Welcome home, Brad

I’m sorry that Brad Forward didn’t have better luck in the driving competition in Norway, but it sounds as if he had an experience that he will never forget.

I’ve been to many international races in Europe and I know what a thrill it is to represent your country in international competition. I’ve never been lucky enough to have a horse in one of these races, but when I saw Mack Lobell win the Elitlopp in Sweden in 1988, I got a lump in my throat when they raised the stars-and-stripes and played the American anthem.

Heck, I even got a lump in my throat when Billyjojimbob won the Elitlopp in ’92 and they raised the Maple Leaf and played, “O Canada.” I had come to know Mike and Lori Wade well and was thrilled when their trotter won.

The driving competition always involves a lot of luck of the draw. The participants are all first-rank drivers and if they draw the best horse in the field, they’re gonna be tough to beat.

Ironically, most people think that Jean-Michel Bazire of France is the best driver in Europe and France didn’t have a driver in the competition this year. Neither did Italy or Finland, but there were ten top drivers from countries around the globe.

I loved reading Brad’s blog and commend SC for organizing that. Brad did a great job on it----light, informative, and entertaining. Hey, not only can he drive a horse pretty darn well, he can also write pretty darn well!

I was in Norway for about a week just before he arrived and I think it was my fifth time in Norway. Still, I could identify with the adjustments Brad had to make to Norwegian cuisine. On this trip, I stayed with a friend on a farm and my first meal consisted of a sandwich made from slices of smoked elk tongue and smoked elk heart.

That quickie Burger King meal that Brad wolfed down in Oslo would have looked pretty darn good to me when facing elk tongue and heart.

But I made it through that sandwich and then enjoyed later meals of sliced elk and elk burgers. They can hold the tongue and heart, as far as I’m concerned.

The Norwegians are wonderfully hospitable people and I enjoy myself every time I go there. From reading Brad’s blog, I could see that he found the Norwegians hospitable, too, and I know he came back with a lifetime of memories.