2023 I/I Magazine

I/I MAGAZINE 2023

U.S. POLO ASSN. IS PROUD TO SUPPORT OUR COLLEGE POLO TEAMS:

Cal Poly Polo Club

Colorado State University

Grossmont College

Michigan Intercollegiate Polo Club

Michigan State University

Middle Tennessee State University

Montana State

Morehouse College

Oklahoma State University

Oregon State University

Roger Williams University

Skidmore College

St. Andrews University

St. Edwards University

Stanford Polo Club

Texas A&M

Texas Christian University

Texas Tech

Trinity University

University of Connecticut

University of California Santa Barbara

University of California Davis

University of Idaho

University of Kentucky

University of Louisville

University of Massachusetts

University of North Texas

University of Texas

University of Virginia

USC Aiken

Virginia Tech

Westmont College

Yale University

List of 2022-2023 Teams

EXCELLENCE: 2022 marked the 100th anniversary of the I/I program, with the first National Intercollegiate Championship being held in 1922. Princeton Polo Club took home the honors, with players Edgar H. Stabler, Alton P. Hall and William T. Fleming. Pictured on this year’s cover is UVA senior and 2022 USPA Men’s National Intercollegiate Championship winner, Parker Pearce. The significance? Parker, who plays No. 2, is Alton P. Hall’s great-grandson, who just so happened to also wear the No. 2 jersey.

PC: Mike Ryan

PASSION. DEDICATION. EXCELLENCE.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

100 years of I/I polo – done and dusted. What a year! We kicked it off with articles on each of the decades written through the eyes of I/I alumni. It was so interesting to read and listen to the stories told, and to be able to capture those memories; all with a common thread – it’s not just about the polo. We began from the very start of the program and learned about the history and significant characters who established the baseline of the rules of I/I and brought the program to where it is today. The real heart of the articles were the personal stories that were shared. Sure, there were championship games that were won, but the real meat of the articles were the stories about the best times people had with their teammates, their mounts and their opponents. Game scores? Most of those we had to look up because nobody remembered the scores. They remembered ponies’ names, a play of a lifetime or that one time when the van got stuck on the side of the road on the way to a game. And then there was that time when your teammate made you dress ridiculously for a photo shoot in the tack room for her class project. (P.S. She got an A!)

As you all head into tournament time, remember you are making memories. You are here for the good times, the fun times, the comraderies, the life-long friendships, the life-lessons - all with some polo mixed in. I promise you in 10 years’ time you won’t remember the score, but you’ll remember that one special pony (or not so special pony!), that play or the time you and your teammates dumped a cooler of ice water on your coach. Cherish it, pack it away, and in 10 years’ time, share your story with us! If you’re an alum and have a great story you’d like to share, we’d love to hear it!

Amy Fraser Director, I/I Polo

100 Years for I/I polo in 2022. Done and dusted.

Welcome to the 2022-2023 edition of the USPA Intercollegiate and Interscholastic tournament season! This is shaping up to be a good year with 61 interscholastic teams and 41 intercollegiate teams participating in the tournaments. We have nine new programs and are continuing with the second year of Division I/Division II at the intercollegiate level. During 2022, we celebrated the 100th year of I/I polo, including articles in Polo magazine about I/I polo over the decades. Program participation continues to grow and we are back, and beyond pre-pandemic levels.

With travel returned to relatively normal, the 2022 USPA Open and Girls’ National Interscholastic Championships were held at Brookshire Polo Club. Houston Polo Club, coached by Mark Prinsloo, and the Aiken Polo Club, coached by Tiger Kneece, were crowned the open and girls’ national champions respectively. If you haven’t seen the video of Mark and Tiger jumping off the diving platform into the pond at Brookshire, it is well worth the search!

As the first year of the new Division I/Division II structure at the Intercollegiate level, we experienced the anticipated bumps in the road, but believe the outcome was a great set of tournaments that introduced additional teams to the national competition level. Legends Polo Club hosted the all-new 2022 Division II National Intercollegiate Championship. Winning teams were the University of Connecticut, coached by Anders Carlton for the women and Babson College, coached by Mark Tashjian, for the men. A last-minute move from California due to an equine infection outbreak meant a lot of scrambling for a host site and horses, so a big shout-out to both Nacho Estrada at Legends Polo Club (Kaufman, Texas) and the programs and players that supplied our equine partners. We can’t do it without them! The 2022 Division I National Intercollegiate Championship was hosted by the Virginia Polo Center (Charlottesville, VA). Besides hosting, they earned a clean sweep for the men’s and women’s championships coached by Lou Lopez. This year’s finals were shown on Global Polo TV and ESPNU, thanks to our partners at U.S. Polo Assn. and Global Licensing.

The USPA Fall Board of Governors’ Meetings were held in Wellington, Florida, in and around the games of the FIP tournament with the finals hosted at the new USPA National Polo Center. This afforded governors and players an opportunity to watch some great polo, but also meant a fair number of Zoom meetings. As part of these sessions, the board approved an I/I request for additional funding to support expanded tournament expenses and new training and program funding. In addition, I/I co-chair, Cindy Halle presented the 2022 I/I Service Award to Bonnie McIntosh Magill and an I/I Lifetime Achievement Award to Danny Scheraga. See page 50 for more details on these deserving individuals.

In addition to regular season games and the end-of-year tournaments, I/I staff supported events throughout the year, including Mustang Madness, Fall Fandango, the Bill Field Cup and the Virginia Polo Fall Invitational. These events, organized and funded by the host sites and participating teams, provide valuable insights for the Division I/Division II designations and the ultimate seeding for USPA tournaments. Our I/I umpire partners, led by Bradley Biddle, also contribute important input to these discussions. The Middle School League continued to flourish with nine tournaments for the 2022 year. I/I co-chair, Miranda Luna and the Funding and Awards Committee granted funds to 17 programs to support equipment purchases and support for fundraising. In addition, they provided scholarship funding to 23 students going on to play polo in college. A new partnership with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee resulted in inspired ideas and impactful events delivered by three I/I clubs.

As always, I am amazed by the commitment and creativity of the I/I staff - Amy, Emily and Ali keep things running smoothly and managing to stay up to date with things like new coaching requirements, changes in tournament conditions and advancements in injury protocol management. The evolution of I/I polo over the past 100 years is fascinating to see and it is exciting to see a glimpse of what is to come. Please join us in being a part of that future!

Liz Brayboy Chair, I/I Polo

2022 USPA DIVISION I NATIONAL INTERCOLLEGIATE CHAMPIONS

MEN

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Connor Finemore, Parker Pearce, Jack McLean, Brennan Wells, Vlad Tarashansky and Jim Deal with USPA COO Chris Green, far left, and coach Lou Lopez, center

Oanna Moore

WOMEN

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Alana Benz, Elizabeth Owens, Maddie Grant, Grace Burgert and Katie Define with coach Lou Lopez and Bill Matheson, center

Oanna Moore

2022 USPA DIVISION II NATIONAL INTERCOLLEGIATE CHAMPIONS

MEN

BABSON COLLEGE: Leonardo Borja, Beto Aguilar and Austin

Hamilton with coach Mark Tashjian

David Murrell

WOMEN

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT: Toni Moore, Madison Robicheau, Kylie Dalton, Rylyn Koger and Elizabeth Leudesdorff with coach Anders Carlton

David Murrell

2022 IC REGIONALS

MEN

EAST REGION - Division I

University of Virginia

Jack McLean, Brennan Wells, Parker Pearce, Vlad Tarashansky

Coach: Lou Lopez

WEST REGION - Division I

University of North Texas

Vaughn Miller Jr., John Dencker, Vance Miller III

Coach: Vaughn Miller Sr.

NORTHEASTERN REGION - Division II

Babson College

Diego Ante, Frederick Borja, Beto Aguilar, Austin Hamilton

Coach: Mark Tashjian

WESTERN REGION - Division II

University of Southern California

Xuanyu Pan, Amin Fazal, Jack Weprin

Coach: Trista Noland

WOMEN

EAST REGION - Divison I

University of Kentucky

Avery Evans, Louisa Huber, Taylor Nackers, Lila Bennett

Coach: Nik Feldman

WEST REGION - Division I

Texas A&M University

Hannah Reynolds, Madison Lange, Grace Parker, Joanie Jackson, Grace Mudra, Cara Kennedy

Coach: Mike McCleary

NORTHEASTERN REGION - Division II

University of Connecticut

Toni Moore, Madison Robicheau, Elizabeth

Leudesdorff, Rylyn Koger, Kylie Dalton

Coach: Anders Carlton

SOUTHEASTERN REGION - Division II

Michigan State University

Nicole Kemnitz, Alexis Rohrer, Jessica Liu, Cassandra Marcola, Stesha Payne

Coach: Kat Heggen

CENTRAL REGION - Division II

Texas Tech University

Tatijana Mirsky, Mary Kate Ratliff, Brianna Wolkober, Lexie Harlan

Coach: Ashley Owen

WESTERN REGION - Division II

UC Davis

Franchesca Johannsen, Maya Tantuwaya, Marisa Carelli, Liliana Gonzalez

Coach: Bonnie Magill

CHUKKER BREAK Division I/Division II

The 2022 I/I tournament season saw the launch of the Division I & Division II program at the intercollegiate level. Teams were split between Division I & II based on their fall regular season play and then seeded in their respective regional tournaments. Nationals were held at both the Division I and Division II level. Through these efforts, the I/I program saw an increase in the number of teams competing in tournament play and, heading into 2023 season we are continuing to see an upward trend.

Annual Golf Tournament

Montecito Country Club

Annual Golf Tournament

Annual Golf Tournament

August 14th

Annual Golf Tournament & Dinner

Annual Golf Tournament

Montecito Country Club

Montecito Country Club

Montecito Country Club

August 14th

August 14th

August 14th

Monday, August 14th | 2PM Supporting

Supporting youth polo, Interscholastic, UCSB and Westmont Intercollegiate

Supporting youth polo, Interscholastic, UCSB and Westmont Intercollegiate

Supporting youth polo, Interscholastic, UCSB and Westmont Intercollegiate

Polo Training Center Santa Barbara (PTCSB) is a charitable organization that encourages the growth of polo by operating and supporting programs for players at all levels. PTCSB will encourage the development of goodwill and sportsmanship as well as teaching the skills necessary to participate successfully in the game of polo.

