J U L Y 2 01 8
Texas A&M dominates collegiate championships $5.00 US/$5.50 Canada
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CONTENTS J U LY 201 8
VO L . 21 ,
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
24 Double Trouble
6
Texas A&M tops both men’s and women’s divisions
30 Kelly and the Champion Factory by William L. Matheson Interscholastic coach has exemplary record
Association News
USPA Bulletin Club Spotlight
12 Instructors Forum by Tom Goodspeed
34 Foreign Friends
14 Wrist Shots
38 Free & Easy by Elizabeth Hedley
16 Equine Athlete
Interscholastic players compete in international event
by Dan Harvey Pedrick
Six tips for marketing your polo club
18 22 24 40
J U L Y 2 01 8
OUR COVER UVA’s Sadie Bryant and Texas A&M’s Marissa Wells race in the final of the women’s intercollegiate championships. Photo by Jim Bremner/ jfbphotos.com Texas A&M dominates s collegiate championship
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by Stephanie Massey Colburn, DVM Polo Scene News, notes, trends & quotes
Team USPA Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Polo in the Pampas
by Ernesto Rodriguez
44 Polo around the Globe 60 Yesteryears 62 Calendar 46 Polo Report
SD Farms Successful in Bostwick Memorial
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OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN SIGNED COLUMNS ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE PUBLISHERS OF THIS MAGAZINE.
2 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
THE OFFICIAL MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE UNITED STATES POLO ASSOCIATION
Editor & Publisher
GWEN D. RIZZO
Contributing Editors
HEATHER SMITH THOMAS, ERNESTO RODRIGUEZ, ALICE GIPPS, CHRIS ASHTON, TOM GOODSPEED
Editorial Board BOB PUETZ, TONY COPPOLA, TOM BIDDLE, DAWN WEBER, AMI SHINITZKY Art Director DAVID BEVERAGE Prepress PUBLISHERS PRESS Advertising & Editorial Offices USPA Member Subscription Inquiries (800) 232-8772 OR FAX (888) 341-7410 ldolan@uspolo.org
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©Copyright 2018 by USPA Global LLC. No part of this issue may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process without written permission of the publisher. Paul Brown illustrations are ©2018 and are reprinted by permission of Paul Brown Studios, Inc., P.O. Box 925, Hedgesville, WV 25427. Subscription rates: $45/one year, $78/two years. Other countries (air mail), $78 drawn on U.S. bank/one year, $144 drawn on U.S. bank/two years. (GST:134989508). Subscription problems call (561) 968-5208. VOL. 21, No.11 POLO Players’ Edition (ISSN #1096-2255) is published monthly by Rizzo Management Corp. 6008 Reynolds RD, Lake Worth, FL 33449 for U.S. Polo Association, 9011 Lake Worth RD, Lake Worth, FL 33467. Periodicals postage paid at West Palm Beach, FL and additional mailing offices. (USPS: 079-770). POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Polo Players’ Edition, 6008 Reynolds RD, Lake Worth, FL 33449. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement No. 40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Imex Global, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.
4 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
USPA Umpires, LLC from 0 goal to 40 goal, we’ve gotcha covered! For information regarding a professional umpire at your club, please contact: Charlie Muldoon (240) 731-2248 cmuldoon@uspolo.org Maggie Mitchell (941) 928-4600 mmitchell@uspolo.org For information regarding umpire certification, online testing, umpire clinics or rule reviews, please contact: Steve Lane (352) 454-6611 slane@uspolo.org
Westchester Cup Following the Hurlingham Polo Association’s acceptance of the United States Polo Association’s challenge of the Westchester Cup, the historical event is set to be played Saturday, July 28, at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club in Windsor, Berkshire, England. The USPA will be cheering on the strong team of Julio Arellano (8), Nic Roldan (8), Jeff Hall (7) and Mariano “Peke” Gonzalez (5) as they fight to bring home the trophy to the United States. Polo fans are encouraged to cheer on their country via livestream. Please check uspolo.org for details. American players will proudly sport U.S. Polo Assn. performance wear jerseys, vest, jackets and hats and will be outfitted in custom Lucchese boots. Prior to the playing of the Westchester Cup, a youth team will take to the field to represent the United States. These young players will compete against their English peers in an international match on Friday, July 27. The Junior Westchester Cup team to represent the U.S. will include Hope Arellano, Bayne Bossom and Lucas Escobar, with a fourth player yet to be named. Please visit uspolo.org for additional information. Equine Disaster Relief Program
The USPA board of governors has approved a new Equine Disaster Relief Program for 2018. The program was developed to provide lifesaving and life changing assistance to horses in immediate need. Our purpose is to have a nominal monetary reserve fund available for the aid of distressed polo ponies in emergency situations where there is no other immediate means to provide urgent care, feed or supplies. There are three categories of support available to all USPA Members • Catastrophic Scenarios: Fund will be available to provide an immediate equine 6 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
lifesaving monetary assistance contribution to horses in an emergency care situation. This disbursement may be made after evaluation of the imminent need at the sole discretion of a USPA authority such as the Equine Welfare Committee, board of governors or the executive branch
the situation will be enforced. The EWC chairman and a USPA authority will set forth conditions on a case-by-case basis. • Disaster Relief: The Fund may provide partial reimbursement of expenses incurred to rescue, relocate, transport, and feed displaced ponies due to natural
This U.S. team will be competing in the Westchester Cup on July 28 at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club in Windsor, England. A Junior Westchester Cup will also be played.
