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ENGLISH FOR THE GAMES

Paralympic EquestrianWhen athletes come together from around the world to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, they are fulfilling their dreams and competing at the highest level. Billions of people across the globe join in; watching, listening to and reading about the greatest global celebration of sport. To celebrate the London 2012 Games, the British Council is making a wide range of classroom resources available for learners of English worldwide.

‘Equestrian’ means connected with riding horses. Paralympic Equestrian Dressage developed in the 1970s. The first events were held in Great Britain and Scandinavia. Since then the sport has spread around the world. Athletes from more than 40 countries now compete on a regular basis.

Dressage crop

Dressage

Connecting rein bars

1. Vocabulary

A. Write the correct words in the spaces provided.

A. dressage B. dressage crop C. connecting rein bars

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2. The rules of Paralympic Equestrian

What is it?

Paralympic equestrian is a multi-disability sport which tests the ability of horse and rider

to work together.

Who can participate in equestrian at the Paralympics?

Equestrian is open to all disability groups. It is divided into four grades.

Classifications

Grade 1: severely disabled riders with cerebral palsy or spinal cord injuries and les

autres

Grade 2: riders with cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries or amputations that allow

reasonable balance and control; and les autres

Grade 3: riders with cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries; amputees or totally blind

athletes with good balance, leg movement and co-ordination; and les autres

Grade 4: riders who can walk, but have cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, amputations,

are visually impaired, and les autres.

How is it played?

There are three different dressage tests:

a team test (with three to four riders per team)

an individual championship test

a freestyle test where athletes choose their own movements and music.

The results of the team and individual championship tests are then added together to

make the team score. The best three scores count.

There are also Individual medals for the individual championship test and the freestyle

test. Riders can use devices such as dressage crops, connecting rein bars, rubber bands

and other aids. Visually impaired riders are permitted to use ‘callers’ to help them

navigate around the arena. Men and women compete against each other.

1. A long stick that allows a rider to touch the horse's side while keeping both hands on the reins.

2. A person with normal sight who talks to riders to help them navigate round the arena.

3. An event where the rider guides the horse to make a series of natural movements. 4. A device that helps some Paralympic athletes to control their horses by linking

them to the reins. 5. One of the two types of dressage on the Paralympic programme. Each rider must

make their horse perform predetermined movements. 6. One of the two types of dressage on the Paralympic programme. Each rider can

choose their own movements and music.

A. Match the words in the table with their definitions below.

a. caller b. championship test c. connecting rein bars

d. dressage e. dressage crop f. freestyle test

3. Reading

Lee Pearson

One of my favourite Paralympic memories is from Athens 2004 and involved the British

equestrian champion, Lee Pearson. Pearson had just received his first medal of those

Games. Suddenly, to everyone’s surprise, he got off his horse and presented the flowers

that he had been given to a young French girl called Valerie Salles. because her horse

had collapsed and died a short time before. "Valerie is a good friend so I was deeply

distressed for her”, he said later.

It wasn’t the first time Pearson had connected with the public. In 1980, when he was still

a child, Pearson had a big smile on his face when he was carried into 10 Downing Street

by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to receive a Children of Courage Award.

Lee was born with a condition called arthrogryposis multiplex congenital, which meant

that his arms and legs did not develop normally. By the time he was six years old he had

had 15 operations.

Now Lee is, without doubt, the greatest athlete in Paralympic equestrian history. He has

an incredible 100% record with a total of nine gold medals out of nine possible from the

Games in Sydney, Athens and Beijing.

He has also won six world titles and is the only athlete with an impairment to have won a

title at the British National Dressage Championships. At that event he competed against

able-bodied riders. He was made a Commander of the British Empire (an important

award for British people) in 2009 for his contribution to disability sport.

Not surprisingly, that nice man I had first seen giving his flowers to Valerie Salles has a

positive attitude, and says "I feel lucky that I found my talent, not unlucky that I was born

with a disability.” I’m sure that I’m not the only one hoping to see Pearson win another

three medals at London 2012.

A. Decide if the statements are true or false, according to the text.

1. Pearson gave Valerie Salles his flowers because he was sad that her horse had died.

2. Pearson met Margaret Thatcher when she was a child.

3. Pearson had to spend a lot of time in hospital when he was a small child.

4. Pearson had never lost at the Paralympic Games when the article was written.

5. Pearson has competed against athletes who are not disabled.

6. The author is the only person who hopes that Pearson will win three medals at

London 2012 .

B. Type in the correct form of the verbs in brackets to complete the sentences.

In each sentence, one of the verbs should take the past simple form, e.g. ‘was’, and the other the past perfect form, e.g. ‘had been’.

1. He (1)__________ [present] the flowers that he (2)__________ [receive] to a

young French girl called Valerie Salles.

2. Valerie Salles’ horse (3) __________ [die] a short time before he (4) __________

[give] her the flowers.

3. Pearson (5) __________(connect) with the public before he (6) __________

(become) a Paralympic athlete.

4. By the time he (7)__________ [be] six years old he (8) __________[have] 15

operations.

4. Solution

Exercise 1a

1. c; 2. b; 3. a

Exercise 2a

1. e; 2. a; 3. d; 4. c; 5. b; 6. f

Exercise 3a

1. True (T); 2. False (F); 3. T; 4. T; 5. T; 6. F

Exercise 3b

1. presented; 2. had received; 3. had died; 4. gave; 5. had connected; 6. became; 7.

was; 8. had had