Polo Training Center Santa Barbara (PTCSB) is a charitable organization that encourages the growth of polo by operating and supporting programs for players at all levels. PTCSB will encourage the development of goodwill and sportsmanship as well as teaching the skills necessary to participate successfully in the game of polo.

Polo Training Center Santa Barbara (PTCSB) is a charitable organization that encourages the growth of polo by operating and supporting programs for players at all levels. PTCSB will encourage the development of goodwill and sportsmanship as well as teaching the skills necessary to participate successfully in the game of polo.

Tax ID No. 27-1433058

Polo Training Center Santa Barbara (PTCSB) is a charitable organization that encourages the growth of polo by operating and supporting programs for players at all levels. PTCSB will encourage the development of goodwill and sportsmanship as well as teaching the skills necessary to participate successfully in the game of polo.

Tax ID No. 27-1433058

Tax ID No. 27-1433058

Tax ID No. 27-1433058

2022 USPA NATIONAL INTERSCHOLASTIC CHAMPIONS OPEN

HOUSTON POLO CLUB: Ashvath Bhatia, Lance Stefanakis, Joe Bob

Lequerica, Will Mudra and Judah Altic with coach Mark Prinsloo, center

David Murrell

GIRLS’

AIKEN POLO CLUB: Brianna Jordan, Robyn Leitner, Reagan Leitner and Summer Kneece with coach Tiger Kneece

David Murrell

2022 IS REGIONALS

NORTHEASTERN REGION

Yale Polo & Equestrian Center

Luke Howe, Gaston Gomez, Connelly Cashen, Malachi Light

Coach: Patrick Marinelli

SOUTHEASTERN REGION

Aiken Polo Club

Josh Escapite, Aiden Meeker, Madison Jordan, Lazaro Gorosito

Coach: Tiger Kneece

CENTRAL REGION

Houston Polo Club

Judah Altic, Ashvath Bhatia, Joe Bob Lequerica, Will Mudra, Lance Stefanakis.

Coach: Mark Prinsloo

WESTERN REGION

Lakeside Polo Club

Allie Bushong, Oliver Wheatley, Ethan Bankhead, Kylie Kufahl

Coach: Nicole Bankhead

GIRLS’

NORTHEASTERN REGION

Yale Polo & Equestrian Center

Ana Veitch, Saralyn Painter, Sammi Iahn, Sophia DeAngelis

Coach: Patrick Marinelli

SOUTHEASTERN REGION

Aiken Polo Club

Summer Kneece, Reagan Leitner, Robyn Leitner, Brianna Jordan

Coach: Tiger Kneece

CENTRAL REGION

Houston Polo Club

Bridget Price, Lilly Lequerica, Madison Burba, Abby Benton

Coach: Mark Prinsloo

WESTERN REGION

Eldorado Polo Club

Sally Camp, Elise Pardue, Tennyson Barclay Hamir

Coach: Connie Atkinson

2022 IS PRELIMS

NORTHEASTERN OPEN I

Toronto Polo Club

William Wayne, Ben Weir, Ali Macdonald, Georgia Littlechild

Coach: Scott Weir

NORTHEASTERN OPEN II

Tinicum Park Polo Club

Alan Dursee, Daniel Arnold, Abdullah Chaudhry, Brooke Burke

Coach: Hesham El-Gharby

SOUTHEASTERN OPEN

Work to Ride

Josie Goldstein, Marc Anthony Harley, Mosiah Gravesande

Coach: Lezlie Hiner

WESTERN OPEN I

Lakeside Polo Club - JV

Luca Abboud, Cameron Munteanu, Faris Hanna, Christian Munteanu

Coach: Nicole Bankhead

WESTERN OPEN II

Santa Barbara Polo Club

Maud Christal, Linnea Harris, Sebastian Brine,

Coach: Claudia Uretz

NORTHEASTERN GIRLS’

Yale Polo Ranch

Kaya Brownell, Charlotte Hay, Naomi Marlough

Coach: Patrick Marinelli

SOUTHEASTERN GIRLS’

Garrison Forest Blue

Erika Sweeney, Margaret White, Sophia Chiasera, Georgia Bray

Coach: Jenny Schwartz

CHUKKER BREAK Making a Splash

After the final horn sounded at the 2022 USPA National Interscholastic Championship games, victorious coaches Tiger Kneece (Aiken Girls’) and Mark Prinsloo (Houston Open) took a leap into the infamous ERG pond. Luckily, it was after the trophy presentation!

USPA MIDDLE SCHOOL LEAGUE

NORTHEASTERN REGION

Yale Polo & Equestrian Center

TEAM 5: Justo Iraola, Ava Croce, Sofia Puch

CENTRAL REGION

Midland Polo Club

CROSSHAIR: Emrey Owen, Jack Bryant, Mary Kate Wetendorf

WESTERN REGION

Central Coast Polo Club

H DAWG: Hattie Ward, Gia Pomeroy, Miles Jones (not pictured)

SOUTHEASTERN REGION

Marlan Farm Polo Club

MARLAN FARM BLUE: Jolie Zepp, Mya Quarcoopome, Bella Dowling

SOUTHEASTERN REGION

Garrison Forest School

GARRISON FOREST: Mya Quarcoopome, Jada Corbin, Ava Beattie, Reid Dickson

SOUTHEASTERN REGION

Liberty Hall Polo Club

ROSELAND POLO CLUB: Sophia Mills, Lofton Graves, Clara Baldwin, Liam Baldwin

WESTERN REGION

Central Coast Polo Club

CENTRAL COAST BLUE: Kate Soderin, Natalie Festing, Porter Goodman, Ellie Drucker, Matthew Werner

WESTERN REGION

Poway Polo Club

POLODEO: Jacob Lutz, Bethel Lutz, Maddie Klomhaus, Marek Sutherland

NORTHEASTERN REGION

Yale Polo & Equestrian Center

TEAM RULETA: Zoe Katz, Edouard Ferragu with Natalia Pepe, Katerina Borrego, Alexandra Rothstein, Reed Thomas, Cormick Martin

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PTF MALE INTERCOLLEGIATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jack McLean University of Virginia

Polo has charted the course of my life. Growing up in Pittsburgh, a city dominated by professional football and hockey teams, the attraction to polo is considered an anomaly—let alone being a first generation player. However, my equestrian passion began when I started riding at the age of 6. At first, I focused only on jumping and fox hunting. Then, on a family vacation in Florida when I was 11, I serendipitously attended my first polo match: a high-goal, Sunday game at the International Polo Club in Wellington, Florida. I was instantly hooked. That same vacation, my parents lined up some lessons for me, and once I started playing, I knew polo was the sport for me.

At the start of 2012, I began making trips to Wellington for the Polo Training Foundation junior tournaments held monthly on the grass. As I was still attending school in Pennsylvania, the trips were always quick and centered around the weekend. That summer, I attended PTF camps at the Atlanta Regional Polo Center with Jolie Liston and the Santa Barbara Polo Club with the illustrious Sunny Hale. In 2013, I had the privilege of playing in New Zealand on a PTF exchange trip chaperoned by Danny Scheraga and his wife, Janet. This is one of my fondest memories of my early days in polo. Over the next couple years, I played in many more youth tournaments, which included the USPA NYTS tournaments as well as the PTF’s. In 2015, I traveled again with the PTF on an exchange trip to play in England.

Because there were no other youth polo players in the Pittsburgh area, I had to travel not only to compete, but just to practice. My first polo trainer, Mark Powers, was based about an hour from me in East Palestine, Ohio. I have many wonderful memories learning the game under his guidance and playing on the historic “skin field” of the Darlington Polo Club. During my brief winter stays in Florida, I practiced at the Santa Clara Polo Club under Luis Escobar, as well as at Pine Tree Farm with the talented Blake brothers: Tom, Brad and Jeff.

Some of my most influential experiences in polo came during the summers. Starting in 2014, I did not spend more than a couple weeks at home while on summer vacation from school. Rather, I used my free time to work as a groom in exchange for riding and playing opportunities. Doing so not only expanded my accessibility to polo, but also allowed me to mature at a young age. I was only 14 when I lived away from home for the first time at the Virginia International Polo Club in Upperville, Virginia. It was at this time that I became a USPA certified umpire, which further broadened my polo opportunities. I returned to the beautiful Northern Virginia area the following two summers to work under German Noguera and Doug Barnes.

During those early years of learning to play, it was at a Grand Champions Polo School practice organized by the PTF when I was introduced to the renowned Kelly Wells of Marlan Farm. Thanks to that chance meeting, and despite the four-hour drive from my home in Pennsylvania, I began a long history with her Maryland boys interscholastic team, playing with Kelly’s son, Brennan, and Parker Pearce. Since I could only play on the grass a handful of times during the winter, connecting with Kelly allowed me to pursue my passion even during the cold winter months up north. I went on to compete with her Maryland boys team for six years until I graduated from high school. During this time, I was fortunate enough to practice against some highly-skilled arena players. (Marlan Farm has an amazing track record of churning out talented players—male and female).

For the first few years, my team would always compete against teams that were older, bigger and much more experienced. I am especially grateful for this. With every tough loss, we became evermore driven to work and study the game until no other interscholastic team could beat us. I still remember the countless hours we spent together improving our strategy while stick and balling

continued page 30

“Reflecting over the years, I am amazed by the many adventures polo has blessed me with, as well as the countless friends and contacts I have made throughout the world.”

PTF DANIEL J. WALLACE JR. FEMALE INTERCOLLEGIATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Grace Burgert

University of Virginia

In my four years of college polo, I was seldom the most talented player on the field, or even the most knowledgeable person in the barn. My swing was never the best, and despite my best efforts over the years, I was never the best rider out there either. Polo, frankly, did not come naturally to me. However, that never stopped me from loving it, and at Virginia Polo Club with friends, teammates, and a coach who became like family, I found the space to learn and excel in ways I had never imagined possible.

