La Low Goal
Edgeworth polo Club The June writeup
Rebecca Halliwell-Coutts
Polo and Injury
Heroes Day
Help for Heroes tournament at Tedworth
Opinion Article
June Issue
Polo’s Identity Crisis
La Low Goal Online magazine available at issuu.com
There seems to be a reoccurring theme when writing these short introductions…. It’s been another hectic month, fitting playing, training and writing around my GCSE revision and exams. But really, who am I kidding? You all know jolly well that I spent those countless hours of “study leave” or “revision sessions” at chukkas, writing articles and pouring over every detail of the magazine. And thats why I now personally hold you all accountable if I fail my GCSE’s. Selfsacrifice, for the benefit of low goal polo, thats what this is.
But, in all fairness, I think its safe to say all those sneaky revision hours have paid off, as we are able to bring you another corker of an issue. There are, controversial opinion articles, helpful fitness advice, game prep analysis, a couple of tournament write ups and an interesting player profile. And thats not to mention some of the brand new features, such as the “define this…” sections you will be able to find throughout. Plus, we are now offering La low Goal branded merchandise, specifically hoodies priced at £22 each. If your interested you can always email us or message us on any of our social media platforms. Enjoy the issue
Connor Kay (editor) 1
Contents Page 3
Ignacio Llorente -Club Championship
Page 4
Opinion - Equality in polo
Page 9
Rebecca Halliwell-Couts - Polo and Injury
Page 14
Opinion -Polo’s Identity Crisis
Page 18
Heroes Day - Help For Heroes tournament from Tedworth Polo Club
Page 25
Chukka Wellness - Top Tips for strengthening wrists
Page 30
Alumni Polo Tournament -All the details of the new initiative launching this August
Page 33
Gear Guide - Polo Jeans
Page 38
Edgeworth polo Club - The June writeup
Page 42
A New Hope? - Opinion on the new Eurosport broadcast TV show
Page 45
#lalowgoal -The latest from our online contributors
2
2
Ignacio Fernandez Llorente Club Championship As every year, and as in many clubs in different countries once a year clubs organise a annual championship.
All club players want to participate in this tournament. Among the players there are a number of beginners who are going to play first time in such a tournament .
There is a lot of enthusiasm in the players for this tournament.
You have to form a team, and as in polo, you need players. Then you have to look for professionals from other places.
Say the white team chooses pros to reach the maximum of the handicap of the tournament.
The players of the white team meet one hour before the day the tournament begins. The players have never played together before. They agree on the positions and they spend the time making jokes and smiling.
In the second chukka the white team loses 7-0. A beginner from this team approaches me, and a asks “What do we do?”
They feel very sad, as they were so excited to play the club's championship, to raise the cup and show their progress to their family and friends.
The players, especially the pros don’t understand each other, nobody wants to run, nobody marks anyone.
The beginners do not know what to do, do not understand what happens, as they were supposed to have a competitive team. In 15 minutes their illusion changes to a blunder and nightmare.
As polo resembles any sport, we must understand that what is practiced is what is brought to the games.
The white team did not have a minimum game plan . This is the minimum that you should have :
Ø Throw in: where each player lines up in the line up, or wether it depends on the line up of the opposition.
Ø Own hit it : Who will hit in, in what way and will there be blockers?
Ø Opponent knock in: define who marks who.
Ø Marking during the game:
Ø Will they play open (hit running) or play closed (control the ball, running as little as possible).
Ø How to counteract the game of the rival.
Ø List of horses, or at least know if any horse has a special problem (does not run, does not brake, is scared, etc) or if a horse is very good.
But the game plan has to be practiced before. A beginner when he talks about this thinks he understands it, or at least he will say that he understood due to shame, but the truth is that he does not understand it.
The game plan must be practiced in training, to really understand it.
What had the beginners done before the tournament? Stick and ball? Some club chukkas? Run behind the ball? Score a goal? etc.
When they arrive at a match they do not know what they have to do and what their team has to do.
Neither do they know what they are going to do, nor what their teammates are going to do.
When professionals are hired by season and not by game or weekend, there are more possibilities to train and plan games.
Advice: You have to train to be prepared for everything that happens in a game, the good results are the reflection of the training.
