FALL 2011
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Contents Comments from the Chairman
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2011 - 2012 Players
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I Don’t Know but I’ve Been Told
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How Does Virginia Polo Fit into a UVa Education?
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Unbroken
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Essential Teammates
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Behind the Scenes at Virginia Polo
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Favorite Superlatives
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Thank You to our Sponsors
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Virginia Polo Mission Statement The Virginia Polo Center in Charlottesville, Virginia provides University of Virginia students, both men and women from all walks of life, with the opportunity to experience the sport of polo. In keeping with the philosophy of the founders, the program strives to instill in each student the merits of responsibility, hard work, dedication, the rewards of fellowship, working as a team, and the ability to compete in an intercollegiate sport on the national level. These are valuable lessons that endure in the students personal and professional lives after college. This is a student run organization with members equally sharing responsibility for the athletic success, work ethic, and outstanding reputation of our polo legacy. The Board of Directors are dedicated to providing overall management, professional coaching, and long-term financial support for future generations. Virginia Polo is not 3 supported by the University of Virginia and relies primarily on outside sources for its financial well being.
COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIRMAN I am very proud of Virginia Polo. It is a special organization that is fortunate to have a winning combination of stakeholders: Alumni and Friends - Virginia Polo is thankful for its donors who have supported Virginia Polo over its 50+ year history to create the premier collegiate facility and polo pony string in the United States. Students - We have an energetic group of talented Club members who appreciate the efforts of the Club’s Founders and the dedicated Alumni who volunteer their time to ensure Virginia Polo is a positive experience for each individual. Manager and Coaching Staff – Lou Lopez, LJ Lopez and Rob Rinehart are a team of caring individuals who complement each other’s skills. Each coach shares their knowledge and ability with each Club member so they can improve to the best of their ability. The past twelve months brought a lot of great news: Our Varsity teams represented the University and their Club very well at the 2011 National Intercollegiate Tournament; the Men’s team members are Champions and the Women’s team members are Runners-up! Since we have such a terrific facility, it was selected at the site for various USPA interscholastic and intercollegiate competitions in 2011 and 2012. This fall the Club hosted our first “Cadillac Cup” on the grass field. This was a nice fundraiser and an opportunity for the community to enjoy the countryside and witness superb collegiate polo. With the financial assistance from a government program focused on watershed management, we were able to replace a lot of our fencing that was installed when I was a student almost 30 years ago. In addition, automatic waterers were installed in some pastures, which are a great improvement over the previous situation. What can you do to ensure Virginia Polo continues? Virginia Polo is a considered a club sport and is not part of the University system. We depend on Annual Giving and Endowment gifts to care for our horses and maintain our facility. We would appreciate your support of any size. Finally, I want to thank everyone who helped create this edition of the Virginia Polo Magazine. This is a major undertaking which requires a lot of time and coordination. Club Members Meg Greenhalgh and Kylie Sheehan led the charge, and I appreciate their efforts. Special thanks go to Stilly McFadden who contributed the printing services. Sincerely,
Shockey Gillet Chairman Shockey Gillet is from Glyndon, Maryland. As a youth he was active with pony club and foxhunting. Shockey was introduced to polo by his uncle, Paul Embry, and groomed for him as a teenager in Louisville, KY. Shockey attended UVa from 1980-1984 where he saw the transition of Virginia Polo from Farmington Hunt Club to Forest Lodge. While at UVa, Shockey was the President of the Club for three years. He is an active supporter of Virginia Polo because of the fond memories and life-long friendships he developed there.
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Again, with fondness and gratitude for Bobo and Rodger Rinehart, and all they did for Virginia Polo.
Publisher Director of Advertising Director of Layout Editors in Chief Assistant Editors
Meg Greenhalgh Kylie Sheehan Callie Broaddus Alexa Diaz and Lilly Hanbury Julia Steiner and Tyler Burdick
Thanks to Kathy Rhoad, Mauricio Lopez Obregon, Erin Spencer, Shockey Gillet, Lou Lopez, Todd Burdick, Liesel von Gontard, Ashley Hart, and the advertisers that made this magazine possible and the students that got them!