• Underfed or Neglect Complaint: The fund may be used to provide a last chance solution to aid distressed ponies being denied basic needs for survival (understanding the USPA and EWC in no manner condone the mistreatment or lack of care of any horse for any reason). In the case of an animal welfare complaint or investigation, this fund is meant to provide feed, supplies or veterinary assistance in an extreme situation, especially in circumstances that warrant a fear that the horses may be moved or hidden without rectifying the situation. This portion of the fund must meet strict policy guidelines and enforcement. Monies, if any, will be paid directly to vendors only and not to individual owners or caretakers. A restitution requirement and membership suspension to USPA members may be implemented if deemed warranted. A time limit to remedy and monitor
disasters such as fire, flood, earthquake, sinkhole, hurricane, etc. All reimbursements must be requested in writing with receipts provided and will be subject to review and approval. These funds are only to be used to cover expenses incurred as a result of the disaster situation and are not to be used to provide any temporary loss of income caused by the disaster. A specific disaster relief form provided by the EWC must be used to request these funds. To apply for funding through this program please contact equinewelfare@uspolo.org. PUMP/8 USPA Umpires, LLC is continuing the Professional Umpire Management Program’s umpire initiative. Member Clubs hosting a USPA national or circuit event 8-goals or under are eligible to receive one umpire. The program will cover the
Member clubs hosting a USPA national or circuit event, 8-goals or under, may be eligible to receive one umpire through the Professional Umpire Management Program’s umpire initiative.
cost of travel, housing, ground transportation and salary for one umpire. •The number of USPA national or circuit tournaments, not sanctioned (outdoor and/or arena), 8-goals or below, that are eligible for a PUMP/8 umpire per year, per club: three •Tournaments must have a minimum of four teams participating. •Clubs must reserve an umpire with a minimum of 14 days’ notice prior to the beginning of the event. •Clubs must pay a $500 fee (per tournament), before an umpire will be scheduled. Clubs will receive one umpire per tournament, and all their expenses will be paid by USPA Umpires, LLC (travel, hotel and salary). •Tournament must be played and completed within 10 consecutive days for a PUMP/8 umpire. •Clubs must follow USPA tournament conditions and USPA rules. Tournaments must have two mounted umpires, plus a referee for outdoor tournaments. •Clubs, which already acquired a professional umpire under contract, will be credited for games played. •Clubs must send a schedule of all tournament games played. •Club requests for credit will not be
considered or accepted after 60 days of the tournament end date. •Umpires are limited, and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. For additional information, please contact Umpire Manager Maggie Mitchell, 941-928-4600 or mmitchell@uspolo.org. Chicago Polo on the Rise The Chicago Polo Association announced it will support the advancement of polo by organizing and promoting the sport through activities in and around the metropolitan Chicagoland area. Chicago Polo is comprised of six USPA recognized polo clubs, 12 polo facilities and over 130 registered USPA playing members. Together, the group runs two polo schools, 15 grass polo fields and seven indoor/outdoor polo arenas—five of which operate year-round. “Chicago Polo will build on the success of existing member clubs by consolidating resources and leveraging advertising, marketing and outreach to drive participation in polo schools, tournaments, leagues and youth polo through one central organization,” explained Pam Mudra, executive director of Chicago Polo.