3
Equa
The right of different gro similar social position and r 4
ality
oups of people to have a receive the same treatment 5
Throughout the last couple of years the ladies aspect of the game of polo has ballooned in both popularity and prestige. In a matter of just a few short years the game has rapidly expanded, attracting numerous new female players and the public eye. This has of course climaxed with the introduction of the initiatives such as the Victrix Ludurum series and even the Women’s Argentine Open in Palermo.
All this hype, does however seem to have muddied the waters, and it now seems some have lost sight of the original aim of women’s polo, women’s equality in sport and women’s rights in general.
It all boils down to equality. A simple concept, and one which women have been campaigning for since the early suffragettes in the late 19th century. The Cambridge dictionary tells us this means ‘the right of different groups of people to have a similar social position and receive the same treatment’, which coincidentally seems to be exactly the opposite of the new Argentine rules governing women’s polo. It’s like someone at the Argentine Association of Polo has just sat down and made a U-turn on over a century’s worth of progress. They are aiming at implementing new rules, strictly for women’s polo, limiting chukka lengths to four minutes, and increasing the number of chukkas to 6
compensate. Apparently this is because it will ‘reduce horse and player fatigue’. Woah, woah woah, you mean for the past century you have been trying to convince men to see women as their equal just to turn around and claim women can’t hack an entire game without having extra breaks!? This blatantly flies in the face of the ongoing battle for equality, and ignoring all that, is totally incorrect. Women regularly do play in mixed games, even in the high goal, and don’t seem to fair physically any worse than men. After all, we are all told when we are first taught polo that strength is not important, rather timing and accuracy. Furthermore, the horse does the running, so why should there be any physical need at all to segregate the two genders into what is becoming fundamentally different sports?
In fairness the changes are also claimed to help pony recovery and reduce the number of horses needed per game, reducing the cost. But to me, this seems like a bunch of meaningless excuses, as, if these were real factors the AAP wanted to combat, the mixed game would have seen the exact same changes.
But these rule changes go deeper than just segregating the women’s league from the mixed game, this rule change goes against all of the modern changes aiming to speed the game up and reduce the amount of time when the ball is not in play. This was all with the aim to increase spectator engagement, making the sport more exciting to watch. More chukka breaks are just going to slow the game down, making the women’s arm of the game less compelling to spectators and the media, and therefore decreasing its exposure, just when it was really starting to build momentum. And for any spectators who do hang around, the quality of the actual play is probably going to be worse too. We are going to end up with a situation like Ponyclub, where the chukkas are so short each seems to be a race to score, as that is all there is time to do. We will surely not see the battles, running end to end we get in some of the high goal games, as there will not be time for the teams to get properly into the swing of the chukka before it’s over.
So these rule changes are a complete farce. In my opinion they are pulling in entirely the
wrong direction, segregating the two arms of the sport when really they should be bringing them closer together. In reality, I would love to see men and women playing solely in mixed polo, as this would surely be the endpoint in equality, yet I understand that the women’s game is currently important to encourage more women to take an interest in the sport, which to this day still remains very male dominated. Ladies polo opens up opportunities for women, and will produce more female players, who I hope one day will end up filtering through to the mixed polo. There should be no excuse for a well umpired Low Goal game with men to be any different to a similar level tournament in ladies polo, and therefore, once the uptake becomes more gender equal I see women’s polo as becoming obsolete. This crossover however is never going to occur if you separate the two arms to the point where they become fundamentally different sports, forever confining women’s polo to live in the shadow of the men’s game. It’s bad for women’s polo, bad for mixed polo, bad for spectators, bad for sponsors. Its lose, lose, lose, lose…
Women’s polo is booming, and deserves not to be stunted in this way 7
Define This
polo (noun)
1. a game played on horseback between two teams of four players, the object being to score points by driving a plastic ball into the opponents’ goal using a long-handled mallets 2. an uncontrollable, incurable and life consuming addiction 3. “golf in an earthquake”
8
17
Rebecca HalliwellCoutts
10 Photo: Stephen Wall Photography
9
