Chapter 39
A/N Competition
Lizzie had spent most of the spring and all summer training for her first event. Rick had entered her into an entry level event for beginners. Saturday would be a big day for her and Buttercup. The meet would be in upper Virginia about 2 hours away. They would drive up that morning since the event didn't start until after noon.
She got up early and made sure her gear was just right. Her boots were polished and shiny. Her helmet was brand new, a gift from Rick. Her chest protector was fitted especially for her. Rick told her it was necessary and part of the rules that she wore it. Her outfit was also new from her parents. Benjamin had her a silks shirt made that matched the one that Jared wore the day Benji won the Kentucky Derby. They were now the official colors of the Adams farm.
She had tested and gotten her license 3 weeks ago and it was proudly framed and hanging above her bed. The other one was in Rick's briefcase to give to the race officials.
Rick had told her to make sure she got plenty of rest the night before. The race would be hard and tiring and he didn't want her stamina being the reason they didn't do well. She had slept well the night before and was sure she was ready.
She got dressed and headed down for breakfast. Her parents were already at the table and eating.
"Are you excited about today, Baby Girl?" Benjamin asked.
"Yep," she said, popping the P.
"Billy and Rick are out loading Buttercup. Do you have your equipment ready and packed?" Suzanne asked.
"Yes, I checked everything twice before I packed it. The bag is sitting at the bottom of the stairs ready to go. I am ready and not nervous at all. Rick has trained me well and I am ready," she told them both with confidence.
Three hours later, they pulled into the event. Rick got out and went to check in and see where they would be staged and register her.
She would be in the third heat, so she would get a chance to see the other heats to see what times she would have to beat. Rick had taken her to an event a month ago, so she got first hand knowledge of how an event worked and what to expect.
She was dressed and sitting on Buttercup when Rick found her. He was giving her last minute pointers and some advice he had learned from experience.
Her heat was called and she rode to the starting line. Since the event was close to home, the Barnes family had made the trek to watch her. Isabelle had been helping her do her training so she had become her biggest supporter.
It was a very hard race and tested Lizzie and Buttercup. At one point during the race, Lizzie didn't think she would be able to finish the race. She set her mind to finish and bared down.
Fifth place was not how she wanted to finish, but Rick was happy with it. He told her that most of the riders in the race had been riding and training for years and 14 riders finished behind her.
Lizzie didn't like it, but he made sense and she resigned herself to her finishing position. She would work harder and perform better in her next event.
Suzanne and Benjamin were ecstatic for her and were not privy to her disappointment that she showed Rick. By the time they reached her, she had put a smile on her face and showed them how happy she was.
It would be a long road for her, but she was determined to do better and set her mind to it.
Rick assured her she would and he would keep training her until she had reached her goals.
Another month passed and 2 more events and she finished 4th and 2nd. She kept getting better and gaining more experience. Unfortunately there was only 1 more event of the year and she was determined more than ever to win a race in her rookie year.
Rick had increased her training since she didn't have to worry about her studies with classes for the summer. She had 2 weeks to prep and she was spending every waking hour honing her craft. She was worried that she was pushing Buttercup too hard. She talked to Rick and they agreed to a complete down day of no training to let him rest. She used it to rest herself and resisted going to the barn all day.
She talked Benjamin into taking her to the golf course so she could burn off some nervous energy. They decided to not play a round and just hit balls on the driving range.
He got two buckets and they both proceeded to pound away at balls. She had not actively been playing the game for months, but had not lost a step. He figured with all the work she was doing and the amount of strength it took her to compete in steeplechase it was crossing over into her golf game. She was hitting the ball much farther than she had been last fall. He was really impressed with her hitting.
"If you decide to give up steeplechase, you will be a heck of a golfer," he told her.
"I will keep that in mind. I might just play golf in the off season, then I can challenge 2 sports. Seems my steeplechase training is paying off with my golf game too," she laughed.
"Yeah, I noticed that too. You are really blasting the ball and hitting it straight down the fairway. Want to play a few holes or head out?" he asked.
"I think I would like to head out. I am supposed to be resting today. Mom and Will went to a reading competition in Richmond, want to grab some pizza?" she asked.
"Sounds like a great idea. Maybe I can beat you at some pinball. I haven't played in a while, but I bet I can still beat you," he said, challenging her.
"You are on old man, but be prepared to take a whooping," she said. Spending time with her Daddy would always be special to her and she loved when it was just them.
A large pizza and a four game draw at pinball they were ready to head home. She had thoroughly beat him both the games she won and he had barely beat her in the two he won.
"You so cheated in that last game. No way you won fair and square,"she said to him.
"Take your loss like a good sport. You hate losing just like your Mom. She always accuses me of cheating when I beat her at Scrabble. Just deal with it youngin," he said as he wrapped his arm around her neck and rubbed her hair.
Two weeks later, everyone was awaiting Lizzie's last event to start. They all had high hopes for her to win this event. She had trained extremely hard and wanted to win so bad.
Rick was waiting for her at the finish line and he saw she was leading the race when she jumped over the last jump. Buttercup landed perfectly and had momentum running towards the finished line. They broke the tape and she stood up in her stirrups and pumped her fist. She had finally won an event and could not be happier.
Everyone ran towards the winners circle as she circled around a little bit to cool Buttercup down. She caught Rick's eye and he gave her a big thumbs up and was clapping in victory for her.
She rode Buttercup into the Winner's Circle and accepted her trophy. Buttercup got a flower blanket. Once all the photos were taken, she dismounted and ran over and lunged into Rick's arms.
Squeezing her tightly he told her, "I am so proud of you. You both worked very hard and it paid off. Good job Lizzie."
Benjamin and Suzanne were standing by waiting on their turn to congratulate her. They were smiling from ear to ear and so happy with her win. She had pushed herself so hard and worked her tail off to get this victory and she so deserved it.
Benjamin pushed her back to look at her. "You did it, Baby Girl. Mom and I are so proud of you. Paw Paw and Granny are looking down at you and smiling. They would be so proud of you too."
Suzanne had tears in her eyes as she hugged her tightly. Even Will patted her on the back and told her good job sis.
Isabelle finally worked her way through the crowd and both squealed and hugged spinning in a circle.
Rick took Buttercup back to his stall to prep him to load so they could travel back to the farm. It was a 5 hour drive, but everyone agreed to make the trek that day instead of waiting until the next day.
It was very late when they arrived home. Benjamin pulled up and turned off the truck. He turned to look in the back seat and what he saw put a smile on his face. Suzanne had both kids pulled into her and all of them were sound asleep. Lizzie was holding her trophy tightly and dynamite couldn't remove it from her.
He chuckled and shook Suzanne to wake her. He got out and opened the back door to rouse the kids and get them in the house.
Billy had met them and he was going to take care of Buttercup.
It had been a long day and everyone was exhausted. Lizzie walked into her room and put her gear bag down. She had cleared a spot for a trophy when she won one and now she could put it in place. She would continue to train in the off season to get ready for next season, but that could wait for another day. She was tired and all she wanted was a hot shower and her bed.
The next day she saddled up Buttercup and rode up to the cemetery where her Grandparents were buried. She stopped and dismounted and removed the trophy from her saddle bag. "Grandpa, I did it. Look at this trophy I won. You always told me that I was a good rider and Buttercup and I won this for you. Thank you for giving me my love of riding. I will always love riding and think of you when I do."
She stayed and talked to them a while longer. She eventually remounted and headed back to the barn. It had been a great, but tiring couple of days and she had to get back into school mode. It would be starting in 2 weeks.