Virginia Polo would like to extend a special thank you to Toof Printing for making this magazine possible for the fourth year in a row!
Virginia Polo Appreciates Our Donors We thank you for our ponies, the funding to care for them, and our facilities. 5
Colby C. O’Neil: is a 2nd year from Rowayton, Connecticut. She has not yet declared a major, but is applying to the Media Studies program this spring. She hopes to have a great year with Virginia Polo, full of competitive, fun club chukkers during which she can practice and improve her game.
Sarah Pergolizzi: is a 2nd year student at the Law School. She learned how to play polo at Virginia Polo’s bootcamp lessons during her first year of undergrad (she’s a double hoo wahoowa!). She has loved the years that she’s been fortunate enough to have at Virginia Polo, and now teaches the Bootcamp lessons. Getting out to the barn, when she has time, is a great way to relieve the stress of law school! Her favorite horses are Ferrari, Mancha, and Paloma. CB Scherer: is from Wellington, Florida and has been around polo all of his life. He is a 4th year at UVa and will be majoring in Systems & Information Engineering as well as Economics with a Minor in Business. His favorite horse in the UVa string is Kenya, and she and he both hope for a few more Best Playing Pony Awards and another National Title. After graduation this spring, he will be working for Morgan Stanley in the New York City real estate investing group. Lyon McCandless: is a 4th year student majoring in Marketing and Management, and minoring in Leadership. She is from Saratoga, NY and now lives in Middleburg, Va. This year Lyon hopes to improve her polo skills and have fun! She also aims to be the loudest cheerleader to root on the UVa Girl’s Team to be the 2012 National Champs!
Eduardo Lopez: is a 1st year from Bogota, Colombia in the College of Arts and Sciences at UVa. He goes by the nicknames “Eddie”, “Wajhi”, “Ninja”, “Baberdo.” Eddie has been playing outdoor polo since he was 10 years old, and has never played indoor. He is looking forward to trying the arena out and getting the full polo experience of mucking, feeding, saddling, stick and balling, and enjoying polo. His main goal is to have fun, and he believes that the best way to have fun is to win.
Sara Brown: is a 1st year from Nashville, Tennessee. She is a new member on the polo team with an undecided major. Throughout this season, she hopes to develop strong indoor arena polo skills and to become close to her new teammates. She is excited for the 2011-2012 season and cannot wait to get to know everyone better on and off the field.
Carter McCabe: is a 1st year from Virginia Beach, Va and is undecided in her major. She is hoping to improve and build on what she learned last year in the Virginia Polo bootcamp.
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Jennifer Marett: is a 2nd year law student pursuing a JD/MPH dual degree in law and public health policy. She is originally from Houston and went to the University of Texas in Austin as an undergrad. She started playing polo in the bootcamp this spring and fell in love with the sport. She’s excited to be part of the club team this year and is looking forward to a great season.
Grace Gummeson: is a 2nd year pre-Commerce student from New Canaan, Connecticut. She played polo in high school at Yale University and is excited for another great year with Virginia Polo!
Tyler Burdick: is a 2nd year in the College of Arts and Sciences from Flint Hill, Virginia who is interested in both biology and commerce. Having played polo for about seven years, he plans to continue learning about and progressing in the sport this year. Aside from polo, Tyler is an artist, martial artist, and Eagle Scout.
Austin Burdick: is a 2nd year who intends to major in chemistry and minor in studio art. He has played polo since age 12 at several clubs in Virginia including Virginia International Polo Club, Great Meadow Polo Club, Virginia Polo Club, and the Middleburg Polo Academy. Austin’s other interests include oil and pastel painting, hunting, and martial arts.
Mauricio Lopez: is a 4th year in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Economics and possibly French. He has been playing polo most of his life and is currently rated 2 goals outdoor. This year he will be a co-captain of the men’s varsity team. His favorite ponies at UVa are P.E and Speck.
Sayle Atkinson: is a 4th year from Memphis, Tennessee majoring in history. He played lacrosse and football in high school and plays at the Memphis Polo Club when he is home. Last summer Sayle interned at Landor, a marketing company in New York.