Who am I? Back then, I didn't really know. It was a question that asked of myself 5 years ago when I was medically discharged from the British Army after becoming injured through overseas operations. I was always a sporty individual but even more the horsewoman, competing at a high level in showjumping from a young age. I joined the British Army in 2000 and I was fortunate enough to be able to continue my equine endeavours even dabbling in polo, which at the time, was still considered as elitist as well as as sporting past time usually only reserved for the Officers. I attended my first polo taster course at Tidworth Park Polo Club, home of Army polo, back in 2007 and found that despite the polar opposite rider profiles, I found it adrenaline inducing. Operations to Iraq and later Afghanistan as a female interpreter quickly took over a big chunk of daily life, spending 6 months of the year training for deployment and the other 6 months spent away in the 'sandpit' as we used to call it. This is what ultimately took its toll and ended my career. The relentless physical demands of deployments coupled with necessity over due care and attention led me to suffer from spinal complications and accelerated degredation. I was no longer able to maintain peak physical fitness and sometimes even the basic physical requirements were a struggle to meet. I was swiftly discharged in 2014 after 14 years service and I became a veteran aged 33 with little clue on what to do next. I was recently divorced after a toxic marriage and I had lost my career. Life seemed pretty bleak when you've just had the rug pulled out from underneath you. The one constant in my life has been horses, whether that be showjumping, racing or polo and it was by reading one chance email from Help for Heroes that my polo playing journey really began. I began playing polo at Cool Hooves, based out of Royal Berkshire Polo Club, in 2014 on a weekly, therapeutic basis with the ever patient Eddie Kennedy as our principle instructor. These sessions continue to be supported by Help for Heroes Sports Recovery who provide funding for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans to play polo as part of their recovery. These benefits can include improvements in their mobility and well being as well as the mental health benefits of being part of a team again. Something that all our careers were fundamentally build on. Through sheer determination and the desire to push the boundaries further, the group of regular attendees quickly outgrew the remits of Cool Hooves and through our swift and impressive development as players, Help for Heroes agreed to initiate a polo team and relocate us to Tidworth Park in Hampshire and continue our weekly training sessions to be run by polo manager, Jess Andrews.
10
Fast forward to 2019 and the Help for Heroes team has gone on to far exceed any expectations that people had on what could be achieved by us and Heroes Day is in its sixth successful year. After a closely contested match, I captained the H4H Strategic Shipping team to victory, ensuring that the trophy from last year remained safely in its current display case having won it the previous year. Through dogged determination, great ball skills and some 'strategic' (see what I did there) game playing, both teams played to the very best of their abilities. So whats' next? There is still so much more that I want to achieve. My fellow team mate and I have taken a leap of faith and baselined our own polo team with the aim of demonstrating the
game beyond recovery and into playing competitively as a free standing entity. Phoenix Rising Polo Team has been born and we have already had our initial kit sponsored by the Household Cavalry Fund who were delighted to offer their support and endorsement. We want to be able to create a pathway for others who want to expand their game to follow and that is not specifically limited to wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans. This season, my handicap raised to a -1 and I want to capitalise on that and qualify as an umpire this season and also to potentially raise my handicap to become the first zero goal 'injured' female player. There may also be a publication in the pipeline that will help to inform and assist others starting out on their polo journey.
11
So who am I now? I am Rebecca Halliwell-Coutts, a business woman with her own successful company, an amazing, supportive husband, a daughter and the best horse and spaniel one could ever wish for. My polo achievements continue to go from strength to strength and now I find myself on a platform with a burning desire to empower more women to join the ranks of the polo world. My injury and pain levels will never improve and I accept that but I am different to the person I was before and I am grateful to the sport of Polo for that.
“Injury does not now define me, the polo field does�
12
Calling all
Apple users
Follow us on Apple News for your, more convenient update of La Low Goal
13
Polo’s Identity Crisis?
14 14
15 15
Polo is in the midst of an identity crisis Traditionally polo has been an amateur dominated game, with non-professional players being found throughout all levels, even including the high goal. However the HPA, and other polo governing body’s newly found desire to lift polo into the public eye has initiated a more and more professional attitude towards the game. This should be a welcome change, as polo edges ever closer to the model adopted by the overwhelming majority of serious sports, yet, as ever in polo, change will always be opposed.
In fact, if you want proof that low goal polo can be improved with the absence of the higher handicapped players, look no further than some branches of junior polo. Here the games are frequently incredibly fast and open, despite often having a handicap limit of under 0 goal. This is because all the players are equally matched, well mounted and hungry for the win. There is no reason why this standard of play couldn’t be recreated in all low goal tournaments across the country, without a professional in sight.
