Jumping Clash is the latest innovation in show jumping. The idea is to make the sport more accessible (or entertaining) for the viewer. The concept is very simple to appeal to a much broader audience.
How does it work ?
The first round is a qualifying round built at a height of 1m50. The eight best riders in this round, called the Challenger Riders, go through to the next round we call the "round of sixteen".
In addition to the eight best in qualifying, we also have the "Seeded Riders". These are the eight best of the FEI ranking and because of that they are placed in the Round of Sixteen. In the second round (Round Of Sixteen, 1m50) there are eight matches of 1v1. The winner of each game proceeds to the finale, were only the best eight compete against each other. You could say Jumping Clash is a competition system that works with direct elimination. The person who loses a round is immediately out of the competition.
The last day, the Finale is an extremely exciting round where the best eight riders compete against each other in a quarter-final, semi-final and final. This means that we will see the two best in the ring on three occasions during this test.
How was the idea of Jumping Clash born?
The origin of idea comes from Pablo Marquez & Daniel Entrecanales. We met each other through a good friend and we worked out the practical side of things together. With my experience in organizing Jumping Antwerp, the Belgian Warmblood Foal Auction and with my knowledge of the equestrian and horse riders, I could contribute to the development of this wonderful project. I must say they came at just the right time. Because for years I have wanted do something innovative to make sure show jumping reached a larger audience. Now I think we have found it.
What makes it unique?
It is the only system that is so easy to understand for the public. Our system has a winner every 5 minutes giving continuous excitement. The same riders are getting back in the ring so the consistency of performance and endurance is also really tested too. We hope this will attract more audience to our sports so in the end we will be able to reach more sponsors and grow our sport. It is a trend we have seen this happening for years in tennis, golf, etc. Thanks to the easy to follow system of this tournament, everyone knows Roger Federer, Tyger woods etc. With the Clash we want to really make sure that the riders with the most qualities at that time gets the means in order to grow.
This weekend at Madrid Horse Week it was the first Jumping Clash Challenge, did it go how you planned?
I was very proud! Madrid has become a very professionally organized event. We did not only see a great competition, but they gace us the stage and we could also to broadcast it in a professional manner. With the right lighting and background in our Lounge, solid material was created by a very great team. That Jerome won the first race riding one of my horses horse Alicante the first race was really for me was a nice moment for me.
What future do you dream of for Jumping Clash Challenge?
I sincerely hope that within a few years we may be present on many more great competitions. This year we start with four Jumping Clash Challenges, of which one will be at Jumping Antwerp. On long term I hope to create a greater involvement of the general public so that they massively attend or follow the show on TV. It would be nice to a frequent item on broadcast television or national TV.
Check out the website for more information on the Jumping Clash Challenge.
