Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 22, 1994 TAG: 9407200028
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Younger children in any family may tell similar stories of getting last crack at everything from picked-over , cold macaroni and cheese to out-of-style, fraying clothing.
The Leskos are a horse-loving bunch and sadly for little Richard, he was invariably the last in line there, too.
``I was always getting hand-me-down horses from my brother and sister,'' said Richard, a rising senior in advanced classes in the Roanoke city schools. ``I probably had eight or nine of them.''
To that, older brother John, 21, hooted in derision from the other room. Like older brothers everywhere, he lacked even a trace of sympathy.
Nor probably would sister Catherine, the eldest, had she had been present when Richard made his mournful announcement.
The elder Leskos have difficulty feeling sympathy for Richard in matters equestrian because he will pass them in achievement, if he hasn't already.
Fresh off a tour of the Florida circuit, where he rode his jumpers Wellington and Oxford against some of the best up-and-coming amateur talent in the country, Lesko will be back on home turf once again this week when he rides at the Roanoke Valley Horse Show at the Salem Civic Center.
The Florida tour was one of the highlights of a career that has been uncannily productive. Say this for Lesko, he hasn't been intimidated by the competition.
``When I was in Florida, I was riding against the top three or four Junior Amateurs in the country,'' he said.
Not without success, either. Lesko claimed at least 10 places during the competition, including two in one event (aboard both Wellington and Oxford).
Incidentally, his piteous claims of hand-me-downs notwithstanding, he has been the original owner (at least in his own family) of both his mounts.
The month-long Florida adventure didn't come without cost, both monetary and physical. With his trainer and horses quartered in Florida, Lesko made several round trips, skipping school Friday and flying in to show at Ocala and Tampa, which he did Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Monday, at the crack of dawn, he'd fly back home to Roanoke in order to be in class at first bell.
Lesko attended Governor's School at Patrick Henry High last year and is enrolled in both that and CITYschool next year. It's a demanding and difficult curriculum that puts his time at a premium. Also cutting into his schedule is lacrosse, which he plays for the Patrick Henry club team as a goalkeeper.
All that and a 25-minute commute from the family farm near Rocky Mount.
``Usually, I get out of lacrosse practice at 5:30, get home and ride both horses for about an hour and a half, eat dinner, and study until 11 or later.
``It's taught me discipline.''
Lesko thinks he's about reached the end of the trail with competitive riding, though. He moves from Junior Amateur to Adult Amateur next year and he doesn't think he's going to devote the time to the new class that he has to the old.
As for a pro career in riding, he doesn't think so. He wants to be a doctor like his father, not a pro show jumper.
``But I'd still like to keep and ride horses,'' he said.
by CNB