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Twilight Turns Into Sunset at Great Meadow
Twilight Turns Into Sunset at Great Meadow
By Emma Boyce
Another season of Saturday night arena polo is underway at Great Meadow in the Plains. After nearly three decades operating under the moniker Twilight Polo, the much anticipated summer sport has returned for its 30th year with a few surprises, including a new name and a changing of the guard.
The newly coined Sunset Polo, headed by Twilight Polo veteran and avid equestrian Whitney Ross, hopes to continue the rich legacy of polo at Great Meadow, while also broadening its scope to polo clubs beyond the Piedmont area.
“This year, we’ll have players coming from all over,” said Whitney, noting teams from Maryland and Charlottesville, where the University of Virginia also has a prestigious polo scene. “I want everyone to feel welcome to use the Great Meadow facility instead of it sitting empty as it has been the last couple of years.”
Besides Saturday night polo, Whitney offers lessons, practice games, and tournaments at Great Meadow.
“We’re going to make it a full club again,” she said. “It’s exciting to bring it back to its roots. It’s why the facility was developed to begin with.”
Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. and there are three matches, with a tug of war for kids at halftime. Barrel Oak will be serving wine, and there will be other food vendors.
“The 8 p.m. slot will be more competitive than it was before,” Whitney said of the featured third game. “There will be a higher caliber of polo being played which will be very exciting for the crowd to watch and be involved in.”
Managing Sunset Polo was a natural progression for Whitney. In some way or another, horses have always been at the epicenter of her career.
A native of Charlottesville, she competed on hunters for Virginia Tech and later dabbled in sport horse breeding. After college, her focus turned to polo, playing games at UVA and Great Meadow. Soon she was managing six polo ponies for a sponsor.
“It’s addicting,” Whitney said of the sport. “Once you score your first goal, you’re hooked.”
During one of these trips to Great Meadow, she was offered a job to start the polo school for the Great Meadow Polo Club. Under her direction, the school grew into one of the largest polo schools in the country.
“A lot of people come out and watch polo and then want to try it,” she said. “That’s why we do the lessons. It’s so fun to see someone go from a general admission ticket to playing at a Saturday night.”
For the last 15 years, she managed both the school and Twilight Polo, with some help from a now departed partner. Sunset marks her first venture alone, one that seems certain to exceed the community’s expectations.
“For people who live in Northern Virginia or D.C., Sunset Polo gets you out of the city,” Whitney said. “It’s a great atmosphere. People can bring out a carload of friends and family. Kids get to run around. The adults can have a beverage. Everyone has a blast.”