Felipe Viana: is a 3rd year at UVa, majoring in Economics and possibly minoring in History. He was born in New York, but lived in Uruguay for 18 years until he moved to Charlottesville to start school at UVA. Felipe played polo since he was 7 years old and hasn’t stopped since, and has had the opportunity to play in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and in the US for the past two years. His goal is to pursue a polo career after he graduates. 7
Garvy Beh: is a 2nd year with an undecided major. He is rated 3 goals handicap and won the most valuable player and finalist award in the Tolo Junior Tournament at Palermo, Argentina in 2006. He also was named champion and most valuable player at the Copa Patrillos in 2008.
Ryan Singel: is a 3rd-year from Barboursville, VA, double-majoring in Economics and Foreign Affairs. This is his first semester with the Virginia Polo Club (after completing the boot-camp program last fall), and this year hopes to get better at ‘not fouling’ and to learn how to successfully complete a nearside back shot (again, without fouling).
Henry Bonner: is a Physics major, initially from Deale, Maryland, though he lived abroad in France and England for 10 years before arriving at UVa. He has been riding throughout his whole life but only started polo during the spring semester through the polo bootcamp. He is looking forward to some great fun playing and improving his level. Liesel von Gontard: is a 2nd year at UVa from St. Louis, MO. She is applying to major in Kinesiology with the hope of someday becoming a Physical Therapist specializing in Hippotherapy. Although her family has been in polo for forever, she recently started playing polo a year ago, so this year she will be working on getting her skills down and truly getting a grasp on the game. She is so excited to be playing, and can only hope to keep getting better!
Ashley Hart: is a History major, African Studies minor from McLean, VA. As a 4th year, she plans to have a great final year with Virginia Polo! Her favorite horse is Grappa.
Meg Greenhalgh: from Clarke County, Virginia, is a 4th year in the McIntire School of Commerce studying marketing, IT, and leadership. While Meg started out showing and fox hunting, she later learned polo on her parent’s favorite pony, Lone Star, one of the last Ray Harrington horses. Meg developed her love for polo as a boarder at Garrison Forest School in Maryland. She loves hanging out on Forest Lodge Lane, as both her Dad and older sister played for UVa, and her favorite ponies are P.E. and Cherokee. Lilly Hanbury: is a 2nd year considering majoring in Drama and History with a minor in Photography. She started playing polo at the age of 14 having ridden all her life and currently has a handicap of -1. She grew up in West Sussex in England and has played polo in England, America, Argentina, Australia and even got a chance to play elephant polo in Nepal at the World Elephant Polo Championships. After being a part of the UVa Polo Club for the past year she is loving every second of her time out at the barn and is excited for the year to come. 8
Vicky Friedrichs: is a 2nd year, majoring in Aerospace Engineering from Portsmouth, Rhode Island. She has been competing in hunters and equitation since she was 12 years old. She started playing polo her freshman year of high school with the Glen Farm interscholastic team.
Kylie Sheehan: is a 3rd year from Baltimore, Maryland majoring in Foreign Affairs with a concentration in Latin America. She started playing polo at her high school, Garrison Forest School and still enjoys showing and foxhunting with her mother at home. Kylie is very excited for another great year back at UVa and can’t wait to kick some butt with her teammates and her favorite pony Tolderita!!
Anna Jugo: is a 2nd year who was born in the Philippines, but currently lives in Northern Virginia. She grew up with a love of riding, and joined polo bootcamp during the fall semester of her 1st year. She instantly fell in love with the sport, and has been hooked on it ever since!
Alexa Diaz: is a 3rd year from Costa Rica majoring in English and minoring in Media Studies. She show jumped for eight years back in Costa Rica before starting to play polo her senior year in high school and is excited about keeping up with the sport at UVa!
Julia Steiner: is a 4th year Environmental Science and Spanish Major. She is originially from France but now lives in Upperville, Va where she has been playing polo with the Foxlease Polo Club for the past 7 years. This past summer she was the manager at Great Meadow Polo Club and is excited for another great year at Va Polo!
Isabella Wolf: is a 3rd year from Middleburg, Va, majoring in Spanish. She has been playing polo since she was nine years old and aims to go pro after graduation. Isabella also played for Virginia Polo on the interscholastic teams before coming to UVa for college.