Chicago Polo member facilities are located in the north, west and south suburbs of Chicago, making it convenient and accessible for anyone to watch, play and learn the sport of polo. “We are currently running polo schools in Bolingbrook and Barrington Hills,” added Mudra. “No experience is necessary and beginners or experienced riders are also welcome.” Club members of Chicago Polo include Arranmore Farm and Polo Club, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Blackberry Polo Club, Chicago International Polo Club, Due West Polo, Morgan Creek Polo and Oak Brook Polo Club. “Through the support of the USPA Polo Development, LLC, we have been able to bring these clubs and facilities together with a single calendar of schools, practices and tournaments to offer all levels of polo to Chicagoans and suburbanites,” said Bob McMurtry, Central Circuit Governor of the USPA. “We are very excited to have Pam Mudra at the helm as our executive director. She has years of experience developing and growing polo in communities such as Houston, Texas.” Chicago’s polo history dates back to 1879, when the first recorded match was played in Lincoln Park in Downtown Chicago. Over the next 140 years, the sport of kings prospered in and around Chicagoland with as many as 50 polo clubs hosting competitive professional and amateur polo. Several well-known Chicago families were avid polo players and helped bring attention to the sport, including the Wrigleys, McCormicks, Armours and Butlers. For more information, please visit chicago-polo.com. Published by the United States Polo Association Offices at 9011 Lake Worth Rd. Lake Worth, Florida 33467 (800) 232-USPA
Chairman: Chip Campbell President: Tony Coppola Secretary: Stuart Armstrong Treasurer: Sam Ramirez Chief Executive Officer: Robert Puetz
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 7
designed to test all aspects of riding used in a match. Each player’s swing was also filmed and reviewed. When not in the saddle, the schedule was packed with presentations and activities to help them improve and gain knowledge in the sport.
Intercollegiate/Interscholastic
National Youth Tournament Series National Youth Tournament Series Qualifiers being held across the country are seeing the highest participation numbers in program history. The Central Texas Polo Association hosted three competitive teams for its first ever NYTS qualifier. Horsegate (Lance Stefanakis, Joanie Jackson, Chino Payan, Quique Garcia) emerged as the victor. All-Stars included Taylor Morris, Clary Mayer, Chino Payan, April Galindo and Anson Moore. Best Playing Pony was awarded to Ganela, played by April Galindo. For more information on the NYTS program please visit uspolo.org or email Amanda Snow, asnow@uspolo.org.
Team USPA Team USPA welcomed Molly Agee, Lucas Arellano, Lauren Biddle, Mia Bray, Tony Calle, Justin Daniels, Grant Ganzi, Jake Klentner and Sloan Stefanakis to the program after the final stage of selections took place in Aiken, South Carolina. The players spent three days immersed 8 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
in polo and related activities on Langdon Road, home to head coaches Adam Snow and Owen Rinehart, both Hall of Famers and former 10 goalers. Despite a gloomy forecast, players were able to play two good, fast practices with coaching provided by Rinehart, Snow, Carlucho Arellano, and Julian Daniels. During practice the players followed a “three-touch” rule, forcing them to think about their next play before arriving to the ball, thus quickening the pace of the game. In addition to two practices, the players worked with Snow and Rinehart on the USPA Polo Development, LLC ridAnson Moore put in an All-Star performance in the NYTS ing pattern qualifier held at the Central Texas Polo Association.
MARTHA BAGLEY
Team USPA welcomed nine new players to the program.
Congratulations to the 2019 & 2020 USPA National I/I Host Sites. The National Intercollegiate Championships has been awarded to Virginia Polo Center and the Open and Girls’ National Interscholastic Championships will be combined into one event hosted by Houston Polo Club. The USPA I/I awarded 97 players with 2018 Interscholastic Varsity Letters. To receive the award players met the following requirements: currently in grades 912; active member of an existing interscholastic program; met all USPA IS eligibility requirements; played in at least four regular season I/I games; played in a preliminary, regional or national tournament; and logged a minimum of 100 hours of riding/practice time. Congratulations to all our players on this outstanding achievement!
