Sorry for the confusion, Marjean. I thought it was clear that the absurd comment was "we can't have people competing internationally for the USA who don't win." The appropriateness of Mr. Balch's comments make me wonder if he knew in advance about the Pairs selection mess. Or was he commenting on a long standing problem with USET? In any case, I think the basic principle involved is that the selection process should be, above all, fair. In the case of the Pairs, it clearly was not. Jay E. Hubert Coffing Oaks Welsh Ponies Galt, CA Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, because you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup. And I STILL drive too fast to worry about cholesterol! _________________________________________________________ To Unsubscribe, change to Digest or Vacation mode go to: http://www.drivingpairs.com/dpmem.html `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````