Katie Becker: is a fourth year studying psychology and studio art. Polo was new for her as a first year and has become perhaps the most influential and largest part of her day-to-day life at UVa. She wouldn’t trade it for anything, and her classes, though perhaps they shouldn’t be, are definitely scheduled around polo practice. She is taking full advantage of her last couple semesters to ride her favorite pony Chip. She is so sad to be leaving everyone and all of her lovely equine teammates after this year!
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TWILIGHT POLO, ARENA AND GRASS LEAGUE, AND USPA TOURNAMENTS POLO SCHOOL Beginners-Advanced All ages welcome! LOCATED IN THE PLAINS, VIRGINIA Visit us at www.greatmeadowpoloclub.com
Wishing Virginia Polo a wonderful 2011-2012 season! -The Sheehan Family and Ellie (the wannabe polo pony!)
Louis Lopez, Jr.
Virginia Polo Center Director Lou’s first exposure to polo came as a high school sophomore when he attended a clinic sponsored by the Meadowbrook Pony Club at Yale University. To continue learning he played bicycle polo with Boxwood Bike Polo Club, and worked for polo players during the summers. Lou attended Colorado State University where he started the club by recruiting members and registering it as a student organization. After graduation Lou went on to teach high school in Connecticut. He leased horses from Yale to play polo with Farmington Polo Club. Lou left teaching to become coach and general manager of the Yale Polo and Equestrian Center. After winning a national championship against UVa in 1986, Lou spent the next 20 years earning his living managing clubs, training and selling polo ponies, and competing both in the arena and outdoors. Lou and his family currently reside in Charlottesville, Virginia, where Lou has taken the reins as coach and general manager.
L.J. Lopez, III
Director of the High School Program and Assistant Coach LJ is a graduate of the University of Virginia class of 2006 and holds a degree in Urban and Environmental Planning with a minor in Architecture. He is currently a Partner at Milestone Partners, which specializes in real estate development services. LJ is a member of the Virginia Polo Board of Directors, assists Lou with the collegiate varsity teams, coaches the high school teams, and plays with the Charlottesville Polo Club over the summer. LJ’s polo career started at a young age as he attended his first polo game at only a few weeks old.
Rob Rinehart Rob is one of five children. He learned to ride in town at Elliewood Keith’s stable, and once his dad got the polo bug it seemed his family always had horses. His first polo job was with The Annex in Keswick, after which he had the good fortune to go to Middleburg to work for Dick Riemenschneider. At UVa, Rob thought he had died and gone to heaven after suffering through three years in boarding school. Class wasn’t mandatory, there was a polo team, and there was the Phi Kap house too. It didn’t take but two years before he was not in good standing and wasting money on tuition. He left for Texas, where he honed his polo skills working for the great Ray Harrington. Rob still considers playing green horse polo with Ray, the Barrys, and the legend, Cecil Smith, to be one of the best experiences he ever had. He did return to UVa, and graduated, even making the Dean’s List once to the amazement of the Dean of Students. Rob went on to work in a family business, marry Charlotte, and raise a family. He still gets to play more than his fair share of polo. When he reflects on polo and how entangled he has been in its web, he comes back to UVa Polo as the first thread that caught him. 11
I Don’t Know but I’ve Been Told The workings of Virginia Polo Bootcamp by Sarah Pergolizzi
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hen I started my first year at UVa five years ago, I found the Virginia Polo booth at the Student Activities Fair before I found the Riding Team booth. There was a polo bridle on the table, and I had no idea what the pieces were or what exactly polo entailed, but the people were friendly and I liked the idea of playing a team sport on horseback, so I decided to try out the intimidatingly-named polo Bootcamp. I’m so glad I did.
We go through the swings one-by-one, throwing in drills along the way, to give the students a taste of the competitive aspect of the sport. Everyone, the students and horses alike, lights up when we practice hooks for the first time. As the students get faster at tacking their horses, they get more time on the horse to practice their swings. Their arms get stronger, and they start to bring that percentage of whiffs down week-by-week.
The Bootcamp has had a string of instructors since I started at UVa, and I’m happy to hold the coveted instructor position these days. This will be my third year teaching the Bootcamp, and I’ve loved every Saturday morning lesson, and every graduating group of bootcampers.