I was thrilled when I got into the University of Virginia and so excited to join the team that had first made me want to play collegiate polo. When I arrived in Charlottesville though, I felt out of place. I never knew how little I knew until it suddenly felt like I knew nothing, and everything was new. I was suddenly playing with players who were much more experienced than me, my polo wraps were hideous in comparison to their perfectly uniform and rapidly executed ones, and I fell off in my very first practice with the team. So, it was a rough start overall. I felt very lost and contemplated quitting out of sheer embarrassment many times that first year. Over time though, and little by little, I learned.

I wasn’t the best, but I kept trying. I asked so many questions that I’m surprised our barn manager at the time, Jessica Schmitt, didn’t ask me to give her one day of peace and quiet. Eventually, I learned. My detailed notes of each of the women’s horses expanded to include the club horses and then the men’s horses. I learned about our mountains of gear and how to care for over 60 horses. I improved my polo too, to be sure. Virginia Polo has never lacked in talent, and I paid attention to those around me to learn whatever I could from them. My teammates never made fun of my inexperience or questions, and instead they constantly encouraged me. By March 2020, I had studied the world of Virginia Polo for almost two years, and although I never could have anticipated what came, I was in many ways ready for it.

Covid-19 put an early end to our 2019-2020 collegiate polo season, and my friend, teammate and Virginia Polo president for the past two years, Demitra Hajimihalis graduated. Stepping into Demitra’s shoes as president was intimidating, but I was excited for the opportunity to lead the club in her example. The Covid-19 year (2020-2021) was atypical for Virginia Polo, as it was for everyone else, and I found myself taking on much more than I had first anticipated. That year though, I found my place at Virginia Polo Club.

I was not flawless in the roles I took on, but I cared about the club, our horses, and our members deeply, and I was dedicated to doing my best. I worked with the UVA administration to get approval for us to keep operating our club even when most sports were shut down and I taught and organized bootcamp (our beginner program at UVA) with friends’ help following UVA’s Covid-19 guidelines. We, unlike most collegiate clubs, were able to play polo for almost that entire year.

At the end of that year, I worked with Lou and the USPA to put on the Open National Interscholastic Championships. Together, we put together three UVA strings of horses for those teams, managed the facilities and organized two more UVA strings to bring down to Aiken, South Carolina for the girls’ nationals. It was so rewarding to watch our horses play well for the teams and bring home Best Playing String and Best Playing Pony awards after knowing how much work had gone into maintaining their health and fitness over the past year. I felt great pride in going up with Lou to receive the awards for our horses, and I was proud of my club for putting on such a successful event.

I had a similar experience later that summer when, with the help of the Polo Training Foundation, we were able to put on two clinics for young players. These were not the experiences I had anticipated for my time as president when Demi was training me for the role back in early 2020, but I fully enjoyed the opportunity to share Virginia Polo Club with so many people. That being said, my fourth year at UVA

continued page 30

“... at Virginia Polo Club with friends, teammates, and a coach who became like family, I found the space to learn and excel in ways I had never imagined possible.”

PTF RUSSELL A. SHELDON MALE INTERSCHOLASTIC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Lance Stefanakis Houston Polo Club

I started playing polo at the age of 10, following in the footsteps of my big brother Sloan. With sheer will and a competitive nature, I worked on my riding and skills with many mentors whether it was our polo manager Ariel Mancebo, our Houston coach Mark Prinsloo, or polo pros like Shane Rice. My grandparents and parents provided me with the backbone for accelerating my skills by supporting me with a field, many incredible horses and unlimited access to training. I started I/I when I was super young and it taught me how to take the man. I started watching my brother play at the same time and it made me hungry to play more and more. Once I was finally old enough to play I/I, I took my opportunity and worked hard to get better and better. This made me play arena to a certain level that allowed me to do well in competition. Playing outdoor polo made playing arena easier, and every year when winter hit, I’d feel more and more comfortable with

the arena ball. The first couple times playing I/I for the Houston team, we ended up losing in the national finals. This made my team and me more hungry for the next year, and is what truly got us to win nationals. Our persistence and work ethic helped pave the way to raise the trophy the following year.

My goal is to one day be able to play in the U.S. Open Polo Championship with my family, but I have to continue to improve every chance I get. My passion and drive gives me an edge because I have a never-quit attitude about competition. My family has taught me that the work I put in will always result in getting better if I put all my efforts into my ultimate goal of success. Playing polo has taught me many life skills that I’ll have with me for my entire life. Playing polo allows you to meet people from all over the world, and that really gives you some perspective. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge just by talking to people with lots of experience not only in polo, but life.

“My family has taught me that the work I put in will always result in getting better if I put all my efforts into my ultimate goal of success. Playing polo has taught me many life skills that I’ll have with me for my entire life.”

PTF LYNN THOMPSON FEMALE INTERSCHOLASTIC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Lindsey Morris

Garrison Forest School

It is an honor and a privilege to be awarded the Lynn Thompson Female Interscholastic Player of the Year award. While I have been fascinated with horses and loved riding since the age of 3, playing polo took a nontraditional route for me. I do not come from a family of polo players or even a family who owns horses. I started riding at a local barn, while also playing lacrosse and field hockey. However, in fourth grade, I made my way across campus to the Garrison Forest polo barn. Combining my love for horses with a drive to compete on a team and represent my school was a perfect fit. Throughout my time playing for Garrison Forest, I have been incredibly lucky to have been coached by some of the best. Cindy Halle was my first coach and taught me so many invaluable lessons about polo basics and horse care. I have Posey Obrecht to thank for teaching me how to change leads and post the canter. And finally, I have been fortunate to have had Jenny Schwartz as an incredible coach, mentor and friend for the past five years. Jenny has pushed me to become a better player, teammate and captain. I am so thankful for all the time and dedication each of these individuals have put in for me.

Through polo I have also had the opportunity to assist in coaching the Charm City Polo team, which runs out of Garrison Forest. Every Wednesday night throughout high school, I would stay after varsity practice to teach kids from Baltimore City the basics of horse care and playing polo. These kids were fearless and eager to start playing polo. Our goal was to prepare them to ultimately play against other local teams and to eventually participate in I/I polo. Being able to share the sport that I love with others has been one of the most rewarding parts of polo. I was incredibly proud to serve as the assistant coach for Charm City Polo team as they played in their first I/I tournament last year. I think that it is important to start playing polo at an early age, and mentoring other young kids is a way for me to give back to I/I and youth polo.

For me, I/I polo represents more than just a game or a

sport. It’s about family, traveling, learning about unfamiliar cultures, meeting new people from around the world and making lifelong friends. As I am currently starting my first year attending Southern Methodist University, I have had time to reflect on my I/I experiences. Driving from Maryland to Canada, Boston, Ithaca, Charlottesville and Aiken always resulted in priceless road trip memories, bonding with teammates and coaches. Although embarrassing at the time, blasting music from our school minivan as we arrived at each arena is a memory that I will always cherish. Of course, driving across the street to Starbucks before games was also an equally important team-bonding activity. Most of my favorite polo memories go beyond playing in I/I Nationals or the USPA Women’s Arena Open, but rather outside of the arena.

What has become clear is that polo has played a monumental role in my life. The friendships that I have made and the skills that I have developed have truly helped me to become a better player and person. Particularly during the pandemic, polo served as an escape and a salvation for me. The polo barn, horses, players and coaches have always served as a resource during good times and bad. I have been on countless horses throughout my life and, of course, I have favorites that include Billete and Madeline from Garrison Forrest. Getting to know each one of their personalities and quirks is important to me, and I feel that it strengthens the relationship between horse and rider. I often find it easier getting to know horses rather than people, and I am sure most people in the polo community can agree with me on that.

I look forward to continuing to play polo at the collegiate level—improving my skills, creating new memories and helping promote and develop the sport that has given me so much. I am incredibly thankful to my family for encouraging me to walk down to the polo barn in fourth grade. While I do not come from a family of polo players, I am grateful that I can say that I am part of a greater polo family larger than myself.

“For me, I/I polo represents more than just a game or a sport. It’s about family, traveling, learning about unfamiliar cultures, meeting new people from around the world and making lifelong friends.”

Jack continued from page 23: and reviewing film. After four years of coming up short in our efforts to claim the National Interscholastic Championship, we successfully brought home two titles in 2017 and 2018.

Interestingly enough, starting in 8th grade, I would make summer trips to the University of Virginia for the annual PTF arena clinics. There, I met the legendary coach of Virginia Polo, Lou Lopez. After spending the summer of 2017 in Charlottesville working under him, I knew that UVA would be the college for me. Upon acceptance, coach Lopez was instrumental in helping me to obtain academic scholarships from the PTF, the USPA, as well as the Raymond Vere Nicoll Foundation. At UVA, as captain from freshman to senior year, I became manager of the varsity Men’s string, which was composed of 20+ worldclass morses. In addition, my high school teammates, Brennan and Parker, joined me at UVA where, together, we claimed the 2022 USPA National Intercollegiate Championship.

Reflecting over the years, I am amazed by the many adventures polo has blessed me with, as well as the countless friends and contacts I have made throughout the world. I truly hope there will be more newcomers like

me that can share a similar (or even better) experience.

In an effort to help expand youth polo, I serve on the PTF National Jr. board and was honored to be its first chairman. As polo is at a crossroads of attracting new players, I hope that the USPA will work together with the PTF in this joint goal.

While there are many folks to whom I owe a great deal of gratitude for my success, there is no one more deserving than my parents, who made many sacrifices over the years to allow me to pursue polo. In addition, I am so grateful to the entire PTF organization for all the doors they opened for me, especially Jen McLeavy. She was always one of my biggest supporters and played an instrumental role in connecting me to an internship opportunity that ultimately led to the full-time position I now hold as I start my career.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge what an incredible experience I had in the I/I program. It not only expanded my accessibility to polo but also made me a much stronger horseman. I cannot encourage everyone enough to participate in or support the wonderful Interscholastic and Intercollegiate initiatives. Somehow, polo has shaped my life in the most amazing ways imaginable.