Toronto Polo Club Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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hen considering the crossover, and we need all three to numerous clubs that form make the club as dynamic as it is.” the United States Polo Remarkably, this focus on Association, many might not cooperation has allowed the club consider our neighbors to the north. access to an impressive seven While affiliate member clubs in outdoor fields, two outdoor arenas, Canada may not exert equal voting one indoor arena and two polo power as American clubs, they hold schools—all within a 37-mile radius all the same benefits and privileges north of Toronto. of an active member club. “One of the things that I think is Not only are they able to host important is that we all work association events, register members together. Really, there is no city big and assign handicaps—but their enough for two clubs, short of commitment to the sport and [Wellington,] Florida. We try very St. Andrews College’s Dave Offen, Mike Sifton Jr., Cliff support of its growth cannot be hard to get along and for 50 years we Sifton and David Calverley, with coaches Don Bolton and overlooked. In fact, their efforts have succeeded,” said Sifton. Mike Sifton Sr., after the team won the 1977 National Interscholastic Championship. should be doubly applauded, for, in The Toronto Polo Club spite of their inability to take part in headquarters are located at Fox Den major association decisions, their 12 months out of the year. “We’re proud Farm in Gormley (North Richmond Hill), devotion and dedication to the sport is of the fact that we have 75 active players Ontario, home to both the Toronto Polo exemplary. Toronto Polo Club, located in ranging in age from 10 to 70 years old,” Club Interscholastic and Western Toronto, Ontario, is one such club that said Sifton. Along with a solid indoor University Intercollegiate teams, which has thrived for nearly six decades and season, which runs from October until practice at the club’s only indoor arena, today, boasts one of the largest April, the club has naturally developed a housed at the facilities. Coach Scott Weir, memberships in Canada. successful outdoor grass season, which who was involved in the development of In contrast to many club histories and runs from May until September. the Certified Polo Instructor program despite Canada’s infamously cold winters, Not only does the club offer the and now serves as a certifier, coaches interestingly, the club was formally possibility of polo in every season, but both teams and manages the polo school. established in 1960 by the late Col. M.C. the diversity of playing options are The indoor arena is complete with a Sifton, instigated by his desire for a seemingly endless. “There are essentially temperature controlled viewing lounge winter equestrian hobby. “Dad was in the three sets of facilities,” said Sifton, that overlooks the action. “We encourage show world,” said Club Delegate Cliff “three different ownership groups, some non-playing family members to come out Sifton, son of the club founder, “and and watch,” says Sifton, who insists he and two or three of his buddies that spectators will stay nice and that had hunters and jumpers were toasty while catching the competition looking for something to do in the three days a week during the colder winter time and decided to take up winter months. During the polo. They tracked down [Stephen] summertime, practice is held bi‘Doc’ Roberts, the famous coach weekly on the two fields at this from Cornell [University in Ithaca, location, as well as the highlight of New York], did a couple clinics down the summer season, the corporate there and then Doc and dad became charity event Polo for Heart. great friends thereafter.” Recently celebrating its 38th year, Today, the club has grown to the three-day polo event has raised include three unique facilities, over more than $6 million for heart- and Snow polo has been played at Bancroft Farm, owned and operated by Brian O’Leary. 70 playing members and polo almost stroke-related charities. The event POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 9
The club’s headquarters are located at Fox Den Farm in Gormley, Ontario, which has an indoor arena used by both interscholastic and intercollegiate teams.
also introduced the newly minted Polo Under the Stars with a featured outdoor match lit by industrial-sized floodlights brought in specifically for the occasion. Just west of Fox Den Farm in King Township lies Bancroft Farm, owned and operated by Brian O’Leary who manages a polo boarding facility and the club’s second polo school. Offering a beautiful grass field and an outdoor arena, the Bancroft facilities allow for “swing” spring and fall seasons; when conditions on the grass fields are not ideal, but the temperatures are still nice enough to play outdoor. According to the Toronto Polo Club website, “Occasionally, when conditions are right, the club has also played snow polo in this arena.” Club Manager Karen White admits this novelty competition has only happened on one or two occasions. “You need special shoes for that, so we usually do it around the snow polo event at MontTremblant in Quebec [held in March].” Amid the quiet agricultural countryside, 45 minutes north of Fox Den Farm, are the Alliston facilities, TPC’s third club location. Three fantastic grass fields are surrounded on one side by a row of privately-owned barns and houses. Toronto’s most competitive polo takes place in Alliston with low- and medium-goal club sign-up and pro-am style tournaments. Games 10 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
are held on the weekends followed by a traditional Argentine asado or gorgeous Sunday brunch beautifully presented on a series of white linen-clad picnic tables. “We try to offer whatever someone wants to play, we hopefully have it all,” said White. “If you want to play competitive, Alliston has the tournaments, and if you just want to play some fun club chukkers, Fox Den [Farm] has that on Tuesday and Thursday nights. The indoor season is such a great tool for any of our new
players. They get a real handle on the game before they get out on the grass. But it’s more casual, it’s more friendly and social. We are hopefully appealing to the demands of what everyone wants.” The club’s best kept secret however, and the key to its decades-long success, boils down to its history of successful youth programs. “We have such a huge influx of young players,” exclaimed White, “which is really helping our club sustain year after year; the young players are coming in and becoming the really good players, and this is happening as older players are stepping back a little bit—we’ve got that regeneration.” Spanning three decades, the club boasts a remarkable eight National Interscholastic Championships (1977, 1979, 1984, 1987, 1988, 2006-2008) and one National Intercollegiate Championship in 1980 by TPC members attending York University. In recent years, Western University in London, Ontario, began an intercollegiate team consisting entirely of Toronto Polo Club members. During 2016, in only its second year, it reached the semifinals of the National Intercollegiate Championship. Last year, Toronto Polo Club’s women’s interscholastic team qualified for the
The Alliston facilities are one of three available to the club. The venue has three outdoor fields, and holds games on weekends followed by a traditional Argentine asado.
