Summary of Youth Polo

SUPA Summer Nationals Update

Following another super successful Winter nationals, the decision has been made to cap the number of team entries at the Summer Nationals to 175 in order to maintain the standards, horse welfare and ensure a balanced number of chukkas per day. Players will also only be allowed to enter in a maximum of three teams.

2022 Girls’ National Interscholastic Championship

Photography by David Murrell

Aiken Polo Club, 2022 Girls’ National Interscholastic Championship winners were able to go out for dinner and enjoy the trip together.” By half-time, Maryland Polo Club were trailing, but they emerged in the second half re-invigorated and managed to tie the game, however Aiken Polo Club immediately fought back to secure an overall 16-10 victory.

The Sportsmanship Award was presented to Sierra Blevins and San Antonio Polo Club was awarded Best Playing String

2022 Girls’ National Interscholastic Championship Final Teams:

Aiken Polo Club: Brianna Jordan, Robyn Leitner, Reagan Leitner & Summer Kneece Maryland Polo Club: Jordan Peterson, Sierra Blevins, Rory Knox, Kylie Beard & Izzy Brockett

Sunday 27 March saw a rematch of last year’s Girls’ National Interscholastic Championship Final with defending champions, Aiken Polo Club, up against Maryland Polo Club. The Final was held at Brookshire Polo Club arena in Brookshire, Texas, with the finalists emerging from a roster of five competitive teams. Going into the Final, Aiken Polo Club knew this would be their last chance to lift the trophy as a team, with high school seniors and sisters Reagan and Robyn Leitner competing in their last championship match. Aiken Polo Club played confidently on their home string as Robyn Leitner commented, “It was really nice having our own horses because we knew there would be at least two chukkers that we could rely on them. I think bringing them gave us an advantage because we all knew how our horses played, and how to make the most of them. It took us two days to get to Houston [Texas] and both days we spent about eight hours on the road! Travelling together was a great bonding moment for our team, as we

2022 Open National Interscholastic Championship

Photography by David Murrell

Houston Polo Club and supporters celebrating their win Lance Stefanakis enjoys his winning goal

On Sunday 20 March, Houston Polo Club faced Aiken Polo Club in the 2022 Open National Interscholastic Championship Final at Brookshire Polo Club arena. Houston Polo Club took an early three goal lead, but struggled to maintain a clean game in the second half, which allowed Aiken Polo Club back into contention going into the last chukka. Considerable effort from Will Mudra and Lance Stefanakis, with the latter scoring the winning goal, meant Houston Polo Club secured themselves a 10-7 and their first Open National Interscholastic Championship title. The win was even sweeter for Houston Polo Club who lost out on the 2021 title, which pushed the team to put a lot of effort into their pre-tournament preparations, as Lance Stefanakis explained, “We were even more determined to win this year. We dedicated ourselves to working harder, as a team and as individuals. It took waking up a few hours earlier every day, practicing a few more times every week and having a collective mission to win a National Championship.”

The Sportsmanship Award was presented to Luke Howe (Yale Polo Club), while Houston’s Will Mudra took home the Horsemanship Award and Titona (Pistola x Lamborghini), a 10-year-old mare owned by Aiken Polo Club’s Lazaro Gorosito was presented with the Best Playing Pony rug.

2022 Open National Interscholastic Championship Final Teams:

Houston Polo Club: Joe Bob Lequerica, Will Mudra, Lance Stefanakis, Ashvath Bhatia & Judah Altic Aiken Polo Club: Madison Jordan, Josh Escapite, Aiden Meeker & Lazaro Gorosito

National Intercollegiate Championships

Photography by Oana Moore University of Virginia (UVA), winners of the 2022 Division I Women’s Intercollegiate Championship Over 6 – 9 April, The National Intercollegiate Championships were contested for the first time since 2019 (following two years of Covid cancellations), with teams battling it out at Virginia Polo Club. Eight Division I teams contested the men’s and women’s trophies, with University of Virginia (UVA) consistently performing on both sides to secure both titles, the first time UVA has achieved the women’s and men’s titles in the same year, since 2012. The men’s Final saw University of Virginia (UVA) face University of North Texas, with both teams boasting strong, cohesive line-ups

and by half-time the two sides were tied with matching statistics. At half-time, UVA assessed their performance and realised they had been focusing on the ball too much, “We weren’t playing how we normally do. We weren’t passing to each other. We were just focused on the ball and running all over the place. When we slowed it down and started thinking about it and making plays it felt like every goal we scored in the second half, every man touched the ball” commented Parker Pearce. UVA flew into the second half, leaping ahead of University of North Texas to secure the Men’s National Intercollegiate Championship title 13-7.

