The Gold Standard

Adam Snow and Nic Roldan represent the best of Myopia

by Brion O’Connor

They are two of the most decorated American-born polo players to ever sit astride a polo pony. Fueled by their passion for polo, Adam Snow and Nicolas “Nic” Roldan have established rich and rewarding multifaceted careers in their chosen sport, both on and off the pitch.

Despite the difference in their ages — Snow is 57 years old, and Roldan is 39 — the two share a number of common milestones. They have achieved tremendous success playing the game, winning numerous championships, with Snow rated at 10 goals and Roldan at 8 (but as high as 9 earlier in his career). They have also achieved significant accomplishments in the competitive world of business.

Snow and his wife, veterinarian Shelly Onderdonk, manage New Haven Farm in Aiken, South Carolina, where they breed and train polo ponies (the couple also has three sons — Dylan, Nathan and Aidan). He is a play-by-play announcer and analyst with ESPN and an author (with his wife) of “Polo Life: Horses, Sport, 10 and Zen.” Roldan, who is single, is co-founder of High Goal Luxury Gin, is a licensed realtor with Equestrian Sotheby’s and developer, and recently launched a clothing line, “Roldan Lifestyle,” at Equitana USA. He has also teamed with brands such as Technogym and Therabody to develop equestrian-specific protocols for warm-up and recovery.

Both were multi-sport athletes, with Snow playing lacrosse and ice hockey at Yale (he captained the Bulldogs’ hockey team his senior year), and Roldan, in addition to qualifying for the Junior Olympics in roller hockey, also playing ice hockey, golf, tennis, soccer and baseball. Perhaps most importantly, Snow and Roldan developed their exceptional polo talents, in part, on the playing fields of Boston’s North Shore, specifically at the Myopia Hunt and Polo Club.

“I first played polo at the Myopia arena when I was about 10 years old,” says Snow, who grew up in Hamilton. “I was scared of horses initially, but then my competitive instincts took over when there were kids of a similar age to play with.”

When he was 14, Snow was coached, and encouraged, by his father, Crocker Snow, and his cousin, Donald “Doo” Little. “I liked every sport I played — hockey, lacrosse, football, baseball, tennis,” he says. “Initially, polo represented another fun team sport.”

“My earliest memories of Myopia are of riding my horse across the golf course from our home on Bridge Street, and then across Bay Road, to attend the Mike Andrews indoor clinic in the arena,” says Snow. “I was quite young, the only kid in the program, and it was a scary, 2- to 3-mile hack to make it to the clinic. Still, challenges are good, and I still roll and wrap bandages the way Mike taught me.” Snow describes Andrews as a “ground up” instructor who emphasized the importance of youngsters learning how to take care of their horses and their gear.

“And I was watching my older cousin, Doo Little, competing on this field with the Fortugnos and Brad Scherer — it looked like they were flying,” he says. “They were a huge inspiration.”

Likewise, Roldan started playing at a young age, often at Myopia thanks to his father, Raül Roldan. working as the manager for Bob Daniel’s Pony Express team. Current Myopia Polo captain David Strouss has vivid memories of a young Roldan.

2019 Harrison Cup 8 goal final match winning team Folly Fields. Left to right: Adam Snow, Marcos Onetto, Steven Burr and Terri Campbell.

“I’ll never forget Nic, when he was about 10 years old, hitting a polo ball with a foot mallet halfway across a polo field,” says Strouss. “His athleticism and complete commitment to the game make him the perfect face for USA polo.”

Roldan is a fourth-generation polo player, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, and Myopia provided “amazing golden memories.”

“My father was also a professional, and I’m fortunate enough to have taken it to the next level,” Roldan says. “I grew up between winters in Wellington, Florida, and summers in Boston.

“Myopia is where we spent our summers for 15, 20 years,” he says. “It was a beautiful club with such nice members, amazing camaraderie. I went to the tennis club at Myopia, and got to play golf and polo. It was one of the best places to grow up as a kid.

“Some of my fondest memories as a child were definitely in Myopia, just because it was also summer break, so I got to play loads of polo, spent most of my time out on the farm riding, stick and balling,” he says. “I have so many different memories, from flagging all the games with Nicky Snow to the Whitney and Winthrop fields, to kids’ games, to my first tournaments with grown-ups, to playing with my father, the amazing barbecues that the Club used to have, which I always thought was something very special and very unique.”

