactly what we’re missing by staying in the office!
So many teams have gone above and beyond to show their own personality, making the most of the relaxed dress code. Teams with uniforms ranging from matching tops and extreme bling, to full on fancy dress – there are even some who’ve taken it a step further and have matching horses! Who’d have thought you could put together a team made entirely of greys, bays or coloureds!
Not all of the teams have competition as their motive for taking part though; there are a few doing it for reasons close to their hearts. ‘Nice Asses’ are using teamwork to raise funds for their initiative ‘Campaign4Rob’ to support their friend who was involved in a tragic accident. They’re hoping to raise enough money to help Rob buy specialist equipment which will improve his day-to-day life.
Another team on the fund raising trail in TQ is the ‘Yahooligans’ who are supporting the Prince Phillip Hospital Breast Cancer unit in Llanelli where a team member is currently undergoing treatment. This hasn’t stopped her competing in TQ though – you’re a tough lot out there – hats off to you!
Possibly the biggest achievement of the Team Quest competition, though, is how it’s brought people together. Friendships have been created, families united, fears conquered and dreams realised – all through the power of being on a team. From the day the team registration forms were released, people from all regions who had never met previously reached out to each other to form teams and start their dressage journey together.
The guys at TQHQ work hard every week to get new rankings out to the teams to see who’s top of the pops. But as we’re still learning, it’s not always been perfect but we’ve got a good system in place now and, as long as the venues keep sending in the vital results, updates should be spot on.
The lovely messages, comments, emails and stories that we get from everyone who’s taken part really shows how amazing dressage is and excites us for the future! Already there are ideas flooding in and floating around of how we can develop TQ further and make it accessible to a wider range of participants – so watch this space!
Once the dust has settled after the final, we’ll be reviewing the competition – the positives and negatives – to see how we can improve and make it even better for 2015! The TQ Facebook page has been a huge success as it’s let us communicate with you guys easily and effectively - we’ll definitely be reaching out to hear everyone’s thoughts for improvement!
Finally, we’ll leave you with something exciting to spur you on through the summer towards qualifying for Bury Farm… We’re hoping to secure a very special guest and are just in the process of ordering some gorgeous rosettes, sashes and rather large trophies for the final for them to present to our prize winners!
Keep up the good work and we look forward to seeing you at Bury Farm!
TQHQ