So what changes have the HPA made that are so controversial? Well first of all, they introduced a number of limits, banning the higher handicapped players from the lowest goal tournaments. This forced teams to be made up of a number of lower handicapped players, rather than an outstanding professional and a number of patrons or beginners. Those opposing the changes would argue that this only serves to decrease the standard of play, making the games less attractive for spectators and inhibiting the amount that a lower level players can learn. And in theory they may have a point, but anybody who has had the privilege to play in a team with a similar make up to this well knows that the presence of the pro player does very little to speed the game up, and in many situations detracts from the overall standard. This is because the pro players have a tendency to hold the ball when they are relatively unchallenged, slowing the game, often to a standstill. This ‘negative play’ kills the flow of the game there making less spectator friendly.
The umpiring has also seen a small revolution with radios and third men becoming increasingly common, even at the lower reaches of the handicap spectrum. Personally I believe this is a great idea, as not only does it aid better communication between the different viewpoints of the play, increasing the chance of the foul being called correctly, but it also aids the learning of less experienced umpires. Now they can be in constant contact with a far more experienced umpire who can coach and help them make the correct decisions. This builds their confidence, in what has often been a thankless and sometime daunting role, and builds their knowledge of the game. But no, the change opponents are onto this as well, but frankly they don’t have a leg to stand on. They dislike the fact that their plays can now be analysed to a greater detail, and calls can be more consistent. They feel that the “luck of the umpires decision” is part of the game, and that by removing this some of the “spirit of the game” is lost. This is in my opinion
“ABSOLUTE RUBBISH” 16
In no other sport is the enforcing of the rules left purely up to luck. Rugby and football have video replay systems to ensure the correct foul is blown, and tennis has a ‘Hawk-Eye’ system and line judges. Wherever possible the correct penalty should be applied, and everything should be done to ensure that the correct penalty can be identified. Otherwise we end up effectively playing a lottery rather than a sport, where the winner is determined by luck rather than skill.
The final argument put forward by the neigh sayers, is that polo has traditionally always been an amateur game, and therefore it is in the spirit of the game to retain it so. And you can see why they might think that, mainly because patrons would be unable to play the fast level polo they crave if polo resorted too a more conventional all pro, top level,
with varying levels of ability below that. But really, all this argument proves is how backward polo has been in the past, not what polo should be like in the future. The only way polo can thrive is by becoming a more main stream sport, and this will not happen if the top tiers are still filled with patrons, just confirming the public’s misconception that polo players are all just stuck up snobs born with a silver spoon, with no actual talent or skill. I accept that young, low handicapped players may find it more difficult to end up in high goal, as the necessity to stand in for low handicap patrons or pull the team handicap down is no longer there, and this could stifle their personal development as a player, but this applies to a very select few who are currently lucky enough to have these opportunities. The top level of any competitive event should be the best players in the world pitched against one another.
“The best of the best, if you will”
17
Heroes Day
18 18
19
Bigger, Bolder and Brighter for the Fourth Year at Heroes Polo Day Quite frankly it was rather a hot start at the recently re branded Tedworth Park Polo Club (TPC) for the Heroes Polo Event. Mainly as the sun warmed up for the Help for Heroes Bear, who dutifully paraded the grounds throughout the busy day. I could only hope that he would be rewarded at the end of the day with a very cool British Polo Gin! The crowds flocked in to gain their picnic slots and the CFA ‘Shop to Give’ Boutique Shopping village, was busy selling their wonderful products and unique gifts. Sizzling action started from the offset and this was before the polo even started. The raffle ticket sales at the Burberry stand were delightfully busy, to raise monies for Help for Heroes. The chance to win some incredible Burberry bags, scarves and accessories. I didn’t win. But with all the proceeds going to Help for Heroes, we absolutely are all winners! The polo action kicked off at midday with the annual skirmish between the Royal Navy and The RAF for the Duke of York Cup. The first chukka for the RAF was like putting a bomber into battle, as Vicky Woodhead stormed to goal in less than a minute to put the ball straight through the posts. The game was hard fought at high level with massive lofting shots and low level attack as both sides were pretty evenly matched. The two defence man mountains of Spiller and Adcock dictated a polo battle with every man from both sides fighting hard around them. However, the Navy side played just that more united as a well drilled team. By the final chukka Spiller torpedoed either a fancy or fluke angled shot into goal. The RAF pitched in the 20
drink leaving the Navy victorious with 6 1⁄2 goals to the RAFs 4. Year Four of The Heroes Cup. In 1,460 days plus since the Heroes Phoenix team have been training at Tedworth Park and playing together they have expanded in many ways. Three new players, two new babies and beyond the biggest amount of skill, camaraderie and confidence have developed. The match saw new talent with an incredible amount of energy that came from not only every player, but every spectator who watched what the Heroes Polo Team players have achieved given their life changing injuries or circumstances. A game where everyone is all on one level and aiming for one goal. The match saw Peter O’Rourkes Strategic Shipping team go into the lead as Rebecca Halliwell-Coutts popped the ball through the posts at the end of the second chukka. The final score, Strategic Shipping 1 to Roger McElroys Canonbury 0. Sadly we missed Clifford O’ Farrell who was needed in hospital with his poorly newborn son. We wish you all a speedy recovery. Having just returned from a winter playing polo in New Zealand Fran Townend commented “Polo has literally changed my life” In the eyes of the crowds, supporters, sponsors, training team and even a text to Peter O’Rourke from Nina Clarkin (Ladies 10 Goal player) .... We are super proud of them all and everyone is a winner.