Grace continued from page 25: was my favorite by far. For the first time since March 2020, the whole women’s team was together with my co-captain Maddie Grant back from her time playing around the world and our new member, Alana Benz. It is hard for me to put this past year into words because it was unbelievable in many ways. My team and I were able to practice our full string of horses for the first time since 2020, we attended classes together, we traveled together, and of course, we played competitively together.

I was able to lead the club as president and my team as co-captain, but it felt far more manageable and like a team effort. Natalia Hernandez came in to help with horse care and managing the barn after we worked together all summer, and Maddie was an invaluable help in leading our team and making us each into better players. With every game, our team learned more about our strengths and weaknesses. When we lost our regional final it was initially devastating, but we were also able to come together as a team in a new way after that. We became wholly dedicated to showing up at nationals better than ever, and we did that. Our horses performed spectacularly, as always, and it was an honor to receive another Best Playing String on their behalf. My last few months at Virginia Polo were the best way to end my time as a collegiate player—my team and I met the goals we had set for ourselves, we got to travel together to play in Scotland, and we were able to enjoy being a team without the stress of competition.

I am so grateful for my time at Virginia Polo and to everyone I met there. I never became the best player on the team or our best horsewoman, but I found that I could contribute to our club and team in other ways and I am really honored to have been a part of such an incredible program. Through my teammates, Lou, and Jess, I found that it was acceptable to learn along the way and ask questions. Eventually, I hope I was able to give some of what I learned back to the club, and I will always cherish the memory of being a part of such a close team.

Finally, I have a few thank yous. First, I’d like to thank the Polo Training Foundation for honoring me with this award - it means more than I can put into words here. Thank you to the USPA for continuing to encourage and promote the I/I program, without which I would not have been able to play polo after high school. The intercollegiate polo experience made my college experience what it was, and I will always be grateful for that. Thank you as well to the Virginia Polo board of directors for always supporting and maintaining our program. Thank you to Jessica Schmitt for your friendship and guidance always. Thank you to Lou Lopez for being my coach and supporter, but also my friend. I will always remember our many hours spent together chatting in the Beh House about any number of things. Finally, thank you to my teammates from all four of my years at UVA. I love you all dearly, and I am so grateful to have had you by my side.

2022 USPA NYTS CHAMPIONS

Piers Bossom, Ryan Kerley, Daniel Miranda, Sebastian Celis

Sportsmanship Award Landen Daniels

Horsemanship Award Augustus Grotnik

MVP Ryan Kerley

2022 NYTS Participants

Photos by Kerri Kerley

LIFE AFTER I/I

Nik Feldman - Cornell ‘14

My fondest memories during my middle school years were the weekly fivehour road trips to Cornell to watch my brother Stan play polo. I worshiped him, along with each of the other incredible talents on his team: Senter Johnson, Jeff Markle, Nick Grew, and truth be told, his competitors from rival colleges, including Chevy Beh, Will Tankard, Mason Wroe and Jared Sheldon, among others. There were also outstanding women players during that era, rivaling in skill to the men. I remember Megan Scanlon, Amy Fraser née Wisehart, Marisa Bianchi, Molly Jones née Buck, and Molly Muedeking. Every game at Oxley Equestrian CenterI leaned against the sideline netting, my fingers clenching the webbing, watching in complete admiration and excitement. I dreamed of being in my brother’s boots, playing with that awesome speed and dexterity for the Big Red someday. It was my destiny, too. When I wasn’t traveling to Ithaca, Charlottesville, or Storrs during the weekends to watch my brother, I was playing my own games back home in Baltimore. I practiced three times a week with older high school boys at the Wells’ farm, and during the summers I began to hone my outdoor skills with Jorge Vasquez and Juan Valerdi in Lexington, Kentucky. My matches in middle through high school were always fiercely competitive, and with year-round practice, my teammates and competition got stronger, more skillful and more aggressive with adept riding skills and faster mallets. We challenged each other year after year and became better players because of it. Culver, Brandywine, Cowtown, Midland, Eldorado, and Toronto were all forces to be reckoned with. C.B. Scherer, Jake Brown, Kareem Rosser, Miguel Torres, Cody Offen and Brendon Stenzel were all enemies on the field but great friends off it. My first I/I match was against George Krabbe at Valley Forge, and I vividly remember my first regional championship against Natania, playing with Bobby Harvey. I froze my toes inside temporary bubble arenas at both Culver and Brandywine, and I knocked out Austin Burdick’s tooth and was forgiven for it in Charlottesville. I remember them all.

I entered college competing against a similar wave of talent as my brother had. I traded hundreds of goals with many of my interscholastic rivals and former high school teammates, but also against newcomers and international students, like Felipe Viana, Eddie Lopez and a few more Behs. The Uretz brothers for Westmont were spectacular. My teammates and I played our hearts out game after game but we missed raising the trophy — a goal I set, but fell just short of, and that will always humble me.

I carry so much with me to this day from my years in I/I polo. My teammates are all still my closest friends. The coaches, umpires and tournament committee members who watched us grow up and encouraged us all, still contribute to the sport. The teamwork, the sense of belonging and shared passion taught us all to learn to value resiliency, perseverance and fair play as we shared the same goals and challenges through our experiences in I/I polo. So now by coaching the University of Kentucky, I try to make sure that other young players will experience the same triumphs and disappointments, friendships and comradery that were so special to me.

Just as my brother forged the way for me, serving as a mentor and a model for the goals I wanted to achieve in polo, he does the same to this day. He stayed engaged and committed to the program, and showed me it’s possible, in my own way, to also give back to this community. While I’ll never be the high caliber of coach that he is as an umpire, I/I polo still has important and rewarding roles for us to play.

Nik Feldman, far left, grew up in I/I and now gives back to the program as a volunteer coach to the University of Kentucky.

CHAIN

Remo Riemenschneider

Jenny Germroth - University of Virginia ‘05

Dick “Remo” Riemenschneider arrived at Virginia Polo in 1955, an early member during its fledgling years. He immediately became a supporting pillar of the club. He was an experienced rider and player who spent as much time helping less-experienced members learn the game as he did playing. The club had a very short supply of ponies and limited finances, so Remo and the team all worked to build the club and pony string.

Along with the basics of ponies, tack and instruction, the club lacked funds, so Remo and his fellow teammates worked to raise money and devise ways to keep the club afloat. Selling tickets to the games was a major source of income to the club, but to sell tickets, one needed to market heavily. Here Remo shone. He wrote press releases and sent them to Washington D.C., local newspapers and radio stations and hung flyers around town. His goal, and one he achieved, was to make “Polo Sundays” a fixture of the UVA and Charlottesville calendar.

Through his four years at UVA, Remo was an active member of the club, team captain and club president. He recognized early that to continue its successes the club would need the involvement of its alumni. After graduation, Remo spent two years in the Coast Guard, then returned to UVA for law school. While in law school he served as coach to the college team. After finishing his law degree he moved two hours north of Charlottesville to practice law, but no matter what else he was doing in his life, his dedication to supporting his collegiate polo program never waivered for the next 64 years.

Later, when Remo was an alumni, club members remember him as one of the program’s “patron saints.” He would come to town several times a year to help the club and play, and he served as local governor for the region. With his law degree, Remo found new, valuable ways to aid his collegiate polo team. He was pivotal in securing the land for the Virginia Polo Center and the 501 (c) (3) non-profit status of the club, and instrumental in creating the endowment fund. All three of these

achievements were instrumental in creating the thriving polo club you see today. The endowment was Remo’s passion project to ensure future generations of young players would enjoy the club he loved so much.

Always leading by example, Remo actively encouraged other alumni to become involved in the governance of the club. Countless members of the boards for Virginia Polo, PTF and USPA can attribute their involvement to a persuasive conversation with Remo. He did not stop with getting people engaged, but followed through in educating the younger generations, convinced investing in them would ensure the future of the clubs he cared about. He leaves a legacy in terms of those he mentored, including myself.

Though the scope of Remo’s contributions to the Virginia Polo program cannot be overestimated, he went beyond simply investing in his home club. I/I polo, in general, was eminently important to him. Remo dedicated much of his life to organizations focusing on youth polo, was a supporter of the PTF for 40 years and served as chairman for seven. He was known for his devoted involvement and for being the driving force of fundraising for the organizations, with great results. Remo was awarded many times for his efforts, including the Outstanding Player Award in the 1957 NIC and Virginia Polo Cavalier Award in 2021. He was inducted into the USPA’s Hall of Fame in 2016 for his lifelong

Dick Riemenschneider, center, with UVA teammates in 1957.

devotion to the sport and awarded the PTF’s Lifetime Benefactor Award.

Remo spent his life giving back to the programs he loved and encouraging others to do the same. I cannot conclude this piece on him without mentioning that he’d encourage you, your parents and your grandparents to donate to your I/I programs. These programs are special because they provide polo at an affordable price, enabling many more people to experience polo than could otherwise, so give back when you can. Financial support is essential to the programs, and alumni volunteer support on boards, hosting games, giving horses, coaching and equipment are all equally essential. Remember, your cherished I/I experience is the result of countless hours of work from the students that preceded you so continue the unbroken chain, channel your inner Remo, and be a hero to the next generation of I/I players by staying involved after graduation.

The Virginia Polo Experience

Sessions fill quickly. Email info@vapolo.org to secure your spot in the July 13-15, July 27-29, and August 10-12 clinics. www.vapolo.org/summer-programs

VIRGINIA POLO CLINICS & TOURNAMENT

Supported by the PTF

Experience USPA award-winning instructors, Va Polo's talented ponies and exceptional facility in our 3-day clinics designed for high school players.

Swing analysis | Arena strategy | Riding for polo

Dick Riemenschneider on the charge during a UVA game.

