Father Mack
Father Larry David McCormick - "Father Mack": Journalist, Academician (Fordham University) Parish Priest, Equestrian Fanatic, Devoted Horse Husband
We are honored to have Father Mack's whimsical, sometimes intelectual coverage coming live from Lexington, KY as he and his adorable wife Ruth (with camera in hand) join the masses of spectators congregating for the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games. His articles have graced our pages for several years, and it is always fun to get to see them first.
Father Mack (a.k.a.: Larry David McCormick) A gentleman who wears several different hats.
He is a parish priest, an academician, a journalist, an dedicated drinker of Belgian beer, a devoted husband, and an equestrian fanatic. Let’s look at those in reverse order.
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Father Mack’s Musings #5 - Is This the Epitome of Cross-training?
While trying to muster some patience as we stood amongst the thousands of people who attended the “Reining Freestyle” that closed out the reining portion of this WEG, I saw standing nearby a fellow journalist, Ms. Sarah Jenkins of the UK publication “Horse & Hound.”“So,” I asked, “what will your readers across the herring pond make of it when you report that three-time Olympic gold medalist Anky van Grunsven was sliding and circling in a cowgirl getup?” She responded, “Many of our readers barely know what reining is all about, and those who do will have a difficult time imagining Anky without her shadbelly having exchanged it for all that ‘bling.’”
Father Mack’s Musings #4 from the WEG 2010 - People Want to See Cockroaches Crash
“Hey! Hawkeye! You goin’ down to the latrine for the cockroach races?“Nah, I never go to those things. People who go to those things only want to see a cockroach crash.”
Dialogue between Hawkeye Pierce
& another member of the 4077th M*A*S*H
I have (on numerous occasions) told folks that I am the Trapper John McIntyre (or, perhaps more aptly compared, the Radar O’Reilly) to my respected colleague’s, Astrid Appel’s (she of our sister publication, “Eurodressage”), Hawkeye Pierce. By this comparison I mean to point out that Astrid’s expertise is akin to Hawkeye’s ability to resection a bowel even while sightless. I in this equation am competent, but I know my limitations.
Father Mack’s Musings #3 from the WEG 2010 - Being a Good Sport
“I never thought about losing, but now that it’s happened, the only thing is to do it right.” ....Muhammad AliPerhaps my mind has dredged that quotation you see above from the darker recesses of my memory because those of us attending the opening ceremonies of these games were privileged to see the boxing champion known simply as “The Greatest” pass by and wave to us from the front seat of a convertible. Another possibility is the simple fact that, after so many of us had whipped ourselves into a frenzy at the possibility of the US dressage team winning one of the medals awarded on Tuesday afternoon, we need to take at least a passing glance at the topic of sportsmanship.
Father Mack’s Musings #2 - Believing Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Alice laughed. “There's no use trying,” she said “one can’t believe impossible things.”“I daresay you haven't had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
Through the Looking Glass
By Lewis Carroll
Chapter V “Wool and Water”
Father Mack’s Musings #1 from the WEG 2010
We are so please to have Father Mack with us here at the 2010 Alltech World Equestrain Games!! Look for his insightful "musings" as the games unfold!!Jogging Not One’s Failing Memory, But the Horse
In the sweet by-and-by this will be an informative (God grant it!) article about what we mavens of the world of dressage may learn from the veterinary jog that precedes any major dressage competition. That is what I promise for the sweet by-and-by. But first of all I feel the need to divest myself of the story that lies behind the story. Please bear with me, dearest of readers.