Both men are also grateful to have had people who nourished a love for the game. Snow, when asked who had a major influence on his early career, replies: “My Grandad, who we called ‘Too,’ stick and balled with me frequently, and Dave Roberts, who was a 4-goal professional and worked for Uncle Donald (Little). And my Dad was always very supportive and also pushed us sometimes, but in a good way.”

“Then when we began to play with the Young Myopia group, it was my brother Andrew, Phillip Lake, Teddy and Bobby Mehm, Carlos Coles, Courtney Fawcett that I grew up playing with,” he says. “And several of the Myopia players were extremely supportive of the young players. Uncle Donald, Mike Fawcett, Bob Daniels, Ted Raymond, Adam Winthrop and others, were finding ways to help us with horses, fields and later teams to play on.”

Roldan also credits his father with lighting the spark that continues to sustain him.

“He’s been my mentor throughout my whole career, starting from when I was a little kid, taking me to the barn, always encouraging me, but never pushing me,” he says. “Both my Mom and Dad did always push me to play sports, and to follow my dreams and passions. They gave me the most opportunities they could and always supported me through the ups and downs of life and a career in sport.

“He’s always been there for me, and I think that’s obviously really important,” says Roldan. “There have been a few other mentors throughout my career, but he was and is the most important one.”

Above: In 2018, Nic Roldan met Queen Elizabeth II after his team, La Indiana, won the Queen’s Cup tournament, played at Guards Polo Club, Windsor, UK.

Another common thread that runs though their early careers, of course, is Myopia.

“Young players can only get to the higher professional levels of polo by playing with better players in more competitive polo,” says Strouss. “Myopia has been fortunate to have young local players growing up together and historically playing in mid- to high-goal polo like Adam and Nic. Myopia is not one of the largest polo clubs in the U.S., but it is one of the most well known, because players like Adam and Nic grew up playing here.”

Ultimately, Snow graduated from Yale as a 4-goal player, and quickly began climbing the ladder toward his goal as a world-class talent. “Then in 1997, at age 33, I was lowered from 8 to 7,” he says. “It was the first time my handicap had ever gone down, and I was concerned my career was on a descent.”

However, Snow rebounded, thanks to what he calls “the multiple layers of team,” which includes his wife, their horses, supportive sponsors, the chance to play in the Argentine Open and a trusted sports psychologist.

“Five years later, in 2002, I won the U.S. Open and got raised to 10 goals,” he says. “It was a dream come true. Once I began working with a sports psychologist, I became truly all in for the first time since I had started to swing a mallet.”

Asked to recount his career highlights, Snow lists playing with his brother and father for the legendary Myopia Seagulls (“It was about family and taking care of the horses and tack together,” he says. “Andrew and I even repaired our own mallets.”), winning his first U.S. Open, and MVP, and BPP (Pumbaa) in 2002 with Coca-Cola, and qualifying for and then playing the Argentine Open on his own horses in 2004.

“My whole family was there, supporting me,” he says. “We played the Jockey Club, the qualification in Palermo — the scariest two games of my life, because our whole season depended on a successful result — and then Hurlingham and Palermo. Only a few wins, but it was the experience of a lifetime.”

Those results cemented Snow’s reputation as one of the greatest American-born polo players. “Anybody who has played with and against Adam knows he is the consummate field general and commands a game like no other player,” says Strouss. “Having been the last U.S. player to achieve the maximum 10-goal handicap, it is truly remarkable what he has accomplished in polo.”

Roldan’s success came early, at the age of 15, when he played in and won the U.S. Open Polo Championships. “That was the kickstart of my career,” he says. “It was my introduction and gateway into a professional polo career.”

Playing the Argentine Triple Crown, which includes the Argentine Open, “was obviously an amazing experience and something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life,” he says. “I feel very grateful to have been able to have that experience.” He also won the Queen’s Cup in the United Kingdom, “another accolade that a lot of top professionals want to achieve,” says Roldan.

“Historically, it’s one of the most important tournaments in the world, probably one of the oldest,” he says. “I’d also been in the final the two previous years, so it was good to crack that nut at last and is a truly memorable and magical experience. A huge achievement.”

The careers of Snow and Roldan also intersected for a few brief, shining moments.

“Adam and I went on to win one of the most important tournaments in the United States together in 2007, the C.V. Whitney, as part of the Catamount team,” says Roldan. “And in 2009, we played together representing the USA against England in the Westchester Cup.”