2022 USPA NYTS CHAMPIONS

Tori Picha, Winnie Branscum, Olivia Reynolds, Micaela Saracco

Sportsmanship Award Isabelle Brockett

Horsemanship Award Robyn Leitner

MVP Micaela Saracco

2022 NYTS Participants

Photos by Kerri Kerley

Korea Polo Club Hosts Intercollegiate Players

Leila Chang - Yale University

‘19

Members and recent alums of the Yale, Stanford and Harvard polo teams flew to Jeju Island, South Korea, to play at the Korea Polo Club this summer. Harvard students visited in June; Yale and Stanford students visited together in late August.

Built in 2009 and Korea’s only polo club, KPC is owned and managed by David Ko, who grew up on Jeju Island. Since acquiring the club in 2020, he’s worked to increase the number of horses and staff at KPC and raise the club’s international profile. According to Ko, polo is quite new in

South Korea; when the club was first built, there were only a handful of Korean players. Presently, there are about 20 and Ko’s goal is to increase that number to 50 by 2023. Ultimately, he hopes to field a 12- to 14-goal team to represent South Korea in the FIP World Championship.

As a part of his efforts to promote KPC (and also his home island, which happens to be a popular, beachy vacation destination), Ko decided to host the U.S. teams this summer. Our visits to KPC were packed with polo, giving us ample opportunity to enjoy the club’s impressive, 70 head string of Argentine ponies. Teams were often a mix of college players, Korean players and Argentine pros, which opened the games up and gave everyone a chance to get to know each other better. One Korean player, Young-Bin Kim, picked up polo while working as a groom at KPC; he’s now an adept 0-goaler who has traveled with KPC to play in Spain, the United States, the Philippines,

Brunei and Thailand. Another, Leon Kim, is an architecture student at Yonsei University who flies regularly from Seoul to Jeju Island to play. Meeting these young Korean players and swapping stories about our different introductions to the sport—theirs at KPC, and (most of) ours through the I/I program—were highlights of the trip.

In addition to engaging with Korean players, the U.S. players had the opportunity to contribute to the growth of polo awareness in South Korea. Harvard students, emulating their work in Boston with the Home Base veterans’ program, spent a day with Korean veterans. Alongside KPC staff, the players helped the veterans interact with and groom the horses. The Yale and Stanford students met and played an exhibition match before the members of the newly-formed Korea Polo Federation, made up of Korean business owners and entrepreneurs. That game was the first they’d ever watched, and for

the chairman—who joined us on the podium for awards—the sprays of champagne were certainly a surprise! Ko, who assembled the Korea Polo Federation just this year, hopes that the Federation will support the continued growth of polo in South Korea through cultural and charity events at KPC.

On days when we didn’t ride, the KPC staff generously arranged for us to eat and sightsee our way through much of the surrounding island. Jeju in the summer is lush with greenery and full of things to do. We hiked to the top of a volcanic crater, explored lava tubes, and went out on a boat to fish and look for dolphins. Another highlight was our visit to a local museum, where we learned about Jeju’s long tradition of “haenyeo”—women able to freedive down to 10 meters as they harvest shellfish. During our many dinners together, we sampled some of these specialties drawn from Jeju’s waters, as well as another local treat: delicious Jeju black pork barbecued Koreanstyle over an open grill.

In future years, Ko hopes to continue to host an intercollegiate polo event, possibly with the inclusion of a Korean college team drawn from Jeju National University. These initial visits were intended as a test run and, by all accounts, were a tremendous success. The polo was competitive and fun, and there were abundant opportunities to explore and learn about Jeju. Most importantly, KPC’s gracious hospitality made it possible for the U.S. players to participate in an intercollegiate and international polo exchange in an incredibly unique setting. We’re all grateful for that opportunity and look forward to continued exchanges between our programs. Indeed, some of that has already begun: Harvard hosted KPC players for its annual international invitational in September.

KPC’s single-handed efforts to promote polo in South Korea and develop a strong player base— challenges tackled by many I/I programs—are truly impressive. We’re honored to have played a part in that process and excited to witness the growth of a sport that has given us each so much.

Ryann Ray (Stanford) and Hilary Griggs (Yale) traveled to Korea Polo Club to compete and promote intercollegiate polo.

Players enjoy sightseeing at Seongsan Ilchulbong, a tuff cone crater

Korea Polo Club is home to 70 horses, most of them imported from Argentina.

CHUKKER BREAK Coach of the Year Award

Rob Brooks - Montana State

Rob Brooks, coach of the Montana State polo team, was awarded Coach of the Year from the Montana State Club Sports Organization. This award is given to the most deserving coach in the club sports program, which boasts 27 club sports teams. Congrats Rob!

Garrison Forest School Polo Program

Garrison Forest School is one of only two schools and the only girls’ school in the United States to offer polo. Our polo players live, learn and excel in their sport on our 110-acre campus in Maryland.

JIM BREMNER

COACHES’ CORNER

Lakeside Polo Club’s Nicole Bankhead

Faris Hanna- Lakeside Polo Club IS Team

Coach Nicole Bankhead is the founder of the Lakeside Polo Youth Foundation, as well as the coach and mentor of the Lakeside Polo interscholastic squad.

When coach Bankhead and her husband Darin bought Hering Ranch and Lakeside Polo Club, she promised the owner, Kip Hering (whose father built the club back in 1956), that she would learn how to play polo and continue his father’s legacy of polo at Hering Ranch. At that time, she also shared with Kip her vision to start and grow a youth program to make the sport of polo accessible to youth that would not otherwise afford it. Keeping her promise, she learned how to play polo and started the Lakeside Polo Youth Foundation.

Through the Lakeside Polo Youth Foundation, Bankhead has introduced, and continues to introduce, the sport of polo to many children. She makes polo financially accessible, and in some cases completely free, to young people to whom playing polo would never be possible without her help, by offering those who cannot afford to play polo a work-to-ride program. For students who can afford to play polo, she has always put her students in the sport ahead of any form of profit. She does this so that they can play more polo and eventually afford their own horses and grow in the sport. For anyone wishing to do additional lessons, Bankhead charges just a fraction of the standard cost of polo and riding lessons, and usually spends more than one hour, in order to make sure everyone completely understands the lesson.

All Interscholastic practices are also free and are scheduled year-round. She loans or gives tack, mallets and even polo boots for free to students that cannot afford it. For our regional tournament Bankhead hauled all of her horses, mounted everyone at no charge, and only asked parents if they could contribute something towards the gas cost. She also coached Point Loma Nazarene University intercollegiate team for two years; qualifying for the national tournament in their second year but were unable to attend due to the pandemic. Bankhead fully financed the team, including horses, tack, equipment and travel cost in their first year to help them become established. Her program has been life-changing for so many I/I students.

In my own personal case, I joined Lakeside Polo last fall as a paying student, and because of Bankhead’s extremely low-cost program I have been able to play a lot of polo and grow so much as a polo player. When I joined Lakeside Polo interscholastic squad, I was just learning how to gallop and was not a confident rider. Because Bankhead’s charges are so minimal or completely free, I have been able to improve my riding so much with lessons every week from her. I was then able to go out to Indio (Bankhead encourages everyone to play everywhere they can) where I was eventually placed in the advanced junior league, competed in my first NYTS tournaments and ultimately was named an all-star something I had always dreamed of.

I am not from a polo playing family and only started learning to ride four years ago, but since joining Lakeside Polo, my growth as a player under Bankhead has been exponential. Now, with Bankhead’s help, I have bought a horse and I am at the barn six days a week. My favorite place to be now is at the barn with my teammates and I have grown so much as a player because of Bankhead. Before I came to Lakeside, I was not sure about my future in polo. Now as a sophomore, I plan on applying to colleges with polo programs and playing polo for the rest of my life. Being at Lakeside under Bankhead has changed everything for me.

In addition to teaching us polo, Bankhead also mentors us to help us all grow in our horsemanship. She always teaches us to put the horse’s welfare first. Bankhead organized the local large animal practice vet to come and give a free seminar on horse care and welfare that all interscholastic players attended. She is always there checking in on us and guiding us, to help us grow in our horsemanship, and has helped so many of our interscholastic team to take the next step and become horse owners. When I first started, she personally taught me how to clean my tack correctly, and when my lease horse had a cut, she took the time to teach me how to apply a poultice. When Bankhead’s players buy their first horse, she teaches them about routine horse maintenance and health requirements and guides them through the process of buying the correct equipment. When I first

got my horse, Bankhead taught me and a group of new horse owners how to roach our horse’s manes and tails correctly. Anytime any of us have something we need help or guidance with she is always there for us.

In addition to helping us grow in our horsemanship, Bankhead also helps us to grow more as players by organizing subsidized clinics all through the year and lots of low/no-cost in-house youth tournaments. Before and after important games, she will have the entire squad watch video and do a play-by-play analysis and discussion. Bankhead has also fostered relationships with other interscholastic teams that Lakeside has hosted. Last season we hosted and played many teams that came to Lakeside, some as far away as the East Coast.

Bankhead also taught us the importance of representing our team, our club, and our sport, in and out of the arena. My personal example of this was when I had just started learning to ride and play polo. It was my first ever game and I was representing a different club, playing against Lakeside Polo. I was struggling to ride correctly, and our team was losing. As we were returning to the bowlin and seeing how I was struggling, Kylie Kufahl, one of the Lakeside players, came along side of me and started mentoring me on how to sit correctly and hold my reins. This is typical of Bankhead’s students; she teaches us to win with grace and lose with dignity.

Bankhead also helps us to grow in our sportsmanship.

On day one of the interscholastic season, she spent time instructing us about how to address our coaches and how to behave towards one another. We are a large and growing squad, with levels from beginner to varsity and she teaches us to support and encourage one another. Varsity players mentor lower-level players and there is an expectation that all players across all four teams show up for each other to other help and support, for all games both home and away. It’s a big confidence booster having 16 players and their families and friends all cheering you on at games! As a result, our squad is like one big family, where all the families communicate and work together to divide and share out tasks to support the squad as a whole, regardless of which team is playing. Anytime a Lakeside team is playing, I will be there to help my squadmates with whatever they need help with, and it’s a great feeling to know that when it’s my turn they will show up for me.