ELIZABETH HEDLEY
Toronto’s Evan White Jr. celebrates a win in the 2015 NYTS Championship.
The club’s Polo for Heart event has raised $6 million for heart- and stroke-related charities over the past 38 years. Mich Ward and Andrew Begg, above, competed in the 2017 event.
Ryan Roy, left, and Annabel Begg, right, battle for possession during the Polo for Cure women’s charity event. The event, now in its 12th year, raises money for breast cancer.
2017 Girls’ National Interscholastic Championship. Its youthful prowess does not solely exist in the arena however. “Toronto [Polo Club] has been a huge NYTS program supporter and has produced an impressive crop of youth polo players,” said Amanda Snow, USPA Polo Development, LLC director of player development. Avid participants, TPC has hosted a qualifying event every year since the program’s inception and has been the sole source of Canadian representatives for almost every NYTS Championship for the Cecil Smith Cup. A combination of extensive facilities and an emphasis on cooperation has allowed Toronto Polo Club to mature into a dynamic club, rivaling many active member clubs in the United States. “Diversity is what makes it really interesting for me. We share a common bond and love of the horse and love and respect of the game,” said Sifton. Its commitment to the development of young players and the recent resurgence of its intercollegiate and interscholastic programs prove youth is the key to sustainability. To learn more about Toronto Polo Club, please visit its website at www.torontopoloclub.com and follow it on Facebook and Instagram (@torontopoloclub). POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 11
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SHIFT RIGHT ne of the most difficult tasks for a developing amateur is marking a more experienced player without being drawn into a foul. A common play situation resulting in a whistle is when a player comes in from the right (on the nearside) to defend a player carrying the ball on the offside. In this situation, the player with the ball is often on the left side of the field, advancing toward the goal she is attempting to score on. The opponent comes in from the right, hoping to either hook the player or ride her off, taking away her shot. The player with the ball will either try to get the defender to foul by coming across the line of the ball or drop in behind him while taking the ball to the right side of the field, now with the opponent on her nearside and the ball protected on her offside. Avoid being drawn in If you are the player coming from the right to try to hook or ride off an opponent carrying the ball down field on the offside, be careful not to get drawn into a foul. As you move to the player, she may speed up or check (or both) to try to get you to commit to the ride off or a hook. Then, as you make your move, she can quickly check up, causing you to slide across the line in front of her. The umpire blows the whistle and the ball is advanced down field for the appropriate foul shot. It is helpful to keep an eye on your opponent’s rein hand to see if she moves it forward to accelerate or pulls to check. Listen as well since an accelerating horse can easily be heard when you are in close proximity. Sometimes craftier players may even 12 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
SHELLEY HEATLEY
Marking your man without drawing an umpire’s whistle
When a defender comes in from the right side of the opponent on the ball, the opponent may try to accelerate to pull away or check to get behind the opponent.