The pair is connected by a humility born from their gratitude for the assistance, and the opportunities, both received along the way. “I don’t know about superstars in other sports, but Nic and Adam are as approachable today as they were years ago as young players,” says Strouss. “They have never forgotten where they came from.”

That modesty is a byproduct of the fact that both Snow and Roldan recognize their success was built on the efforts of others, including their sponsors, their ponies and their teammates. “Polo is everything, it’s given me everything,” says Roldan. “Whatever I have today, I have because of polo, whether it’s the polo aspect, the family or friends I have, or even as a transition into the business side of the sport and beyond.”

“There have been chapters in my career and so many people I’ve learned from, starting with Memo and Carlos Gracida,” says Roldan. “They were the visionaries in the beginning. They brought me on to play between the ages of 15 and 16 years old. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to play with them.”

In a similar vein, Snow credits Alfonso Pieres as a major influence. “I lucked into getting to play with him in my first Florida season, the first time I’d ever been on the field with a 10-goal player,” he says. “We clicked, and went on to play three to four seasons together in Florida and Greenwich. He

supported me with horses to play almost every time I went to Argentina to improve my polo. We are friends to this day.”

Further, Snow says he’s “had many great teammates over the course of my career — my brother Andrew, Alfonso Pieres, Owen Rinehart, Julio Arellano, Tiger Kneece, Mariano Gonzalez, Luis Escobar, Martin Zegers, etcetera. This is another amazing aspect of the sport. The bonds we developed while in the midst of competition, and danger, survive forever.”

Like most polo players, the pair shares a love of their steeds.

“Now, it’s the horses that have become the most compelling aspect of the sport for me,” Snow says. “We bred horses — my best retired mares from the peak of my career — for about 10 years. And now, their offspring comprise five of my favorite six ponies. Being involved with every stage of this process — from foal to best-playing pony, when it works out — is an amazing and rewarding experience.

“You have a special bond with the individual ponies you play. And, especially now, when most of my favorites are homebreds,” he says. “One mare, LolliBopp, is the daughter of my all-time favorite, Hale Bopp. Now that we’re playing tournaments together, when we’re successful on the playing field, it’s a very special feeling. She’s dark gray, and cocky, with a lot of attitude, and has a great career in front of her.”

Roldan sounds a similar note, saying: “The horses have always been first and foremost for me, and my biggest passion. I’ve always loved horses. I’ve been around them since I was 2 years old and always had a very close bond with them.”

“Without my horses I wouldn’t be who I am today,” he says. “I have a team of horse trainers and grooms who work around the clock every day, seven days a week, to make sure that the horses are looking their best, feeling their best and playing their best.

“The horses are probably the most beautiful part of the sport,” says Roldan. “They give their all every time they step out onto the polo field, and we all have to be very thankful for all they do. It’s also great mentally to start and end a day at the barn with my horses in tranquility.”

It is a feeling that was born, and nurtured, at Myopia.

“It was a thrill to go out on Gibney Field for a chukker or two,” says Snow. “My two brothers, Josh and Andrew, and I played bike polo endlessly during this period. We’d go round and round a small circle in front of our house, with little mallets and a tennis ball, and we’d commentate our play: ‘Benny, Benny, Benny Guitterez takes it out of the air.’ These were the best players we were seeing in the (Myopia) tournaments as we were growing up. Now I’m commentating for the USPA productions on ESPN. It’s kind of funny that it all started around our little circle on Bridge Street in Hamilton. “Myopia is one of the oldest polo clubs in the whole country, and the story of the sport’s resurgence after World War II is incredible,” he says. “It’s a really good community of people who have fostered and nurtured the sport at the club since then.”

Roldan is wistful is his recollections of polo on Boston’s North Shore.

“I’ve not been back to Myopia in such a long time,” says Roldan. “The last time I visited was during the off season in 2012, when I was visiting a friend in Boston. Of course, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to take a trip down Memory Lane.”

Roldan says he’s aware that the landscape has changed, but that polo at Myopia “is still going strong.”

“I know Pony Express sold,” he says. “I think Raymond’s field isn’t around anymore, but it will always have a special place in my heart. And definitely, the fondest memories of my childhood were at Myopia.

“I hope Myopia will continue to flourish and remain a very special place, and hopefully it will inspire more young players like it did me.”