Year Four for Women in Polo (WIP) against the Hackett Army boys? The big question after the WIP team winning three years in a row was, what would happen this year? OK, so let me enlighten you. The Army boys were up for it. Their coach Gaston Devrient on the side lines was making them up for it! Oh wowsers trousers.... What a belter of a match! A dynamic, absorbing and gripping game of polo warfare that was like watching our very own live premier action movie! The Army boys they had a serious point to prove. But from the girls it was a game of mental torture to the army boys as they came out of the line out like a bullet out of an AK47! The Army bombed a ball through the posts like an Exocet missile in minute one leaving the crowds already holding their breath! A few seconds later Wilson-Smith say’s ‘take this boys’ and smacks one right back! It was explosive, exciting and beyond adrenaline fuelled which made the spectators hearts race, the commentator talk fast and blood pump slightly quicker than normal on and off the pitch!
Whatever the army tried to do the WIP Girls gave it harder right back. Neither team showing any mercy with quick turns, explosive speed and sheer skill. Ross was hard in defence with her girls running forward to pick up the ball and attack like a polo siege! The WIP team literally were disarming the Army team with every move. Despite his wonderful lofting shots Fair took a fair dismount in chukka 2 where he decided a saddle wasn’t needed for the game in hand. Both the saddle and Fair slid off the horse in a rather undressing fashion! Chukka 3, the Hackett Army team were hot, flustered and certainly showing the pressure. However, the Women in polo team were cool as the cucumber served in the British Polo Gin! After the half time pitch invasion, both teams came out all guns blazing. The army half time team talk had certainly invigorated some new passion and determination as Drummond-Moray found the goal once more. Only to be quickly put back down to earth as it was seconds before the WIP team outwitted the army team once more and drew them into the foul to give them an easy penalty.
21
Going into Chukka 4 the score was Hackett Army 5 to WIP 8. And very quickly the girls dug harder and deeper making the final score Hackett Army 6 to WIP 10.
encountered ‘(Women In Polo ‘) ........ automatic weapons” We would like to thank our sponsors. Strategic Shipping, Canonbury, Women in Polo, Fine Wines Direct, Burberry.
Honestly, the fastest your heart will beat sitting down!
MVP Sponsored by Women in Polo awarded to Heloise Wilson-Smith. BPP sponsored by Women in Polo awarded to Heloise Wilson-Smith’s ‘Martini’.
The Hackett Army Coach caught up with me post-match and commented. “Everything I told the boys to do......... The Girls did” There is an Army Quote which I think I am going to change...... “Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never
22
Umpire prize for the Duke of York Cup Sponsored by Itchen Valley Brewery. Umpire prizes for the final match sponsored by Turner and Sons, hosiers since 1928.
La Low Goal Mobile
issuu @la_low_goal La Low Goal
Get Involved using the #lalowgoal
You can access La Low Goal content via issuu.com, just search for ‘La Low Goal’, similarly via the Issuu App. iOS users can also follow the channel on Apple news in order to get stories and notifications straight to their phones. 23
Define This
horse (noun) 1.a solid-hoofed, plant-eating, domesticated mammal with a flowing mane and tail. Used for riding, racing, to carry and pull loads. 2. A huge hole in a bank account through which money pours.