After the students have learned all the swings, they’re ready to learn the rules and apply their skills to game situations. At this point in each semester, I try to take the students to a varsity game, and show them how the rules work, pointing out fouls and the line of the ball. Lou graciously steps in at this point, and helps me referee the The Bootcamp is designed to prepare students for the Bootcamp chukkers. club team, and it’s the main way that the club program The first week is always gets replenished when players graduate. Each semester, I slow, with frequent find a group of enthusiastic riders who are ready to try a whistle-blowing and
new kind of riding – one with a ball to hit, teammates to work with, and a mallet to finagle. From the start of the first lesson, we throw a lot at our bootcampers. The first lesson involves a tack lesson, an introduction to the polo seat, and a swings introduction on Woody the hitting-cage horse. The students are wideeyed as I go through showing them the wraps, tack, and tails, but they tackle their horses in pairs and always manage to get all the pieces in place.
demands that everyone freeze so that they can see fouls as they happen. But after about three lessons of practice games, the students start seeing the line of the ball, and the game gets cleaner.
On average, about half the students in a given bootcamp group will continue on to join the club team the following semester. Many of the current club members started off as bootcampers. They enthusiastically jump into club practices, and get better with every chukker they play. I’m proud of every bootcamper I’ve taught these past few We then go through the swings, starting with the half- years, and enjoy watching them play on the club team. I swing on the off-side, then the full forward shot. The first can only hope that they’ve loved the Bootcamp as much hitting lesson is a little hard on some forearms, but the as I do. students always amaze me by how quickly they pick up the proper form, and how quickly they start hitting nice shots. I tell them from the beginning that everyone whiffs – practice is just a matter of bringing the percentage of whiffs down. 13
How Does Virginia Polo Fit into a UVa Education? By Mauricio Lopez Obregon
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hat’s a good question. After all, in most people’s minds polo is just an elitist game, hardly worthy of being considered a sport. The word “polo” generally conjures images of a Gatsby lifestyle. People imagine players pulling up to the field in the latest sport car, decked in fine clothes and Rolex watches, while a groom quietly holds his horse and mallets. I guess we can thank Ralph Lauren and Prince Charles for that. They have built their brands around precisely that aura of exclusivity and upper- crust style. But as someone once said, polo is not just about cable knit sweaters and breezy summer afternoons sipping mint juleps in the Hamptons. That’s just the visible part of polo. That’s the glamorous image
that is conveniently put out there for commercial reasons. Behind the scenes, there is a huge hidden world. For every seemingly effortless, quick turn of a horse galloping full speed down the field there are countless hours of training, conditioning and horsemanship. For every shiny coat on those mares tied to the trailer there are countless hours of brushing, stall mucking and feeding, often in the harsh, cold, dark, silent hours just before daylight. Most days, club members are not outfitted in their shiny whites and brilliantly polished boots but rather in soiled jeans and greasy chaps.
Mauricio Lopez Obregon is the father of 4th year, Mauchi, and 1st year, Eddie, and is a proud supporter of the Virginia Polo Program. He graduated from Harvard College in ‘70. He currently lives in Bogota, Colombia with his beautiful wife Johanna. He never competed in Intercollegiates as he did not start playing polo until much later in life, but to this day continues to play outdoor polo with his sons. He is a true fanatic and intellectual of the sport.
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Horses are not saddled up by grooms. It is each club member who saddles and bandages his horse before playing; and then unsaddles it, removes the wraps, brushes and hoses it down before turning it loose or putting it in its stall. Few actually realize that upkeeping the UVa string and the state of the art facilities are the responsibilities of club members who juggle their rigorous academic and social schedules around their duties at the barn. Add to that the practice schedules and team meetings and it is a wonder that these students actually find any time to sleep. Yet they do their duties joyfully. And they keep enviable GPAs to boot, all in an amiable spirit of camaraderie, safety and good cheer.
to interact with local and university authorities as they comply with the different rules and regulations that are involved in these events. They also have the chance to travel to other schools and to host visiting teams, giving them a taste of good old Virginia hospitality. The Virginia Polo Club also runs a successful program for local High School students and other Charlottesville residents, sharing its facilities, know-how and horses with the greater community. This is a wonderful nursery for future polo stars. Again, Jefferson and his friend Madison would approve enthusiastically.
