9 minute read
Arena League
Arena League Flourishes in Its First Year Back in Action
By Abby Weingarten
Last year, after much dormancy, the Arena League at the Sarasota Polo Club was enthusiastically reanimated. This winter, the players and coaches are more primed than ever to kick off a stellar Sarasota Polo Club arena season.
“For those who might not know, the Arena League is really the beginning of polo playing for folks at the [Sarasota Polo] Club, especially those who don’t have a lot of experience in the saddle,” says Scott Lancaster, the coach of the Sarasota Polo Club Arena League. “It’s a controlled environment, and playing in the arena is a lot less intimidating than playing on a 10-acre polo field.”
Being coached the entire way by professional, experienced and certified instructors in a safe and encouraging environment is key to the eventual success of any polo player. Lancaster has been teaching polo for more than 30 years and loves the coaching aspect of the Sarasota Polo Club Arena League concept. He is a United States Polo Association (USPA) Honorary Certified Polo Instructor, and has worked with players ages eight to 75—from intercollegiate champions to U.S. Open Polo Championship patrons. “I love that the players really gain confidence and expand their comfort zone in the Arena League,” Lancaster says. The main goal for Lancaster is to be as interactive with his students as he can. “I’m usually on the ground but, occasionally, I’m a participant. I’m like the coach and the umpire,” Lancaster says. “The Arena Leagues allows us to provide real game
WE CAPTURE THE MOMENTS. WE TELL THE STORY. TRUST US TO TELL YOURS.
situations, while also being able to stop the play and coach when someone makes a foul. This helps me prepare the students for the next step in the program.” “The arena was built in 2006 and I started working with the [Sarasota Polo] Club in 2007. The arena had basically been left to die, but we picked it up after years of it being dormant. Last year, participation couldn’t have been better. ” Lancaster and his players started using the enclosed rectangular arena, which measures about 65 by 40 yards, for practices three days a week. Adult Arena League was offered Tuesdays and Saturdays. The Sarasota Polo Club also hosted a Thursday Youth Arena League program for kids under the age of 18, which drew about 15 participants ranging in ages from eight to 16 last season. Lancaster savors the experience of watching players accomplish more than they ever anticipated in polo—with support and guidance. “We had 12 consistent players that all did incredibly well and came such a distance in such a short amount of time,” Lancaster says. “Just to see their progress puts a big smile on my face.” One of those players was Brian Baldwin—a promising regular of Lancaster’s Arena League. Baldwin came into polo with an athletic background, but most of his experience was in basketball, golf, spearfishing and hunting. But that didn’t stop him from adapting quickly into a capable equestrian. “Brian got a taste of polo a few years back, and watching his progress in the Arena League has been a lot of fun,” Lancaster says. “This season, he plans to transition to the grass and start playing in the Sunshine League.” “The Arena League is a great way to learn the game [of polo] from scratch,” Baldwin says. “It is at a slower pace than on the field and in a confined area, so you learn the rules of the game quicker.” Much of what makes playing in the Arena League so rewarding is Lancaster’s coaching style, Baldwin says. “Coach Scott does an excellent job of explaining the strategy of the game and rules such as ‘line of the ball’ and ‘right of way.’ He also explains fouls when they occur at the right time, so as to not hinder the flow of the game too much. I think the Arena League is a great way for someone to get into the sport.” Lancaster couldn’t agree more. “Many people have aspirations to check out polo, and our Arena League is such a great way to do it. You’ll feel safe, have fun and get addicted to the sport of polo straight away,” Lancaster says. “People can improve so fast because they can really expand outside of their comfort zones.” The 2022 Season of Sarasota Polo’s Arena League kicks off on December 4th, 2021 and will run every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday through April 16th, 2022. For more information on the Sarasota Polo Club Arena League, other polo education programs, or to schedule a lesson, call or text (941) 907-0000 or visit
sarasotapolo.com/learn-to-play-polo.
LEARN TO PLAY POLO
The Arena League is only one facet of the Sarasota Polo Club’s extensive polo lesson program, which allows players of varying levels to get their feet wet and progress further into the sport of polo. The education process begins with private lessons in the arena, which evolve into private lessons on the grass. Once ready, players graduate into group lessons and then begin playing chukkers in the arena through the Arena League. Eventually, players make the move out onto the grass and start participating in chukkers in what is known as the Sunshine League.
