Team Line-Up Santiago Schweitzer – The Professional Personal details: Current polo handicap +6 in Argentina, professional polo player, polo instructor and manager of the Polo Match polo academy – Studies: Law, attorney at law. Santiago comes from a family of polo players and was born with a mallet in his hand. He has actively been playing polo since he was eleven and played a handicap of +3 at the age of seventeen. He currently holds a handicap of +6. He plays and played in Argentina, Costa Rica, Germany, Ecuador, Kenya, Mexico, Uruguay and Paraguay. The tournaments he has played include Copa Presidente Fundator Isaac de Oliveiry Cèsar (1994), Metropolitano Bajo Handicap (1995–1996), Copa Beguerie (1995–1996), Copa Amistad (1996), Copa Fernandez Sarua (1997), Copa Bartolomè Mitre (1998), Copa Estimulo (1998), Copa Jorge Sauze (1998), Torneo de Professionales Universitarios (2001, 2002, 2004), Copa Nestor Lupez (2007) and the Abierto de La Plata (2007). Alongside his active participation in tournaments he has been concentrating on training and coaching polo players. Together with his brother Fernando (handicap +4), he manages the polo academy Polo Match in Open Door, Buenos Aires. His polo philosophy: “For me, polo is both a passion and a profession. Polo is a large part of my life. It is my profession and my calling. My family and I have always been deeply rooted in the traditions of the sport of polo. Besides horse breeding we run the polo academy “Polo Match” near Buenos Aires. In “Polo Match” we organize training courses and tournaments. Special attention is paid to the polo players’ instruction and training. Polo is a sport which challenges both a player’s physical as well as his mental abilities. Unfortunately, the training lessons are often inappropriate to the wide range of all aspects of polo. Too often and after far too short a training period you can watch players appearing in tournaments who have knowledge of neither the basics of swinging nor of riding. As polo has gained popularity in the last few years it has nowadays become fairly easy to start playing. More and more farms and instructors offer polo lessons. However, the quantity says nothing about the quality offered. Our country breeds and brings into the market good quality polo ponies and, moreover, the world’s best players come from here. Thus we have a certain responsibility and we have to strive to keep up this level and to improve it even further.” Have fun and enjoy the book!
133
8_Glossary.indd 133
28.11.2010 20:18:44
