A mere six and one-half months before the Eventing World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, the U.S. Equestrian Federation is looking for an interim chef d’equpe who will serve as team manager for that competition and several other events.
Erik Duvander, who was performance manager and chef d’equpe from 2017 until last fall, departed when his contract was not renewed. USEF failed to give a reason for not continuing with him, a strategy that led to all sorts of speculation.
Erik Duvander and Boyd Martin. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
It seemed an odd decision, considering the program really started hitting its stride near the end of 2021, with a good team finish abroad, an individual victory at Aachen by Will Coleman and the first 5-star victory since 2008 by an American when Boyd Martin overtook world number one Oliver Townend of Britain to win at Fair Hill.
The Performance Advisory Team and the Eventing Elite Task Force appointed in January have come up with a job description for the interim person, with priority one involving qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics through the team’s performance at Pratoni.
For the Tokyo Olympics, the team did not qualify at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games and made the cut instead by winning double gold (Boyd Martin) at the 2019 Pan American Games.
The number two priority is earning medals.
The duties of the chef will include keeping track of the athletes’ personal trainer/coach support, and competition plans, while assisting with the development of a cross “team” of staff, grooms, owners and athletes.The chef also will assist with development and implementation of the World Championships logistics plan, and with developing and implementing a communications and public relations plan around the World Championships, while “ensuring athletes project a positive image.”
The chef is expected to attend many events, including the Kentucky 5-star, Aachen, and the Pratoni test event, if possible.
Ironically, many experienced team riders are now getting instruction from Erik, who is back in the U.S. as a private trainer.