comes, it’s common to see the Daniels brothers taking to Gibney Field. “Myopia has always done a fantastic job with youth polo,” says Tom Goodspeed, Benji Daniels’ coach at Southern Methodist University. “They’ve always been a club of great players, great amateur players and with a focus on helping new players come along.” Benji’s strengths? “I coached Benji in the NYTS tournament at Myopia, and what I saw in his outdoor game very quickly was that he had very good hand-toeye,” Goodspeed says. “His strong suit outdoors was playing forward. He’s pretty darned accurate. And I could see his outdoor skills would translate well in the arena.” Goodspeed says comparing outdoor and arena polo would be like comparing outdoor and indoor soccer. And he says it’s a transition Benji took to quickly. “It’s a smaller area, there’s much more contact and you use a bigger ball,” he says. “Outdoors is about speed, while arena is about quickness, and Benji has skills that translate well to both. He’s comfortable at-speed, but he’s also quick with a mallet.” His brother, Landen Daniels, 17, is the youngest of six polo-playing brothers, and has made a name for himself among the polo community in Wellington. Now in his ninth year playing polo, Landen has developed a keen understanding of where to be on the polo field—both defending as well as making key offensive plays. Myopia’s Grace Grotnik has also taken her game to SMU, playing this season as a freshman on the varsity team. Grace started playing polo at 10 years old and entered her first tournament at 13. Recognition soon followed: She’s played polo on grass, in the arena and on snow, was presented the Dr. Billy Linfoot Award » photographs by jacqueline miller
The Next Generation National Youth Tournament Series returns to Myopia.
myopia this season will host the National Youth Tournament Series (NYTS) regional qualifying matches for the eighth time—this year Aug. 1-2. The continued involvement is a sign that Myopia is playing a key role in the growth of the sport. “It really is a community effort,” says Amanda Snow, director of player development for the United States Polo Association (USPA). “There are a lot of players and host families involved. Without Harvard, which helps mount players, it wouldn’t be possible, and of course, (Myopia Polo Manager) Kim Maguire makes it happen no matter what, year after year.” A season-long series, NYTS cultivates and promotes junior polo throughout the United States by providing the organizational structure to support junior tournaments. At Myopia, local professionals like Federico Wulff, along with Team USPA members C.B. Scherer, Nick Snow and Felipe Viana volunteer their time to coach teams at the qualifier. “The primary goal is to create more opportunities for youth players to play with their peers,” Snow says. “Polo is a unique sport in that people of all ages and abilities are on the field at the same time. Giving kids the opportunity to play with kids their own age is instrumental to their development and more fun, we feel.” The second key component of
NYTS is to get youth players seen as competitive players at their home clubs and give them goals to strive for. Engaging players at this level provides them with collegiate opportunities and opens doors for international travel, as well as fortifying clubs at the local level. Players—boys and girls—attend the local qualifiers as individuals, and are placed on teams by the host club. The NYTS program is built around targeting and identifying outstanding young players at each qualifier through the use of an All-Star Selection Committee. At the end of the weekend, All-Stars are chosen based on horsemanship, sportsmanship, playing ability at their current handicap and how they play on a team. From there, those All-Stars become eligible to be selected to advance to the National Championship. “You can’t just score a bunch of goals and expect to be an All-Star,” Snow says. “This system allows the top players to be recognized as well-rounded players while encouraging them to lead their teammates at the qualifiers.” It’s an effort the entire club rallies around. “Club players take a sideline for that event,” Snow says. “It only works if everyone supports it.” The National Youth Tournament Series qualifiers will be held at Myopia on Aug. 1-2. The finals will be played in Chicago. 2020 myopia polo 17