Earlier in the day, University of Virginia Cavaliers (UVA) and University of Kentucky Wildcats (UK) faced each other in The Women’s National Intercollegiate Championship Final; With a strong offense and tireless teamwork, UVA were able to avenge their earlier tournament loss against UK with a convincing 17-9 win.

University of Virginia (UVA), winners of the 2022 Division I Men’s Intercollegiate Championship

The National Intercollegiate Championships Final Teams:

University of Virginia: Jack McLean, Parker Pearce & Brennan Wells University of North Texas: Vance Miller III, John Dencker & Vaughn Miller Jr.

University of Virginia Cavaliers:

Elizabeth Owens, Alana Benz, Maddie Grant, Grace Burgert & Katie Define

University of Kentucky Wildcats:

Louisa Huber, Avery Evans, Lila Bennett, Taylor Nackers & Grace Beck

Inaugural Division II National Intercollegiate Championships

Babson College, winners of the 2022 Division II Men’s National Intercollegiate Championship University of Connecticut, winners of the 2022 Division II Women’s National Intercollegiate Championship

Babson College and Skidmore College faced each other in The Division II National Intercollegiate Championship Final at Legends Polo Club in Kauffman, Texas on Sunday 27 March. On the day both teams were relatively even as they were both mounted by Prestonwood Polo Club, but Babson utilised their offensive play to get the upper hand and secure themselves a 13-8 win, quite an achievement in their first full year as a Club.

On the same day, the University of Connecticut Huskies and Texas Tech University Red Raiders took to the arena for the inaugural Division II Women’s National Intercollegiate Championship Final, also at Legends Polo Club. Having not won a national title since 2008, University of Connecticut Huskies were hungry for the win, but had to work hard as back-and-forth frenzied action from both sides saw a high scoring first half. However, they entered the second half with renewed vigour and dominated the last two chukkas to take a 15-11 win and with it the inaugural championship title.

Division II National Intercollegiate Championships Final Teams:

Babson College: Beto Aguilar, Austin Hamilton & Leo Borja Skidmore College: Justin Hall, Finnian O’Malia & Ben Bruce University of Connecticut Huskies: Kylie Dalton, Rylyn Koger, Elizabeth Leudesdorff, Madison Robicheau & Toni Moore Texas Tech University Red Raiders: Lexie Harlan, Brianna Wolkober, Mary Kate Ratliff, Jordyn Rizzuto & Tatijana Mirski

IMPROVING POLO SKILLS

by Rege Ludwig

Unfortunately, there has been little written on the subjects of how to teach the game of polo and/or how to play it. My soon to be released educational program entitled, Improving Polo Skills, deals with both topics.

My major focus is on the riding, the controlling and the playing of the polo horse. I discuss how you do each affects the way you execute the strategy of the game, and hit the ball.

Over many years of working in polo, I have heard again and again that the polo horse is at least seventy percent of a player’s ability to play the game of polo. If that is true, as I am sure it is, then it only makes sense that if you want to improve your polo playing skills, the obvious place to start is where the largest percentage of your playing ability lies, i.e., riding, controlling, and playing the horse.

In the book, Improving Polo Skills, Book One, Riding, I go into great detail explaining “WHY” the Polo Style of Riding is so important to playing the game of polo. I then go into the “HOW TO” of riding in the Polo Style.

In the book, Improving Polo Skills, Book Two, Hitting, I go into an in-depth discussion on why a strong, secure and stable hitting platform is crucial to hitting any of the eight shots used in polo. Additionally, I introduce my Hitting Checklist, which is a series of steps that must be executed in sequential order if efficient hitting of any of the eight shots used in polo is to be realized. I refer to that sequential order as, The Law of Sequence. I also go into how the ending of one shot feeds into the beginning of the shot used for hitting in the opposite direction on the same side.

In the book, Improving Polo Skills, Book Three, Strategy, I discuss what the line of the ball and the right of way are. I reference each in a manner that defines how each should be used if maximum safety and effectiveness of play are to be realized. I also discuss, from an offense and a defense perspective, what the responsibilities are for each of the four positions in the outdoor game and the three positions of the indoor game. I also break the width of the field down into three sections that extend the length of the field. The middle section is an 80-yard-wide area where the offensive #1 and defensive #4, while staying on a direct line between the ball and the goal, should play the majority of the game. The two 50-yard-wide sections, on either side of the field, are areas where the #2s and #3s should play a large portion of the game.

Half Seat Begin Offside Fore Shot to End Offside Fore Shot/Begin Offside Backshot