4 minute read
Ask an Umpire
Rule 22
Can you change horses in the 25 seconds after scoring a goal?
Sheryl Sick with her string of handpicked ponies
Pacific Northwest Circuit Governor Sheryl Sick has a half-goal handicap outdoors and a 2-goal handicap in the arena (3 goals for women’s handicap outdoor and 5 in the arena). She spends her summers traveling across her circuit, including Western Canada, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, visiting and playing at as many clubs as she can. She feels that meeting the players in her circuit personally and playing polo with them gives her a more complete understanding of the issues they face and helps her to come up with solutions that can be supported by the USPA.
Although Sheryl works for Dell Technologies as a sales executive in the complex industry of information technology, she is anything but a nerd. Actually, she is quite the weekend warrior, climbing mountains and shredding black diamond runs on her snowboard when she is not playing polo and serving the USPA.
Moving around is in her blood since she became accustomed to being flexible and living a nomadic lifestyle during her childhood as a military brat. She has a palatable love for horses and the sport of polo. She has played in Canada, Argentina, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Australia and Mexico. She takes her string of handpicked polo ponies and plays at her home club, the Seattle Polo and Equestrian Center in Enumclaw, Washington, when she is not traveling her circuit.
She played polo in college at Washington State University. Her home club boasts a pristine full-size outdoor field with supporting stabling, a polo school, turnout for visiting teams and facilities to host large events, all in a postcard-perfect setting just outside Seattle. The club hosts teams from other clubs in the circuit and sends teams to those same clubs in an effort to promote and sustain polo in the Pacific Northwest. It is truly a cooperative effort and full of old-school polo comradery. More information on the club can be found at www.seattlepoloclub.com.
Sheryl wants to know if you can use the 25 seconds you get to return to the line-up after a goal is scored to change horses. Will the umpires wait for you to change horses if you can do it and return to the lineup at the center within 25 seconds after a goal is scored?
Umpire Chad Kraml is going to answer Sheryl’s
Rule 22 e. (1)-How Play is Resumed
After a goal has been scored, except goals awarded by handicap or Penalty 1, the Umpire shall throw the ball in with the ends changed. The teams must return to the center line for the throw-in within 25 seconds after the goal was scored. If one team fails to do so without an adequate reason, to be determined by the Umpire in his or her discretion, the Umpire shall throw the ball in.
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question. Chad was born and raised in Hinsdale, Illinois. He is a third generation polo player. Chad played polo as a professional for many years and held a 4-goal handicap outdoors and a 7-goal handicap indoors. He has played in Hamburg, Germany, and Kaduna, Nigeria, as well as all over the United States. Chad attended Western Kentucky University on a football scholarship and has been umpiring full time since 2006. A fun fact about Chad is that he is a classically-trained chef.
Chad’s answer: That’s great question, Sheryl. Since time limits are new this year, umpires have to struggle with the potential issues they create. One issue is directly related to your question. Do we care what the players use the 25 seconds for? We had to discuss this and try and determine what the rule is designed to accomplish. Is it designed to stop players from managing the clock and allow their team to change horses; is it as simple as just being fair to both teams and giving the umpires a benchmark for dead ball plays; or both? Is there any more to the rule ?
With a careful discussion and a couple months of experience using the new rule, we have determined the time allowed is primarily a benchmark for the umpire to use in treating both teams perfectly fair when players attempt to manage the clock. In simpler terms, yes, you can use the time however you’d like.
We didn’t see any good reason why we would interject ourselves into the time limits. It made more sense to us to just enforce the limits across the board and ignore what the players actually do with the time, even if it is to change horses. Since the time limit is the same for both teams, we are fine with just enforcing the limits as they are written. I’m sure other issues will arise—they always do with new rules—but we will address them one at a time. I hope that is helpful to you and remember, if you take more than 25 seconds to return to the center for the throw-in, I’m not waiting for you (it’s nothing personal). Good Luck !” • Umpire Chad Kraml
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