And last but not least, these dedicated club players set the Thomas Jefferson would undoubtedly smile proud bar very high as they continue to improve their game and approval if he were to peek by Forest Lodge Lane. And capture Intercollegiate National titles year after year. They he would most certainly find that the polo club is an can rightfully feel proud. They sure make us proud. integral part of a University of Virginia education. Club members not only put in a lot of work at the barn and on A heartfelt thanks to Lou Lopez for his inspired leadership the arena, and do so responsibly, but they also constantly and for all he does for the polo program at UVa – a find opportunities to develop personal skills, teamwork program with a well-deserved reputation as one of the and sensitivity. Working with other individuals is a school best in the country. in itself. And working with animals is a classroom without walls. Putting together charity events and fundraisers gives Go Hoos! club members the opportunity to develop organizational skills and contribute meaningfully to the community that surrounds them. It also provides club members a chance
“For every shiny coat on those mares tied to the trailer there are countless hours of brushing, stall mucking and feeding.�
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Unbroken
My experience with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and how research on brain injuries will change the way we play our favorite sport by Meg Greenhalgh
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here’s no cast for an injured brain, so it is easy to ignore for those who don’t have one. But contact sports are starting to be scrutinized for the effects concussions have on the brain, and the PTF and USPA need to be proactive in implementing measures that protect players from playing when they shouldn’t be.
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danger of trying to play hockey on horses. Authors of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Sports predict a head injury occurs at about one out of every 25 equestrian events. We need to be aware that specialists are paying more and more attention to this trend as horse-related injuries continue to accumulate.
Players in diverse disciplines are affected, “…when the 50-year-old former NFL safety and successful entrepreneur shot himself in the chest, there was another purpose: so that his brain could be donated to Boston University researchers and studied to assess the life-long neurological effects of playing in the National Football League,” the Wired reported.
The problem is that these injuries are all too invisible for most to understand. Though I sustained my injury outside of polo, it has changed the way I play. My freshman year at UVa, I was supposed to be playing in the national tournament. Instead, I was intubated and put in an induced coma with a life threatening illness and at some point lost oxygen to my brain that has caused lasting damage.
The NFL is exploring measures including helmets with sensors that require a player to sit out after too much impact. They have “announced that they will be launching a pilot program next season in which accelerometers will be placed in players’ mouthpieces, earpieces, and helmets to analyze how blows to the head relate to the effects and severity of concussions and other traumatic brain injuries. The data could potentially help team doctors diagnose the severity of a concussion within a few minutes,” reported Scott Jung for MedGadget.
Though incurred outside of polo, this isn’t a rare story among polo players, or even among intercollegiate players. Concussions in polo are the norm, not the exception. Many players I’ve spoken with notice the effects; memorization takes longer and you might not feel as quick as you used to.
Brain injuries are all too common in our sport particularly, as equestrian sports are rated number one in contributing to traumatic brain injury deaths, and we have the added
For me, another concussion could be detrimental. Polo, to an extent, is worth the risk. To what extent—I’m still trying to figure out and will keep playing until I do, under new slightly new rules. I hope the following rules I’m playing by act as tips to inform young and older players, as well as their coaches, of the seriousness of brain injuries and the methods for prevention and coping.
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A few rules for preventing Traumatic Brain Injury: A few tips for dealing with Traumatic Brain Injury: Mom is right for once -- WEAR YOUR HELMET. Even when no one is watching. We’re all tempted to hop on bareback and for those of us that have spent any time out West, you look like a fool wearing a helmet. But Traumatic Brain Injuries happen most during practice or casual outings, not officially sponsored events.
Give yourself time. Getting on too soon after a TBI is the worst thing you can do. Remember that in the long run you only have your health, and the trophies on the wall can’t do your thinking for you. Let yourself start over. You need to have different expectations for yourself after a TBI. You may not be as quick to react on the field and for yours and other’s safety need to be smart about jumping into plays.