fabricate the play a bit. They try to make it look like you are over the line by angling their horses toward you and look for the foul when you actually may be on your own side. Even though I am aware that fabricating is real, more often than not, it is more of a riding error as players tend to cross the line of the ball when attempting to hook or make a play on the ball. Experienced umpires are taught to spot the line of the ball as well as the positioning of the players when making the call. If they are spotting the ball, fabricating is seen for what it is. More often than not, the problem is a combination of a lack of riding skill and anticipation. A very helpful drill is to practice reaching out for a hook off the nearside of your horse while you circle your horse to the right (away from the side you are leaning out on) at a gallop. This exercise is not as easy as it may sound. The difficulty of reaching to the left with your mallet while holding your horse right may be one of the most common riding weaknesses. Many players lean in the
direction they are reaching out to and often pull the reins in that direction too. Learn to counterbalance by holding the horse right while reaching left, using both the reins and lower leg to cue the horse right. You can even shift your hips away from the left side as you are leaning out. Being able to work a horse laterally is important so a couple of riding lessons might really help you improve. Defending when ball is behind you When you approach from the right to defend an opponent carrying the ball on her offside, you are on the side you want to be, her stick side. You have the option of hooking if she is in the act of swinging or riding-off if the ball is further in front. All seems good and then she checks and crosses behind you with the ball, putting you on her nearside as she continues with the ball down the field. In a couple of moves, you got faked, have lost the stickside advantage and are left with only a ride-off option. The fix is again a combination of riding skill and anticipation, but I will add
an emphasis on placement. Your positioning with respect to your opponent is the key. This is where it becomes very much a riding skill issue, especially in that you can often be trying to mark someone with more experience. When trying to win a ride-off, you want your leg a little ahead of your opponent’s. So, when you come in to defend, you are usually a little bit ahead of your opponent with your horse. It is this positioning that allows an opponent with the proper ball handling skills to easily cut across behind you with the ball and get to her preferred side of you. As a defender, decide if your preference is to remain on her stick side or win the ride-off. If you want to stay on her stick side, make sure to stay alongside but allow her to be a half stride ahead of you, so you are blocking her from cutting around behind
you. The danger of this strategy is that if she has more speed in her pony, she can accelerate and you will lose the play. If the ride-off is more important, stay a half stride ahead of her, but then it will be easier for her to cross behind you. If she crosses behind you, get back to her, to execute a ride-off on her nearside. You will no longer be on her stick side, but you still have an opportunity for a rideoff. Going around behind her to get back on her offside is not a very effective strategy, as she will likely take off when she sees you doing so. There may be some play situations when encouraging the other player to run or hit away is a good strategy even if you are not able to make a play. These situations may include the condition of the field, the opponent’s ability to hit on the run or the positioning of your teammates.
Caution I have mentioned cutting behind another player several times. Always be aware of the players behind you when you pull up and cross behind an opponent. You could cause a dangerous situation if there are players running close behind who don’t have enough time to stop for you. Secondly, be careful not to cut too close across the hindquarters of the horse in front of you as the front legs of your horse could get tangled with the back legs of your opponent’s horse, causing one or both to fall. Both of these situations are fouls and potentially very dangerous. Tom Goodspeed is a renowned polo instructor, coach and horse trainer. He achieved a 5-goal handicap outdoors and 9 in the arena. He can be reached at polotom@usapolo.com.
THIS INDEPENDENCE DAY
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#LIVEAUTHENTICALLY POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 13
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LIVING WITH PELE
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millennium or two ago, when (according to legend) the great Polynesian explorers discovered the island of Hawaii and made landfall on Ka Lae, its southernmost point, they soon came to the conclusion that they had found the home of Pelehonuamea (Pele for short), their goddess of fire, lightning, and wind. Ascending the 4000-foot shield volcano they would have had no doubts that the enormous caldera at the summit was the very Caldron of Pele. Active then as now, the petulant goddess continues to dominate the mindset of Hawaiians in psychological, mythical and real terms. Deny it if you want to (but ignore her wrath at your peril). Kilauea, bearer of the title “Earth’s Most Active Volcano,” has been erupting nearly continuously since 1983 and has caused considerable property damage in the region, including the destruction of the village of Kalapana in 1990. On May 3 of this year, several lava vents opened in the lower Puna area, below the summit. This new volcanic episode was accompanied by strong earthquakes as some 2,000 residents were evacuated from both Leilani Estates, the adjacent Lanipuna Gardens subdivision and Kapoho Bay where the eruption has since destroyed hundreds of houses and other structures—and the number is growing. On May 17, at 4:17 a.m., the volcano explosively erupted, throwing ash tens of thousands of feet into the atmosphere. Increasingly fast lava flows have reached the Pacific Ocean in three places, forming clouds of “laze,” a toxic cloud mix of lava and haze containing tiny particles of hydrochloric acid and volcanic glass. This—and “vog” (sulphuric
14 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
HARRY DURGIN
Animal owners are being chased out of their homes by molten lava
This horse’s owner, a 17-year-old girl, and her family live upwind and uphill of Fissure 17, the lava fountain seen in the background. The trade winds steadily blew the lava fumes away from the farm but when that changed, the family evacuated with its livestock. Sadly, the property is now completely surrounded by lava and the family will not be able to return.
acid-laced smoke mixed with fog)— threaten animal and human health in the immediate area and even many thousands of miles away, as this nasty stuff soon reached the Marshall Islands where residents have been warned to stay indoors until it dissipates.