Confessions of a
of a Polo Groom By Caelan Beard, Reprinted with permission from horsenetwork.com
Polo: the sport of kings.
Here’s what I discovered during a season as a polo groom: 1. The first thing you’ll learn is how to ride sets. Polo grooms typically exercise horses in “sets” of three to five horses at a time. You have to learn how to ride one horse while leading up to four others—at a walk, trot, and canter. Yes, this is as terrifying as it sounds. Especially when the horse you’re riding is having a mare day and wants to kick everyone in sight while the horse on your left is trying to charge forward because they’re an ex-racehorse, and one on your far right is trying to dislocate your shoulder by slamming on the brakes because she’s a lazy little you-know-what and doesn’t much feel like running today, thanks. 2. Eventually, riding sets will become the most boring part of your day. Once the terror fades, the monotony will set in. Polo horses are typically exercised on a track, so you’ll spend two to three hours of each day riding in really big circles. You can always tell the experienced grooms because they’ll be riding while listening to music. Or, if they’re particularly capable, they’ll be riding sets while watching Netflix on their phones. 3. You will become a better rider. Handling multiple horses at speed will do wonders for your biceps. Dragging horses around the track will likewise give you a really, really grounded seat. 4. You will become a worse rider. All that pulling can also put serious strain on your body. You’ll have to work hard not to end up riding hunched over, or with shoulders pointing in two different directions. 5. Polo involves a whole new set of vocabulary. Each game has four periods, known as “chukkers.” All polo players are ranked from -2 to 10, and the playing level of the team comes from the four players’ cumulative rankings. Games are then referred to by that sum: an 8-goal match, 20-goal, and so on. Sound confusing? It is. Ask lots of questions and eventually, it may even make sense.
6. On your first competition day, you will feel like a beheaded chicken. We’ve all seen it depicted on TV at some point—gorgeous horses galloping madly after A player will use four to eight horses a tiny white ball, players swinging cane mallets, while spectators clad in beautiful suits in each game, and you’ll only have two or and elegant dresses sip champagne on the sidelines. three sets of tack. Which means that every What the movies don’t show is the polo groom, scrambling behind the scenes to three to seven minutes, you have to untack have horses ready for the game. Covered in filth, sweat, horse hair, and probably blood, one horse, bathe them, and put their tack the polo groom has to be able to get a new horse ready—tacked, legs wrapped, and tail on the next horse. braided—every three minutes of each game. Oh, and they also all need their legs Is it madness? Absolutely. wrapped, their tails braided and folded up, you can’t find a rolled bandage to save your life, the horse that’s just come off the game has untied themselves and is making a beeline back to the barn, and in the last thirty seconds, you’ve managed to lose an entire bridle that you need right now. But somehow… 7. Everything will be okay. I’m not even sure how, but everything ends up in the right place at the right time. And just as you’re on the verge of hyperventilating, your rider will run over, hop on the horse you’ve just got ready in what felt like ten panic-filled seconds, and say, “Great job, thanks!” before galloping off. 8. It will be a lot of work for a short playing time. You will spend months carefully training and conditioning so that a horse can play a couple minutes of a game. It’s a crazy amount of effort for such a short pay off… But then again, that’s most horse sports. 9. They’re not all snobs. Contrary to what we see on the screen, polo people aren’t all completely stuck-up. Most are kind, and they genuinely love both the sport and the horses they ride. You will meet a couple of jerks. But hey, that’s life. 10. It’s all about the horses. Polo players love their horses, and the polo ponies are subsequently some of the most pampered horses you’ll ever meet. They are also exceptionally well trained, athletic, and completely beautiful creatures. In the end, just working with the horses will make the job worth it. Plus, they can go really, really fast… and as a friend of mine says, life is too short to ride slow horses. About the author Caelan Beard is a travel writer and horse enthusiast based out of Toronto, Ontario. She recently completed her third summer working as a trail guide in Jasper National Park, Alberta, where she spent her days leading people on horse rides through the Rocky Mountains. Check out her blog, The Wandering Years.