To hell with the old adage!-- DON’T GET BACK ON. We know more now, and the worst type of TBI comes from getting back on before the brain has healed, and you don’t have to lose consciousness to have a concussion. Getting on after a minor brain injury and something as simple as trotting your horse around gives your brain repetitive mini-concussions, that can sometimes do irreversible damage.
Have hope. The standard medical comment on the healing period for a TBI used to be 2 years, and if you hadn’t healed in two years there wasn’t hope. But research continues to show that the brain is an incredibly elastic organ, and the smarter you are the better a chance you have for healing or finding pathways around your damaged cells.
WHEN A HORSE DOESN’T “FEEL” RIGHT, GET OFF. We all have had the friend who said, “this horse feels funny,” and ends up on the Now that you know all about brain injuries, try your hand ground moments later. at this brain-booster puzzle to make sure your brain is fully functional! DON’T TRY TO BE THE TOUGH GUY. When a horse just plain misbehaves, we get the idea in our head that we need to show it who’s boss and teach it a lesson. Most of the time, the horse is just confused or has more serious problems. Give the horse time to cool down and retry later (or trade the horse in for a more sane critter).
Across
7 Can give you a bad hair day 8 It would be hard to play without this! 10 Brew who earl (Anagram) 11 Also a food 12 We use these to protect our manicures, duh!
Answer: 18
Down
1 They come in many shapes and sizes... literally 2 Protects your bum from bumps and bruises 3 He rules us all 4 Ride them off, but don’t get hurt! 5 These help you win a game 6 A utensil that is a litle too big to eat with 9 It could be a BIT big
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Essential Teammates by Katie Becker
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ere at Virginia Polo we are lucky to have so many wonderful donated horses. We have horses that can teach even the shakiest beginner all the way up to horses that, with the right partner, can play some amazing highlevel chukkers. Our wonderful ponies have so much variety for such a variety of riders and you can see it in the differences in partnerships across the teams. Some people really get along with one horse, while others may struggle with him or her. That’s one of the best things about our horses; they all have something different to teach us. We try to encourage everyone to try new horses out of their comfort zone as we can all learn something from every horse, from the least to the most advanced horses and riders. The ponies work really hard for us everyday and every team is lucky to have really competitive strings. Everyone loves the chance to try new horses in different strings for our Friday night mixed club games and barbeques. It is really great to appreciate everyone else’s
Kylie & Tolderita
horses and I think the Cadillac Cup showed us all that even our “slowest” horses can really move with the right motivation! Every one of our horses has different strengths that can really work well with different riders. Throughout the semesters, we definitely see special partnerships and horse and rider relationships develop. A recent suggestion for a superlative best explains CB’s never ending love with his favorite horse, Kenya: “CB – most likely to runaway with Kenya”. They are certainly not the only close partnership, class of 2011 Morgane Orquera’s “April Fool’s” joke on her parents that she had purchased our smallest pony, Chip and was bringing her home to France was more wishful thinking than a joke! Needless to say we have some truly memorable rides for a fantastic team of riders that promotes some great teamwork and presents plenty of learning experiences for riders of all levels.
A few special pony and rider partnerships:
CB & Kenya
Liesel & Sparkles 21
Behind the Scenes of Virginia Polo By Todd Burdick DVM, father of 3rd years Austin and Tyler Burdick
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irginia Polo has been part of our family’s life for six enjoyable years through involvement in both the Interscholastic and Intercollegiate programs. The organization’s effort to provide affordable polo to all interested students has succeeded due to the generosity and dedication of alumni, staff, students and members of the polo community. When watching a game or practice, spectators seldom realize the resources, organization and simple work required to maintain and improve a program of this size and quality. I recently was reflecting on this fact, and decided to share my thoughts and express some gratitude to the appropriate parties.
equine athletes that leave the program for retirement or semi-retirement. Coach Lou Lopez has had great success in both respects.
