Two equestrian riders from Chester County harbor Olympic dreams
In his head, Boyd Martin pictures the plane ride home from Rio de Janeiro. He doesn't imagine coming home with an individual or team gold, although both would be nice. He imagines having no regrets.
In his head, Boyd Martin pictures the plane ride home from Rio de Janeiro. He doesn't imagine coming home with an individual or team gold, although both would be nice. He imagines having no regrets.
That is the mind-set Martin needs, he said, in order to succeed on the U.S. eventing team at this year's Olympics.
"This will be the strongest team the U.S. has seen in quite some time," said Martin, who trains at his farm in Cochranville, Chester County.
Of the four equestrian riders on the team, Martin and Phillip Dutton, who is based in West Grove, Chester County, are the seasoned veterans. Their teammates Lauren Kieffer, originally of Southern Illinois, and Clark Montgomery, from Texas, will be making their debuts.
Rio will mark Martin's second Olympics. The 36-year-old finished seventh in the team event at the 2012 London Games.
Meanwhile, the 52-year-old Dutton has competed in five previous Olympics. His first was the 1996 Games in Atlanta, where he represented Australia. All told, he has competed in three Olympics for his native Australia and another two after becoming an American citizen in 2006.
Dutton already has two Olympic team gold medals. And at the 2007 Pan-American Games in Rio, he was on the United States' gold medal team and won a silver medal himself.
Martin and Dutton have more in common than Olympic-level talent and experience.
Both athletes call Chester County home, but they grew up years apart in New South Wales, Australia. Throughout Martin's career, Dutton has been a major influence and example.
Dutton said he always had goals of competing with the world's top riders. But, he said, "I never thought I would be this successful."
Growing up on a farm, he was surrounded by horses. He competed as a child and then at Newington College in Sydney. Due to his love of the sport and a desire to train more competitively, in 1991 he moved to Pennsylvania, about five minutes from his current home in West Grove.
While building his career, he also started a life with his wife, Evie. He has a 22-year-old stepdaughter, Lee Lee, and 14-year-old twin daughters, Mary and Olivia.
Adjustment to life in the Philadelphia suburb was not difficult for Dutton or Martin.
"It is just like heaven," Dutton said, "for anyone who is interested in horses and people who respect and admire horses."
"I can't tell you how much we love our new home," said Martin, adding he enjoys trips to the city and has become a "huge Eagles and Flyers fan."
A dual-citizen, Martin moved to the United States in 2007 and started competing for the U.S two years later.
Like Dutton, Martin grew up surrounded by horse-riding families in Terrey Hills, New South Wales. A billboard advertising ponies peaked his interest as a child and he started competed as a young teen.
It was a natural progression, considering his family's Olympics history. His mother, Toy Dorgan, a U.S. speedskater, and his father, Ross, an Australian cross-country skier, met at the 1968 Olympic Games in Grenoble, France. Not to mention his wife, Silva, who is a German-born dressage rider and also competes for the U.S.
With that lineage, Martin knows how to prepare for the world stage.
In the weeks before Olympic competition, "everything gets a lot more concenrated and focused. I start really trying to make myself fit," Martin said. "And the horses who are training for the Olympics start getting the royal treatment," which includes massages and hoof rubs.
Last week, Dutton finished his training in Ocala, Fla., and was scheduled to fly to Rio on Friday.
No matter how many Olympics he competes in, Dutton said the experience provides the same adrenaline rush.
"The shine is still there," Dutton said. It is a "really, really unique few weeks where the whole world watches."
And despite the health, safety and infrastructure concerns in Rio, and the negative media attention that has accompanied them, Dutton said, "I think once the Games start everybody will be taken in by the excitement and the athelticism."