In addition to the human toll the activity also threatens horses, cattle and other animals. Nearly 2,000 cattle have been evacuated from the Kilauea rift zone according to veterinarian Tim Richards, who is a District 9 council member in Hawaii County where he
While players at the Mauna Kea Polo Club are used to fog, they are now dealing with vog, a form of air pollution resulting from volcanic gases reacting with oxygen and moisture.
from the Big Island club, lives closer to the action and has been busy with her truck and trailer evacuating horses, cattle and other livestock from the chaotic KRIS LOCKARD PHOTOGRAPHY
serves on the Committee for Agriculture, Water, and Energy Sustainability and is vice-chair of the Committee on Environmental Management. This massive rescue effort has been coordinated and supported by the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, Hawaii Farmers United, Parker Ranch, local livestock truckers, and many private landowners and volunteers. “This volcano has been going on forever,” says Richards, “but in the last few days it has really ramped up and that is a concern. We just don’t know how it will turn out. Right now we have about 2,000 people displaced. We don’t have housing for them so they are camping in parks and relief shelters. This has been going on for a month now and people are really getting burned out. In addition to the hot lava, gas emissions are a danger. Clouds eddy back and reach distant parts of the island.” Residents of the northern area of the island as far away as Kamuela have certainly noticed the nose-stinging effects of the volcanic fumes as they watch the towering pillars of ash, smoke and gas rising from the southeast. Jed Ednie, president of the Mauna Kea Polo Club, and Ashley Brooke, two of more than 40 active members there, both report the vog is awful. Susan Regeimbal, another avid poloist
Polo player Susan Regeimbal and other volunteers from Hawaii Lave Flow Animal Rescue Network have been busy evacuating horses, cattle and other animals. Complicating matters is the lack of cell communication.
scene. “There were animals on the roads just walking around, and people knowing it was their last day [to get out] just opened their gates so at least the animals might have an opportunity to run and stay ahead of [the lava]. Goats, pigs, chickens, everything, all traumatized. There is no cell communication left so you can’t tell people to come to [rescue points]. It’s very sad. We’re a rescue network, all volunteer. Some are living in their cars, their homes buried, helping others. Nobody’s getting paid a red cent for anything they’re doing. Check out Hawaii Lava Flow Animal Rescue Network on Facebook to see what’s going on.” The University of Hawaii at Hilo is currently organizing the evacuation of horses to its Agriculture Department barn. They have sheltered a couple of dozen so far and are preparing to receive more, as well as cattle, goats, and poultry. According to department spokesperson Liisa Tsutsumi, other private landowners are also helping out. “[The situation] does change from day to day. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to get any better at this point.” As for the laze and vog, “... if anything it’s going to start spreading. In that case we may end up with more animals. We are just doing the best we can and people feel better that we’re taking care of [their animals].” The threat is not just a problem for horse owners and cattle ranchers but also residents with small backyard menageries, of which there are many. Gloria Jean Schoonover lives in the rural village of Mountain View—too close for comfort at the present moment. “We don’t have horses but, goats, chickens and cats. We’re lucky to be away from the actual lava flows [but we] feel the quakes. I don’t like this at all. It seems to be getting worse instead of better. [But] hopefully it will get better.” No one really knows where this event is going to take them but Hawaiians have long learned to accept—with as much equanimity as they can manage—the moods of Pele. She who shapes the sacred land. POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 15
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BY STEPHANIE MASSEY COLBURN
EQUINE 911 When to call the vet: recognizing emergencies with your horses
G
oing through my polo career, especially going through the interscholastic and intercollegiate programs, I can remember appreciating the importance of keeping our horses happy and healthy so that we would have more horses to play more chukkers on! We always wanted to take the best possible care of our horses, but unfortunately, we did have to work within a budget. Not spending money fruitlessly and trying to save as much money as possible were our goals so we would take care of as many problems as we could on our own to help save money. One of our main struggles was determining when to call the vet or rather how bad was it or was it something we could handle? I cringe a bit on the inside as a veterinarian now reading my own words, so I would like to turn this point into an article of discussion. Veterinarians appreciate those clients that can recognize a true emergency situation at their barn and those able to recognize a potential problem in which immediate medical attention is needed and granted. Otherwise, an initially minor problem with a simple solution snowballs out of control into a problem that can have both a detrimental outcome for your equine counterpart and your pocketbook. Unfortunately, I do not have the time or space to cover the scope of every emergency scenario, but have included some of the more common emergencies. At the first signs of something not right, check your horse’s vital signs. Always keep a thermometer handy, so if you