The biggest factor in the quality of a polo operation is the quality of the ponies. Virginia Polo has approximately sixty ponies, with around half in work and half turned out to rest. Rotating the strings keeps the ponies physically and mentally healthier. The donation of younger, sound, well-trained ponies allows the student players at all levels to fully develop their skills. It also helps attract the talented varsity players that are almost always in contention for the National Championship. Acquiring new ponies requires a network of long-term connections who are confident in the care their donated ponies will receive. The other component of this process is finding situations for the
Maintaining the facility is another management challenge. In addition to the natural entropy that is the bane of all homeowners, some horses seem to delight in destroying man made structures. Kicking, chewing, squashing and trampling can leave a path of chaotic destruction that any teenage boy would envy. Repairing such damage is, like cleaning stalls, pretty steady work.
The day-to-day care of the ponies (feed, water, stall cleaning) is a large responsibility assumed by the student athletes. They have formed “muck teams” and coordinated schedules to care for their equine teammates. Anyone who perceives Intercollegiate polo as a glamorous sport for snobby rich kids might want to visit the stables any morning or evening. The dedication of the young players helps control the cost of participation.
Facility improvements are made when possible, and the addition of a heated wash stall area has been a great benefit to both the ponies and the players.
The arenas require maintenance of the walls and the playing surfaces. The surface is important to the quality of play and soundness of the horses. The resurfacing of the indoor arena with granite chips produced a more yielding surface that significantly reduced the occurrence
help keep small problems from becoming big problems. All athletes suffer injury as part of performing, and our equine friends are no different. As with human athletes, timely and appropriate treatment can give a pony a short vacation instead of early retirement.
and severity of lameness. The resurfacing was a large task that provided substantial long term benefits. Regular shoeing, dental care and preventive veterinary care are important components of the Virginia Polo program. All equestrians know a well shod pony will perform better and stay sound longer than one receiving poor hoof care, and routine dentistry can increase feed efficiency as well as prevent a pony from developing resentment of the bit. Annual vaccinations and constant observation by the players and coaches to detect illness or lameness
The development, management and improvement of a polo club are multifaceted endeavors requiring organization, cooperation and dedication, all of which are clearly evident at Virginia Polo. The generosity of those who donate ponies and other support to the program is greatly appreciated and is manifest by the efforts of the student athletes and coaches to provide the best possible care and environment to their equine teammates.
Todd Burdick, DVM resides on Skyview Farm in Rappahannock County, Virginia. When not grooming or playing, he supports his family’s polo habit as an equine veterinarian.
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The Atkinson Family & Memphis Polo Club
Most likely to not freak out when his car is stolen.
Most likely to have a breakdown when the Virginia Polo Magazine reaches its deadline. And when it’s finally out, it turns out to be the BEST MAGAZINE EVER. Most likely to play in 5 games in one day... while keeping time and score for all of them. Most likely to make up an alter ego for herself: “The she wolf.”
Most likely to catapult down a flight of stairs. And survive.
Most likely to place second.
Most likely to take club chukkers TOO seriously.
Most likely to be in a full body cast and still figure out a way to play polo! Most likely to be arrested for stalking the boys polo team.
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Cavaliers before UVa
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SOMERSET POLO SUPPORTS THE
UVA LADY CAVALIERS!!!!
GOOD LUCK! Somerset Farm, Middleburg, Va. Bill, Liz, Allie and Isabella Wolf
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VIRGINIA POLO MAGAZINE - Spring 2010
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A BIG Thank You to our Eljo’s Traditional Clothes Global Emergency Group The Gillet Family Kathy and Billy Rhoad Mauricio and Johanna Lopez Scott Silver
Dr. and Mrs. Burdick Kylie Sheehan UVa Women’s Varsity UVa Men’s Varsity The Steiner Family
What it Really Costs, and How You Can Help Virginia Polo relies on its supporters to operate each year. We are thankful for all of you who make a point of contributing to the Annual Fund that pays the bills and keeps the program strong. Here are a few data points to show you how crucial annual giving is to the program:
Feed: $45,000 Shoeing: $15,000 Vet: $13,000 Utilities: $16,000 We need $60,000 annually from our supporters to help cover these costs, and we are currently less than 20% of the way towards hitting that goal. Student dues only cover 20% of total costs. We’ve seen a decline of over 30% in donations the last two years, making it increasingly difficult to cover our operating costs. Only 10% of the VA Polo community donates to the program each year.
No gift is too small, and together we can support the program. Contribute online today! 30
www.vapolofund.org
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