Bankhead’s strong and positive leadership has achieved something very special at Lakeside. She has created a positive ripple that has moved outwards, from her to the interscholastic players, their families and further out still to others in the wider community. Word is spreading in the community about the program and it is growing. Young elementary students who will be the future interscholastic Lakeside squad are here taking their first riding lessons and starting their own polo journeys. Coach Bankhead has

Coach Nicole Bankhead with her 2022-2023 Lakeside Interscholastic Teams.

Jennifer Kiss

even started a special riding lesson group for mothers of interscholastic players, which is also growing steadily as word spreads. Mothers who have always been on the sidelines and never considered participating a possibility are now starting their own polo journeys. In addition to creating a steady stream of first-generation polo players, Bankhead is also facilitating the creation of first-generation polo-playing families.

Bankhead has grown Lakeside Polo into the No. 1 seeded interscholastic team in the Western Region. In the last five years, Lakeside has made it to nationals three times. Last season, Lakeside grew its interscholastic squad to 17 players on four interscholastic teams (two girls and two open) and is continuing to grow.

While these are all significant tangible achievements, Bankhead has made so many intangible achievements happen. She has created a special interscholastic community at Lakeside where families bond and become invested in polo and each other, and people are encouraged to look at polo as a way of life. It is a place where parents, siblings and friends of firstgeneration interscholastic players are all encouraged and supported to take their own first steps to learn to ride and become first-generation polo-playing families.

Through the lens of polo, Bankhead has taught us all so many valuable lessons that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives; we have all grown so much as people and players. Most importantly of all, she has taught us, through her own path to polo, what true dedication to the sport of polo looks like, how we can follow in her footsteps and use our love for polo to make a positive change in the people and communities around us.

Since its formation, by Eugene “Doc” Hering, the Lakeside Polo Club has been a place of great memories, lifelong friendships and fantastic polo! Now, 60 years later, the Lakeside Polo Club is proud to continue supporting its youth program, the Lakeside Polo Youth Foundation, founded in 2016. Students in the program receive a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn to play this unique, prestigious sport in an edifying and encouraging manner. LPC wishes all teams a great 2022-23 Season!

Nicole Bankhead also finds time to play!

JD KIZZ Photography

VIEW FROM THE CROW’S NEST

Ryan Saul - USPA Certified Umpire, Cornell ‘18

I have been involved in polo, specifically Intercollegiate/ Interscholastic polo, for the past 13 years. Growing up, I played hockey, almost year-round, until one day a friend convinced me to try taking the beginner polo clinic offered at Cornell by describing it as hockey on horseback. From that point on, I was stuck. I fell in love with the sport and played on the Cornell IS team for four years before being accepted into Cornell and playing on their men’s IC team for another four years. Since graduating almost five years ago, I have been very fortunate to stay involved in polo by umpiring, initially by just helping to officiate the weekend games hosted by Cornell, and now, by being a professional arena umpire for USPA Umpires, LLC.

Looking back at the last 13 years, the expansion that I/I polo has gone through is impressive, from the introduction of more teams every year, the creation and growth of the middle school league, to the splitting of intercollegiate polo into two divisions. Needless to say, I am looking forward to seeing what will happen in the next decade. With all this growth, I believe the quality of polo has improved drastically and it truly is a joy to umpire. As more and more kids are given the opportunity to play the sport at a younger age, they have more time to learn and develop as players, raising the level of polo as they get older. With this comes a lot of new friendships made, many crossing county, state and even country borders that are likely to last a lifetime.

One of the most important parts of polo, especially in the I/I, is teamwork. Individual skill is great and it does play

a factor in the overall level of a team, but one individual player’s talent can often fall short to a group of players working together. As the arena season begins to ramp up, I would encourage any players reading this to start working together on their team cohesion and gameplay. The obvious way to work on this is by practicing together as often as possible, but there are some other ways to improve teamwork in the arena as well. Spending time together and getting to know your teammates off the field is a great way to help understand how the others are likely to think and react in the arena. That will translate into your gameplay as well! No matter what your experience, how long you have been playing or your handicap, using your teammates and working well with them will drastically improve your team’s performance. When players are able to spread out and open the game up by communicating, passing the ball and utilizing each teammate, it takes the quality of the game up a level and frankly makes it even more fun to umpire. Always remember, the ball can move faster than you can, so spread out, use your teammates and let the ball do the work.

A quick backshot to a teammate that is ready is one of the easiest ways to catch the other team a step behind and unfortunately, I often see a quality backshot underused. Sure, turning the ball has its time and place, but in order to gain an advantage against the other team and catch them off guard, utilizing a well-placed backshot can quickly turn the play in your team’s favor. Think about it, the ball will instantly change direction, moving in your offensive direction, yet the opposing players must slow down, turn their horse and then get to where the ball was hit. On the other hand, if you were to turn and maintain control of the ball, you are allowing the opponents to turn with you and set up to defend your next play, whether you chose to pass or carry it. I challenge everyone reading this to start working on placing your back shots, and if you see one of your teammates in position to take a backshot, turn, get open and call for where you want the ball to be placed.

In closing, I encourage all current I/I players to start focusing on the upcoming season and thinking about what you can do to improve your team cohesion with your teammates. To all of the former I/I players, coaches and parents reading this: please stay involved and help the sport continue to grow at the I/I level, whether that is by supporting your local (or favorite) program, staying in touch with your former teammates and friends or anything in between!

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TEAM USPA XII FIP World Championship

The XII FIP World Polo Championship came to American soil in the fall of 2022, putting on display the newly-acquired Wellington Polo Center in Wellington, Florida. The eight teams representing their home countries (USA, Uruguay, Argentina, Australia, Pakistan, Spain, Italy, Mexico) played each game with heart and determination. J5 and Valiente provided an impressive list of horses, mounting all eight teams to complement their world class facilities and fields.

Coached by former FIP winner, Julio Arellano, the USA team was comprised of Agustin Arellano, Hope Arellano, Nico Escobar, Lucas Escobar, Jake Klentner, and Nico Diaz Alberdi. Assistant coach, Jesse Bray, competed in the FIP in 2015 (Silver) and 2017 (4th). The players traveled to Argentina ahead of the tournament to train for a month, learning the ins and outs of each other on the field. With two pairs of siblings, the obvious chemistry played in USA team’s favor.

After defeating Australia, the USA team fell short against Italy. The loss against the Italians dialed the pressure up.

The team dug deep, defeating Uruguay to advance to the semifinal round. Paired against reigning FIP champions, Argentina, the team entered the match with blunt determination. After pushing the match into overtime, USA secured the victory, advancing to the final against Spain.

The USA team held strong throughout, controlling the play. As the clock ticked down, Spain flipped the momentum and tied the score with only seconds remaining. A skillful shot by the Spanish team earned their title and gold medal, with USA finishing in second with the silver medal.

Hope Arellano, Nico Escobar, Lucas Escobar and Nico Diaz Alberdi are current members of Team USPA. Jake Klentner is an alumni of the program. Team USPA identifies young players pursuing professional careers in the sport and assists them with higher level training opportunities. The FIP has been a showcase of young American talent in the past three FIP cycles with many of the team members also involved with the Team USPA program.

David Lominska

USPA Intercollegiate Scholarship Program

Six $4,000 scholarships awarded annually

Auto-renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study.

Open to current interscholastic & intercollegiate players.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

> 3.0 GPA

> Two letters of reccomendation

> Short Essay

CHUKKER BREAK Trip of a Lifetime UC Davis takes on Wellington

To help hype up the start of the 2022-2023 I/I season and to promote the fact that the United States Polo Association was hosting, for the first time ever, the Federation of International Polo World Championship at the National Polo Center in Wellington, Florida, the I/I program launched an interactive social media challenge for the intercollegiate teams to “Win a Trip to FIP.” The competition began regionally with a series of four tasks, and teams competed for points in each category. Tasks included a tiki challenge and Instagram and Facebook posts on specific topics such as “Live Authentically,” a nod to the support from U.S. Polo Assn. At the conculsion of regional “play”, the team with the highest number of points in their region won a $500 gift card to an equine/polo tack store of their choice and qualified for a chance at the grand-prize. Each of the four regional winners then submitted an essay with the topic “What does I/I mean to us?” and a selection committee voted on the winning essay. The four regional winners included UC Davis (Western), Trinity University (Central), USC-Aiken (Southeastern) and UCONN (Northeastern). The UC Davis Polo Team took home the grand-prize package, including airfare and hotel accomodations for four players and one coach to attend the opening ceremonies and cheer on the USA team vs Australia. U.S. Polo Assn. supplied the players with a swag bag, and the players partook in a mounted player clinic with Joey Casey at Palm City Polo Club.

PC: David Lominska

2022 I/I Award Recipients

I/I Lifetime Achievement Award

Danny Scheraga

The Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded only in exceptional circumstances to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of I/I by providing many years of service and commitment to growing young players in the sport, and providing an outstanding example of dedication to the continued advancement of the I/I program.

“My main goal was to create good competition with quality horses while maintaining excellent camaraderie throughout the I/I system.” –

A staple in the I/I program for the past 52 years, Danny has filled every leadership role, including player, coach, tournament manager, program director, umpire and volunteer. Danny was first introduced to polo at 10 years old when he started watching Cornell University games in Ithaca, New York, but he didn’t have the opportunity to start playing until he was a student at Cornell several years later. As an intercollegiate player, he met and played against I/I icons Tom Goodspeed (University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut) and Mike McCleary (Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas).

In 1975, Danny became the head coach of Cornell and, under his leadership, led the men’s and women’s teams to great success, including three Women’s National Intercollegiate Championship titles. Danny is the only person to have attended every single Women’s National Intercollegiate Championship final. In 1986, Danny was appointed director of the I/I program, and in 1996, he was named director of the Polo Training Foundation.

Through his tenure as coach, director and volunteer, Danny helped create the core I/I rules, including the regional tournament structure. Danny still serves the I/I community today as a member of I/I National Host Tournament Committee, chair of the Arena Rules Committee and he continues to travel extensively to teach clinics and umpire. Noting his appreciation for the I/I legend, I/I alum Yaz Grotnik shared, “The role that Danny has played over the years in the promotion of I/I and youth polo is unmatched… He has devoted his life to the sport and to youth development in the sport.”