24
Who struggles with weak wrists? A popular question we often get asked at Chukka Wellness is – “how can I strengthen my wrists? ” Wrist injuries seem to be an issue among the polo community, the most common reasons being from repetitive strain injury, biomechanical issues or bad falls where players have landed on their hands… ouch So we have provided you with some simple ways to warm up and mobilise your wrist joints followed by some strengthening exercises – all you need is a 1-2kg weight and a towel.
To demonstrate we roped in our client and British polo Player Rebecca Walters...
25
Warm Up and Mobilise the Wrists 1. Start by intertwining your fingers and rotating the hands clock-wise and then anti-clockwise
2. Place both hands on the ground and gently rock your shoulders forwards and backwards over your wrists. You should feel a gentle stretch in the forearm muscles.
26
3. Repeat the same motion but with your palms facing up
4. Trigger Point the forearms – place a hard ball on the ground and roll your forearm over it until the muscles release. For a more effective exercise use your other hand to add further pressure down on to the ball. NB. You can use a tennis ball if you don’t have a trigger point ball
Perform each exercise for 1 minute in a slow and controlled manner – remember you are just warming the muscles and wrist joints up.
27
Strengthening the Wrists 1. Hold a tennis ball or a squidgy ball in your hand and squeeze it for 2 seconds. Relax and repeat 10-15x
2. Grab a 1kg weight and place your arm on a table/bench with your hand hanging over the edge. Move the weight up and down in a controlled manner. You should feel the wrist muscles contracting every time you extend and flex.
3. Start in the same position as exercise 2 but this time move your wrist side to side in a controlled manner. This strengthens the wrist muscles in a dierent plane of movement.
28
4. For anyone who struggles to perform push ups due to painful or weak wrists - place a towel under the heel of your palms. This takes the pressure o the wrists making it easier to perform the movement.
** Aim for 15 reps and 2-3 sets on each strengthening exercise. Try these strengthening exercises a couple of times a week and aim to warm up and mobilise the wrists before every ride.
Whilst we have your attention, we would like to make you aware of the launch of our website www.chukkawellness.co.uk Here you will find information on our services and a little bit more about who we are.
We are now offering 1 to 1 and Team Personal Training Sessions in a beautiful studio down in Midhurst, West Sussex. If like Rebecca, you would like to improve your health and fitness in order to develop your game then get in touch to book your training session now india@chukkawellness.co.uk
29
48 30
The Alumni Polo Tournament will debut on Saturday 17th August 2019 at Offchurch Bury Polo Club, Warwickshire. The event is set to be one of the highlights of the British Polo calendar this season for Low Goal players, especially for university graduates who are dying to get back in the saddle after their Uni polo days. Ara Shikhalislami (Warwick University Polo Club graduate) and Sam Boreham (University of Nottingham Polo Club graduate) have co-organised the Alumni Polo Tournament and used their experience of university polo to create what they hope to be a special day to remember. SUPA – the Schools and Universities Polo Association is the root of all university polo, and the team at SUPA do an incredible job each year to provide polo players access to affordable polo, whilst ensuring that all abilities of players feel comfortable participating at the Summer and Winter Nationals tournaments. The hard work conducted by Charles Betz (President), Nigel Mercer (Manager of Universities Section) and the rest of the team at SUPA has enabled the polo community in the UK to thrive and has coined SUPA Nationals as the largest polo tournament in the world – where over 150 teams compete each year, from Beginner to Open level. Ara and Sam both have a strong relationship with SUPA – they played together on the SUPA England team back in 2017, when they won the Tri-Nations Tournament against Scotland and Ireland. 31
To maintain this momentum of success laid down by SUPA, Ara Shikhalislami has set up the Alumni Polo Network. Ara hopes to use the Alumni Polo Network to encourage polo players not to give up their passion for the sport and continue playing polo as graduates. For many players, polo can be complicated to organise and is not as easy to access when you have a full-time job. With this new Network now in place, there will be a community of polo players who can get together and organise lessons, chukkas and events, where they can continue playing the sport that they love, even beyond university life. What better way to start promoting polo to alumni players than by organising a polo tournament? Although this is the first tournament organised by Ara and Sam, they have some exciting things in store for players and spectators on the 17th August. There is set to be some delicious food and drinks vendors throughout the day for everyone to enjoy, as well as an 8-goal exhibition match to keep the crowd on their feet. Players who enter the tournament can take advantage of some fantastic prizes, which have been donated by some of the event’s sponsors: RJ Polo, Polo Splice and Cowdray Park Polo Club. Unlike other student/ graduate tournaments, the Alumni Polo Tournament also offers players drone footage of their chukkas as part of the entry fees; this probably explains why there are already 16 teams who have signed up and are keen to play in this tournament.
