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POWER & SPEED UPDATE, October, 1996

Did You Ever Wonder...

How Jumps Qualify For The Olympics?

Quick. See if you can identify our mystery guest. His credentials are unprecedented. First, he made the 1978 Three-Day Eventing World Championships in Lexington, KY, and then created an awesome spectacle at the 1984 Olympic Three-Day in Los Angeles, CA. He proceeded to change hats and make a strong showing at the 1992 Volvo World Cup of Show Jumping in Del Mar, CA. From there, he added the piécé de résistance—the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Show Jumping courses to his portfolio.

Give up? For all the hoopla surrounding these global events, you'd think you could come up with at least a vague idea of who we're talking about. You may even have thought it was a horse until you realized this world champ would be way past his prime by 1992. Chances are, you never came up with the name Richard Newton, course builder, and that's just the way he likes it.

A native of England, Richard came to the U.S. in 1965 to work at the Potomac Horse Center in Gaithersburg, MD. His expertise in building cross country fences soon became apparent and his skills were in constant demand as the fledgling sport of three-day eventing began to flourish in this country. Richard ultimately ventured out on his own and established Newcourse Company which built every U.S. international course from 1972 through 1984, including the 1978 World Championships in Lexington, KY and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

An FEI course designer, Richard's work was recognized by the United States Combined Training Association (USCTA) which awarded him it's prestigious Governor's and Wofford Cups in 1984, the year our Olympic Three-Day team won the gold.

After the 1984 Olympics, Richard and his wife, Patti, moved from their Pennsylvania home and established permanent residence in San Diego, CA. Tired of living out of a suitcase and determined to succeed, Richard made the transition from building combined training courses to fabricating show jumping courses in 1988. Many in the industry advised against it, believing there was no future in such an endeavor.

However, just as he'd done in the combined training world, Richard applied his foresight, considerable skills and enthusiasm with an unwavering belief that he could create a niche for himself. His two-car garage became the home of Newcourse Jumps. It wasn't long before puissance walls and freshly painted rails became lawn ornaments and Patti's horse was frequently evicted from his stall.

Soon the frustration of working with materials 12 feet in length and the demand for more volume resulted in the procurement of workshop space. The business outgrew it's first location in less than a year and is now housed in a more comfortable 3,800 s.f. space. Providing courses for most of the major Southern California hunter/jumper shows, Richard's expertise and reputation attracted the attention of the Volvo World Cup organizing committee which hired him as the construction consultant. The World Cup course designer, Linda Allen, had worked with Richard on a number of A shows, but this was their first major, international collaboration.

"Richard's invaluable contribution of time, talent, effort, and support helped to bring the best of international show jumping to the west coast," Linda stated.

The pair would be working together again on another major project in 1993, after Linda was selected to be the official course designer for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Expressing her gratitude for having three years to plan, Linda explained, "Our World Cup collaboration helped. I knew it would turn out just right."

Fax machines and telephone lines began heating up between Linda's northern California home and Southern California-based Newcourse. The creative juices began to flow, however, creative ideas do not always convert readily into jumps which are technically correct. When the two got together to discuss the project, it was apparent just how consumed they were by it. A favorite restaurant was not chosen for its fine cuisine, but because it had butcher paper and a jar of crayons on each table! Design devices like cocktail and dinner napkins littered the files.

Another crowd pleaser was the "Atlanta" fence.

"The trick with this one was to make it
right-reading from the landing side as well
as the takeoff side."

Seven-day work weeks and 14-hour days became the rule rather than the exception. Their collaboration yielded an aesthetically and technically superb course. Perhaps the most universally popular fence in the Olympic course was the Bamboo Gate, with its large thatched roof huts, and intricately designed wing standards and panels.

"It wasn't too bad to build once I figured out what Linda wanted," explained Richard.

"It isn't like work when you love what you're doing," Newton explained. "I love what I do and I can't imagine what life would be like waking up in the morning and dreading the day ahead." Unlike most of us, Richard lives for his work, a trait as rare and commendable as his résumé.