Danny Scheraga

I/I Service Award Bonnie Magill

The I/I Service Award is awarded annually to an individual who in the last calendar year has exemplified the spirit of I/I by demonstrating commitment to growing young players in the sport, provided an outstanding example of selfless contribution to the sustainability of their local club(s) and the I/I program as a whole.

“Gary Dempsey was out stick and balling on a palomino horse and I stopped to watch. He rode over to me and asked if I would like to try. He showed me how to hold a mallet and hit the ball and the rest was history. I knew I would join the UC-Davis Polo Club that fall and take on a new discipline with horses.” – Bonnie Magill

Recalling her introduction to the sport, Bonnie shared, “’The sign said, ‘Home of the 1975 National Intercollegiate Polo Champions.’ That is what I read while on a UC Davis campus tram tour for incoming freshmen in the fall of 1975. Later that day, I bicycled back to the equestrian center to check it out. Gary Dempsey was out stick and balling on a palomino horse and I stopped to watch. He rode over to me and asked if I would like to try. He showed me how to hold a mallet and hit the ball and the rest was history. I knew I would join the UC-Davis Polo Club that fall and take on a new discipline with horses.”

Bonnie’s introduction to polo, like so many, was through the intercollegiate program. She got started at UC Davis and, after clinching a Women’s National Championship title, started a life of dedication to youth polo and the I/I program. Shortly into her teaching career, Bonnie and her husband, Jeff, built a polo arena at their home, dubbed it the Sutter Buttes Polo Club and became the home-away-from-home for many youths in the area. Her program grew to include middle school and interscholastic teams, where she fostered youth into the next generation of polo players. Her students, including her daughter Raeann, would go on to play on intercollegiate teams and continue their paths in polo. In the spring of 2021, her Sutter Buttes interscholastic girls’ team qualified for the Girls’ National Interscholastic Championship for the first time. When a group of interscholastic players found themselves all starting at UC Davis together in the fall of 2021, Bonnie helped spearhead the resurrection of the UC Davis intercollegiate polo team. Marisa Carelli, a current member of the UC Davis intercollegiate polo team, shared, “Bonnie is upbeat as ever and always has a sense of optimism. Her excitement is what empowers us as players! I wouldn’t be where I am today without her dedication to the I/I program. She not only makes every person she interacts with a better player; she also makes them a better human.”

2022 I/I TEAM ROSTERS

INTERCOLLEGIATE MEN

BABSON

Beto Aguilar

Frederick Borja

Austin Hamilton

Leonardo Borja

Diego Ante

John Hamilton

CORNELL

Pablo Herrera

Nicholas Paciorek

Santiago Valenzuela

Patricio Fraga-Errecart

Taylor Palacios

Muzammil Rizwan

Alex Dawson

Eduardo Palacios

SKIDMORE

Finnian O’Malia

Ben Bruce

Justin Hall

SMU

Benji Daniels

Luke Klentner

Clark Mayer

Joe Coors

Micheal Calle

Landen Daniels

Shane Metternick

Alejandro Puyana

STANFORD

Christian Martin

William Coors

Jose Maria Baus

Amado Shrestha

Samuel Good

TEXAS A&M

Diego Arguello

Chris Jordan

Quique Garcia

Zackary Coleman

Grayson Price

TEXAS TECH

Christian Jordan Upchurch

Jason Lara

Jeremiah Valles

U of KENTUCKY

Federico Puyana

Joseph Post

Alfred William Green

Nathan Church

Ronald Koopman

UNT

Vaughn Miller Jr.

Vance Miller III

John Dencker

USC

Amin Fazal

Jack Weprin

Xuanyu Pan

James Stenger

INTERCOLLEGIATE WOMEN

CAL POLY

Carter Nix

Caroline Mathews

Camilla Mcfall

Anna Mendez

COLORADO STATE

Fiona Sills

Hannah Stock

Maya Miller

Willow Longerbeam

Marguerite McGill

Parker Keber

CORNELL

Rachel Booth

Lea Jih-Vieira

Jasmine Umrigar

Sophia Neis

Sophia Kofsky

HARVARD

Paige Lindsley

Anne Colloredo Mansfeld

Ua Alencastre-Galimba

Jara Wilensky

MICHIGAN STATE

Stesha Payne

Jessica Liu

Cassandra Marcola

Nicole Kemnitz

Alexis Rohrer

MONTANA STATE

Sarah Bean

Katelyn Tensen

Ruby Gawarkiewicz

Malia McKendry

OKLAHOMA STATE

Genevieve Bono

Elyse Warren

Sydney Morris

Samantha Leach

Dana Kusch

SKIDMORE

Freida Witmer

Aliah Debejian

Antoinette Miller

Elizabeth Cavallon

SMU

Grace Grotnik

Sofia Garvin

Adrianna Arguello

Cassie Kaplan

UVA

Jack McLean

Parker Pearce

Vlad Tarashansky

Brennan Wells

Jim Deal

Connor Finemore

YALE

Nico Trigo

Noah Carlson

David Villarreal Cavazos

Yan Davidoff

Marco Marsans

STANFORD

Sofia Scekic

Ryann Ray

Allie Littleton

Lauren Lowe

TEXAS A&M

Madison Lange

Olivia Reynolds

Grace Parker

Grace Mudra

Joanie Jackson

Cara Kennedy

Hannah Reynolds

TCU

Claire Litchfield

Mattie Elder

Kayla Stern

Noelle Weaver

TEXAS TECH

Lexie Harlan

Brianna Wolkober

Noel Bartniski

Mary Kate Ratliff

Jordyn Rizzuto

Tatijana Mirsky

TRINITY

Carly Schneider

Sonja Lisowski

Maya Leonard

Sara Chang

Caroline Strong

Madeline Hesselgesser

Lauren Elliot

Lily Brennan

Danae Dickson

U of MICHIGAN

Madelyn Blum

Gia Borely

Gianna Belmont

Daniella Chait

Sarah Bibb

UC DAVIS

Maya Tantuwaya

Liliana Gonzalez

Marisa Carelli

Franchesca Johannsen

UCSB

Angie Osman

Addison Barber

Alanis Perez Medina

Marci Winter

UCONN

Rylyn Koger

Kylie Dalton

Elizabeth Leudesdorff

Madison Robicheau

Toni Moore

U of IDAHO

Perry Widdicombe

Lauren Jamison

Ella Horton

Anika Baker

U of KENTUCKY

Avery Evans

Elizabeth Bennett

Louisa Huber

Taylor Nackers

Joscelin Gallegos

Grace Beck

Ava Nunes

UMASS

Olivia Larrivee

Ada Schriber

Catherine Gosiewski

Ashley Deyoung

Ella Czarnecki

USC

Lucy Burgess

Anya Moturi

Isabel Fernandez

Nadia Fernandez

Sasha Busa

USC-AIKEN

Shona Adams

Gracie Brown

Kaylin Bender

Isabella Hamon

U of TEXAS

Caroline Woodman

Aislinn Smith

Emily Katznelson

Karolynne Muniz

UVA

Maddie Grant

Grace Burgert

Katie Define

Elizabeth Owens

Alana Benz

WESTMONT

Maggie Hine

Keilah Smith

Katherine Hill

Natalie Williams

Jolie Moran

Aria Rosenaur

INTERSCHOLASTIC OPEN

AIKEN

Josh Escapite

Aiden Meeker

Lazaro Gorosito

Madison Jordan

BATTLEFIELD

Emma Thacker

Kate Pelaia

David Miller

Aleem Siddiqui

Jade Del Rosario

BOSTON

Isabel Poniatowski

Finley Guenther

Jacques Cauchon

Brooke Henehan

Aspen Tinto

CENTRAL COAST WAVES

Ruby Decker

Linnea Johnson

Tanner Ebbin

CENTRAL COAST BEARS

Kate Soderin

Miles Jones

Hunter Jones

GFS - CHARM CITY

Kimani Davenport

Michael Hamm

Justin Pena

Hosea Johnson

Aliyaha Bell

Eleanor Ricci

YALE

Hilary Griggs

Toia Cunha

Anika Seth

Casey Tonnies

CENTRAL NEW YORK

Graciela Gutierrez

Maggie Shipe

John Miller

Aly Paciorek

CULVER

Ferran Fernandez

Zecheng Zhao

Yuquan Li

James Dolan

DENVER

Will Kinsman

Lauren Patoile

Brian Salmon

FRANKLIN

Allyssa Morgan

Kelsey Bray

Lane Williams

Henry Lampton

Denny Martinez

GARDNERTOWN

Max Gundlach

Jonathan Wallace

Adam Wallace

Marcus Kim

GFS – RUDA

Lucy Steele

Tori Picha

Zoey Bivalacqua

Liam Driscoll

Josie Dorsey

HARVARD VARSITY

Augustus Grotnik

Julia Schaefer

Rehan Kumble

Estani Puch

HARVARD JV

Ava Croce

Emma Croke

Sofia Puch

Mav Ellis

Dominic Irvine

HOUSTON

Lance Stefanakis

Will Mudra

Joe Bob Lequerica

Ashvath Bhatia

Judah Altic

LAKESIDE VARSITY

Ethan Bankhead

Kylie Kufahl

Oliver Wheatley

Allie Bushong

LAKESIDE JV

Faris Hanna

Luca Abboud

Christian Munteanu

Cameron Munteanu

LANCASTER – WTR

Mosiah Gravesande

Marc Harley

Josie Goldstein

Kai Kohl

Yash Chhugani

MARYLAND

Russell Calkins

Jonathan Dingus

Grace Fleischmann

Mya Quarcoopome

OC POLO

Mila Slutzky

Davesh Nath

Ashley Simpson

Leigh Bertea

POWAY

Matias Wolf

Lukas Cobbs

Sebastian Lopez

Alexander Jones

PRESTONWOOD

Robby Mooney

Trenton Werntz

James “JB” Long

RANCHO NARANJO

Alec Joseph Felhaber

Cole Aaron Felhaber

Francesca Felhaber

Julian Martinez

SANTA BARBARA

Linnea Harris

Sebastian Brine

Maud Christal

SOUTH BAY VARSITY

Hannah Krauskopf

Helena Bache

Timur Kotelnikov

Marco Esposto

Morgan Manos

SOUTH BAY JV

Sharokina Williams

Emily Rubin

Matthew Werner

TINICUM PARK

Abdullah Chaudhry

Brooke Burke

Daniel Arnold

Alan Dursee

TORONTO

Ali Macdonald

William Wayne

Ben Weir

Georgia Littlechild

YALE

Luke Howe

Malachi Light

Connelly Cashen

Gaston Gomez

YALE POLO RANCH

Dan Coyle

Justo Iraola

Michael Joseph

Sebastian Komaritsky

Carolina Falcone

Danny & Janet Scheraga

2021 Regional and 2022 National Sportsmanship Awards

Best of Luck to Luke Howe, Class of 2023 & Yale Varsity Open Interscholastic Team