50 32
Other sponsors of the event include StaaG Fashion (a premium lifestyle brand) and Polo Valley (one of the best polo holiday destinations in the world, based in Sotogrande). The Alumni Polo Network has been promoting Polo Valley’s PIP (Polo Induction Programme), where complete beginners can spend a few weeks playing under the beautiful Spanish sun in Sotogrande, to then return as confident polo players. This will be a trip to remember. The Alumni Polo Tournament hopes to make a name for itself on the UK polo scene when it debuts in August, but you can be sure to catch Ara and Sam back in 2020 with an even bigger and better event. If you are free on Saturday 17th August, be sure to pop over to Offchurch Bury Polo Club in the West Midlands to catch a glimpse of the amazing polo happening there. There are still spaces available for players and teams, if you were keen to take part in the polo fun and get some drone footage of you playing polo. There are plenty of opportunities available for alumni players in the UK and around the world, but the Alumni Polo Network hopes to make these opportunities more available and accessible to players of all abilities. Be sure to follow them on Instagram and get in touch with them to be part of this growing network.
Gear Guide.
(Part 3)
Now you have the helmet and the boots. Time to finish the look and get some whites, then at least we will look the part……Maybe we can fake it till we make it.
Polo Whites
The budget end of the market involves a quick trip down the high street or maybe a little internet shopping. High street white jeans are available for men and women in the summer months and may be a fraction of the price of polo branded jeans, but beware the cut. On trend ripped jeans will get you some funny looks on the field as will bling and fashion fit and remember super skinny might show off your figure but you need flexibility in the saddle if you actually intend to hit the ball. When trying to ensure there are no wardrobe malfunctions and standards of decency are maintained on the field investing in stronger material than disposable fashion items may also prove prudent.
So whats the choice?
Budget to exclusive, lets take a look.
Next jeans with stretch £22
Matalan stretch skinny £22
M&S classic straight jeans £22.50
Followed by, Less fashion statement and a true classic has to be the Wrangler classic cowboy cut jean.
Available on Amazon £42
Classic Levi’s, western white £70
33
Then whites specifically designed for polo include;
Sats white polo jeans £54
Pampeno polo whites £59 at RJ Polo
Willoughby park polo whites designed with a saddle patch so as to remove uncomfortable inner thigh seams £64
Tally Ho technical polo whites with built in stretch fabric these jeans are designed to move with the player and enhance playability £70
Dos claim to provide the next generation of technical polo apparel.
Dos blanco bespoke polo whites £120
34
31
Casablanca jeans use cutting edge fabrics, to create All Way Stretch with the benefit of shape retention, anti stain and water repellant coatings. Feeling like classic heavy duty strong denim (without the rigidity factor) and a smooth finish.
ÂŁ165
Ono soft shell polo whites are designed for close contact and adherence to the saddle They feature stretch woven fabric, four way elasticity plus odour control technology. They are breathable, windproof and moisture resistant. Suitable for polo in all weather conditions.
ÂŁ200
,
32
35
36
Support us on
PAT R E O N
https://www.patreon.com/ user?u=16527488 37
EDGEWORTH POLO CLUB
38
Isa Trophy
June kicked off with the Isa Trophy at Edgeworth Polo Club. Not only did the teams have to battle each other but also the elements, the rain lashed down on the final but it didn’t deter the players or the spectators! Foxy Ladies- John Corbett, Rachel Woodhouse, George Fox and Tamara Fox came out the winners.
The Amir Cup The following week brought The Amir Cup, six teams battled for the trophy. The final consisted of a round robin American style tournament between Kencot Cavaliers, Taylor Gold and R&R. Having won both of their rounds Taylor Gold and R&R battled it out in the final two chukkas, Taylor Gold off to a promising start with 2 consecutive goals scored out of the line up by Jacob Kirby (0), unfortunately this just made R&R more determined and with Ollie Jones (3) leading the team they came away the winners 6-3. Mark Newson, Amy Nizolek, George Fox and Ollie Jones.