INTERSCHOLASTIC GIRLS’

AIKEN

Robyn Leitner

Summer Kneece

Reagan Leitner

Brianna Jordan

BATTLEFIELD

Emine Mangan

Anushka Parasram

Maya Bagatelia

Anika Saracevic

Ariana Saracevic

BOSTON

Emerson Bruce

Isabel Artzer

Brynn Whitten

Lily Wachtel

CENTRAL NEW YORK

Lara Chong

Chloe Chong

Alyssa Manns

Susanna Manns

Phoebe Whitham

CULVER

Kendall Brandeburg

Alexandria Taylor

Jayden Hall

Dakota Kovanda

Angela Zhang

ELDORADO

Elise Pardue

Sally Camp

Tennyson Barclay Hamir

GARDNERTOWN

Mary Duncan

Ali Cogan

Haley Kriege

GFS VARSITY

Kym Pugh

Gabby Chiasera

Lindsey Morris

Josie Smith

GFS JV BLUE

Georgia Bray

Charlotte Allen

Sophia Chiasera

Erika Sweeney

Margaret White

GFS JV

Katie White

Thea Shu

Ann Yang

Becca Share

HILLSIDE

Sofia Ward

Olivia Schmidt

Kylie Lieven

Kendall Nackers

Makayla Brandenburg

HAWAII

Minnie Lee

Ava Coudrier

Katherine Bush

HOUSTON

Lilly Lequerica

Abby Benton

Bridget Price

Madison Burba

LAKESIDE A

Maia Schnoebelen

Jordyn Griffith

Kylie Matthews

Jordan Pearson

Emerson Bond

LAKESIDE B

Shira Engel

Ava Abboud

Nia Soliz

LANCASTER-WTR

Gigi Velasquez

Sage Lax

Alyssa Perren

LIBERTY HALL

Raeann Bruton

Lizzie Keys

Mallorie Marquis

MARYLAND

Aurora Knox

Jordan Peterson

Kylie Beard

Sierra Blevins

Isabelle Brockett

MARYLAND REBELS

Kylie Williamson

Becca Steele

Kyra Kepner

Aliyaha Bradley Bell

MAUI VARSITY

Leah Melzer

Elizabeth Miranda

Emily Coflin

Jade Hiltbrand

MAUI JV

Chloe Fischer

Indiana Dukes

Elise Hollingsworth

Violet Hiltbrand

Pewter Oval Platter #4289 #4244

Harmony Bowl #1978

Sheffield Award #0287

Personalized Polo Awards

POWAY

Jasmine Lu

Remington Glasgow

Ana Sophia Wolf

SAN ANTONIO

Gracie Callaway

Faye Bettis

Ruby Bettis

Zoe Rosenthal

ST. LOUIS

Winifred Branscum

Holly Goen

Kaylee Docter

VIRGINIA JRs

Hazel Conklin

Hanan Fadil

Victoria Lawrence

Abigail Lawrence

WESTCHESTER

Catie Reed

Teghan Torrey

Ava Richard

Hanalei Streuli

Ellie Goodfriend

WESTERN NY

Emma Heiman

Ali Luckenbach

Callie Little

Lily Donnan

YALE

Saralyn Painter

Sophia DeAngelis

Samantha Iahn

Ana Veitch

YALE JV

Amelia Luetjen

Zoe Katz

Abby Jumper

Dasha Bank

Ale Andrade

Abigale Luetjen

YALE POLO RANCH

Naomi Marlough

Kaya Brownell

Sage Dobson

Charlotte Hay

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Yale Polo & Equestrian

Center I

TEAM 1

PJ DeAngelis

Dasha Bank

Edouard Ferragu

TEAM 2

Ana Veitch

Zoe Katz

Diane Ferragu

TEAM 3

Michael Joseph

Abby Jumper

Alexandra Rothstein

TEAM 4

Travis Soto

Jolie Zepp

Cormick Martin

Alexis Palacios-Garcia

TEAM 5

Sofia Puch

Ava Croce

Justo Iraola

Midland Polo Club

MIDLAND

Uly Escapite

Ashlyn Whiteley

Beau Brown

CROSSHAIR

Jack Bryant

Emrey Owen

Mary Kate Wetendorf

Central Coast Polo Club 1

RED DAWG

Hattie Ward

Gia Pomeroy

Miles Jones

BLUE DAWG

Eve Alexerawy

Natalie Festing

Linnea Johnson

Marlan Farm

MARLAN FARM BLUE

Mya Quarcoopome

Jolie Zepp

Bella Dowling

MARLAN FARM WHITE

Becca Steele

Kylie Williamson

Brianna Williamson

Ana Grace Karpovich

Phoebe King

Garrison Forest

GARRISON FOREST

Mya Quarcoopome

Ava Beattie

Reid Dickson

Jada Corbin

RUDA POLO

Emma Paternotte

Josephine Allen

Laura Casas

WORK TO RIDE BLUE

Parker Bivalacqua

Shane Woodson

Kalliope Kourelis

WORK TO RIDE PURPLE

Sage Lax

Jolie Zepp

Jordyn Floyd

DRUMCLIFFE

Ana Grace Karpovich

Gigi Yapsuga

Izzy Solter

MARYLAND REBELS

Kylie Williamson

Brianna Williamson

Bella Dowling

Grace Santarelli

Liberty Hall Polo Club

LIBERTY HALL POLO

Simonetta Coleman

Daniel Coleman

Mallorie Marquis

ROSELAND POLO

James Nolde

Sophia Mills

Lofton Graves

Liam Baldwin

Clara Baldwin

Central Coast Polo Club II

CENTRAL COAST BLUE

Matthew Werner

Kate Soderin

Natalie Festing

Porter Goodman

Ellie Drucker

CENTRAL COAST WHITE

Hattie Ward

Lauren Plumer

Alejandra Sequeira

Gianna Pomeroy

Woody Dunham

Poway Polo Club

POLORODEO RANCH

Marek Sutherland

Maddie Klomhaus

Bethel Lutz

Jacob Lutz

POWAY POLO

Dryden Flemming

Ali Garcia

Tessa McCready

Lauren Plumer

Yale Polo & Equestrian Center II

RULETA

Zoe Katz

Edouard Ferragu

BRACITA

Reed Thomas

Sofia Gogoleva

Cormick Martin

PAIGE

Katarina Borrego

Natalia Pepe

Alexandra Rothstein

CHUKKER BREAK

GFS IS Players Share Their Passion

The Charm City Youth Polo program was created in 2017 with one goal in mind — make polo more accessible to Baltimore youth. Garrison Forest Polo has offered a variety of programs serving various communities in the Baltimore area for years. Recently, Garrison partnered with a local non-profit to host a clinic for 18 boys ages 14-18 from the residential treatment and foster care facility, Nexus Woodbourne Family Healing Center. The objective: give kids an opportunity of a lifetime. This clinic was free, transportation was provided and GFS enlisted the help of every interscholastic player associated with the Garrison polo program umbrella. Organized chaos allowed kids to not only be around horses for the first time, but to “play polo.” Two GFS players were assigned one horse and two participants. This put the kids in the driver’s seat, giving them the opportunity to impart their wisdom and showcase their extensive knowledge of horses and the sport of polo. Once they demonstrated how to tack, they brought the kids to the arena where half got on to ride and the other half picked up foot mallets where they learned how to hit. A GFS player went with each participant to give them hands-on instruction while coaches and volunteers supervised and set the agenda. Participants with foot mallets then helped their peers on horses learn how to hit based on what they learned on the ground. Once every participant felt comfortable with their offside, it was time for a leadline scrimmage. A combination of wild swings and leaders playing a bit of soccer led to multiple scored goals for both teams and a sense of accomplishment across the board. The overall experience was life altering for everyone involved. PC:

Michelle Placek

Step up your game.

MAGGIE MITCHELL: 941.928.4600 | mmitchell@uspolo.org

FERGUS GOULD: 760.391.8373 | fgould@uspolo.org

BRADLEY BIDDLE: 803.221.4080 | bbiddle@uspolo.org

www.uspolo.org/association/programs/umpires

Taking your game to the next level starts with a USPA Umpire in your arena.

USPA Umpires are trained and experienced to ensure that every play gets a fair call. Becoming a better player starts with a better umpire. Call today to find out how you can have a USPA Umpire in your arena.

Good Luck To All the I/I Teams in 2023!

Port Mayaca Polo Club

The Port Mayaca Community was founded in the mindset of bringing polo players together to share in the enjoyment and camaraderie of the polo lifestyle.

Traditionally polo players came to the polo clubs of Florida to play on great fields and collaborate with other like-minded polo enthusiasts. In many ways, we feel this concept has been lost over the years, but at Port Mayaca we take this idea to heart and keep it in mind with everything we do. In our club, we strive to promote competition without animosity, quality without pretense, comfort without extravagance, and sportsmanship above all else. We welcome all polo enthusiasts to join us in the community we have built to share in the sport we love.