39
Bluestone Trophy
After a brief halt to games due to the weather, polo was back in full force for the 2 goal hosted by our
newest sponsor Bluestone Insurance Services. Another great turn out of 7 teams with it all to play for. Sunday saw another American style round robin final with Santana Taylor Black, Kencot Cavaliers and Bath Road Academicals all playing for the trophy. The crowd wasn’t disappointed as the teams battled it out, Marco De Vence (0) was on fire and played an absolute stunner of a game and led Bath Road Academicals to the win. Santana Taylor Black bringing up a close second.
40
La Low Goal
Hoodies
£22 + delivery
36
41
A New Hope?
44 42
It is a period of great change and Eurosport has won their first victory against polo obscurity
During Tuesday (25th June) the Custodians
of the TV rights managed to air ‘The Polo Show’ produced by PoloLine, to
become the first polo show on
mainstream television. These TV rights may prove to have enough power to restore polo to the worldwide sports arena.
This could represent a seismic shift in the world of polo, and help immensely with polo’s current motif, to become a more mainstream sport. I truly believe this leap into the public eye could reap wondrous rewards for the game, as polo will be able to promote itself and what it has to offer to potential players and spectators in a way it has previously never been able to.
45 43
down the traditional path where we continue to segregate polo from the mainstream. This will surely only deter potential adopters of the game. Therefore reducing or canceling out the positive effect the increased exposure could bring.
With this new platform polo will be able to market itself to people who usually would have nothing to do with the game, either due to its elitist connotations or a simple lack of awareness about the sport. This will surely inspire at least a small number of viewers to go out and watch or try the game in real life, boosting polos reputation as a globally recognised sport and benefiting those already within the polo community. For example, this increase in beginners is only going to benefit many of the coaches and pony hirers, many of whom are currently struggling to make a living. And, in theory, something like this could help turn the tide on the public’s misconceptions about the sport and help it achieve the status of any other mainstream sport. This would create a positive feedback loop, where the sport becomes less elitist, which in turn attracts more people, which in turn makes it less elitist and so on. This kind of expansion would offer almost unlimited rewards, as polo is opened up to thousands more people around the globe. The transformation from a perceived “rich boy” pastime to a professional and mainstream sport can be kickstarted with a promotional campaign such as this.
46 44
But will it be? Unfortunately I am not sure that the producers of the program are capitalising on these positive factors and global audience, instead portraying polo in the elitist and glamorous light we have come to expect. You only need to watch the trailer, where almost half of the run time is dedicated to “glamorous spectators” and “impressive hats” to see we may be heading
Furthermore, I worry about the marketability of the game in its current guise. Unlike many sports like rugby and football, polo teams are not geolocated, which in itself proves a barrier to supporters. Plus polo teams often change year on year, again making it difficult for a spectator to faithfully support, and therefore engage with the game in the way that supporters do with other sports. The solution then, may be to have fans support individual players, following them around from team to team. However, currently I do not believe that the top level players possess the required personalities to engage and connect with an audience. For a start, many are not even fluent in english. Now, I am not gong to be ignorant and demand that all players playing in England speak english perfectly, but more needs to be done to overcome these issues and end up with more exciting and interesting features, opposed to the endless dry interviews and montages we currently see. For example interviews could be dubbed rather than subtitled, and games, or more “out there” questions used to interest not only existing polo fans but newcomers too. Building a connection between the players (characters) in the sport and the fans. Fans would like to follow personalities within the sport. Now, I don’t want to appear negative or defeatist. I am quite the opposite, and see this expansion into the world of mainstream TV as a major turning point for polo. I just feel, that given these opportunities, polo has to make the most of it and present itself in a way that will provide the most positive effects for the sport as a whole. If polo wants to really stand out during its foray into the TV spotlight we need to make lasting connections with the viewers. Only then, will the crowds gather.
This months submissions
#lalowgoal Alex Lowe:
Fanta, posing for the camera at Cambridge County Polo Club for the Timba cup
@triskelionpoloclub
Draw for the weekend
45
This Month’s Contributors: - Rebecca Halliwell-Couts - Chukka Wellness - Tidworth Polo Club - Alumni Polo Tournament - Edgeworth Polo Club - Alex Lowe - Clare Hamilton - Ignacio Llorente
52 46
@la_low_goal La Low Goal
O av ai P r u la in t bl t e N e d at co o yo a p w u clu ies b
ne a
r
Limited number for sale Please email connorkay73@icloud.com for more information 51
July Issue
Coming Soon