dont’ have one, get one. In order to truly be able to recognize things out of 16 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Normal Vita Parameters Heart Rate (HR): Between 28-48 beats per minutes (bpm) Respiratory Rate (RR): Between 12-24 breaths per minute (brpm) Temperature: 99.0-101.5 F Mucus Membranes: Pink, moist; Capillary Refill Time (CRT) <2 seconds Gastrointestinal Borborygmic (the noises of the GI system) should be present in all abdominal quadrants Digital pulses should be mild in all four limbs the ordinary with each of your horses, it is helpful to know normal vital parameters, as each horse could be slightly different. If you have questions about any of the vital parameters or how to obtain them, clarify with your veterinarian. Educating your horses’ caretakers will allow potential problems to be recognized in the acute stages. Colic Colic is the first emergency situation to be on the look-out for with your horses. Colic is a term used to describe abdominal discomfort and can be used
Continued rolling can be a sign of abdominal discomfort
when you see your equid displaying any of the following signs; flank watching, the Flehmen response (quivering upper lip), laying down for long periods, inappetence, restlessness, pacing the stall, kicking at their abdomen with their hind feet, getting up and down or rolling. The first step in diagnosing a colicing horse is noticing any one or all of these abnormal symptoms. When you notice these signs, pull all feed from your horse’s stall and notify your veterinarian. As horse owners we want to know why our horses colic and what we can do to prevent this from happening. In order to
know how to prevent colic, one must first understand there are many inciting factors that can cause painful colic-like signs in your horse. Some reasons are not even gastrointestinal in origin! This is why colic should be treated as an emergency and why it is important to have a veterinarian evaluate your horse. As a horse owner, knowing how your horse handles its pain is also important. Is your horse a “princess with a pea” or an extremely stoic creature? Being able to provide a good history and answers to a few simple questions for your veterinarian makes you a great resource (what has your horse been eating, any medications administered, daily habits, any changes in feed, what is the normal demeanor of your horse, manure output, is the horse insured, would surgery be an option for the horse?).
There are a multitude of reasons why a horse colics, many of which can be caused from the horse’s gastrointestinal system. Your horse could have an impaction, which does not allow feed material to move through the intestine; in areas with a lot of sand, like Florida, sand colic is a major issue; the intestine can also displace, twist or flip on itself (volvulus) causing strangulations, which cut off normal blood flow circulation. The intestine can also have ileus or dysmotility where the food is unable to move through the GI tract because the normal peristalsis of the gut is not pushing the food forward. Ulcers, in both the stomach and hindgut, can also be a culprit of colic likesigns. The stress many of our polo ponies are under with constant travel and confinement, rigorous game schedules,
restricted feed intake, and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Bute and Banamine) all can contribute to causing ulcers in our mounts. Other ailments can also cause abdominal discomfort including, but not limited to, bladder stones, a ruptured spleen, colitis (diarrhea), parasitism, tying up, pleurisy (problems within the thoracic cavity), and diaphragmatic hernia (intestine going into the thoracic cavity from the abdomen via a tear in the diaphragm). Many veterinarians prefer to see and evaluate a horse colicing that has not been given any medications that could potentially mask its colic symptoms prior to the veterinarian’s arrival. Administering an appropriate dose of Banamine should not mask a severe colic (continued on page 58)
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POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 17
POLO SCENE N E W S
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Q U O T E S
CELEBRATION OF THE HORSE
Event brings together several equestrian disciplines
THE DENVER POLO CLUB in Littleton, Colorado, kicked off its season June 1-3 with its annual Celebration of the Horse,
an event that brings the Colorado equestrian community together for a three-day, fun-filled weekend with grand prix show jumping, polo and a PBR rodeo.
The club partnered with College Track to give guests a crash course in polo.
LAUREN BIDDLE
LAUREN BIDDLE
The event also honored Littleton Equine Medical Center’s Dr. Marvin Beeman, an internationally recognized innovater and educator in the equestrian world, his career marked by publications, presentations and honors worldwide. A former 3-goal player, he also fox hunts with the Arapahoe Hunt Club and enjoys trail riding. “We are excited to have top professionals from each discipline under one roof for a weekend where everyone can let their hair down before the competitive summer season starts. It’s like having the NFL, NHL and NBA under one roof,” said club owner Erica Gandomcar. After the big weekend, field-side guests were invited back to the polo club for The Ultimate Polo Experience. Partnering with College Track, a non-profit organization that empowers students from underserved communities to graduate from college, the club gave guests the opportunity to hit the polo ball, ride a horse, watch competitive polo and tailgate and get a crash course in polo from one of the club’s fantastic polo pros, Mark Wates.
LAUREN BIDDLE
LAUREN BIDDLE
The club’s polo arena was transformed into a bucking arena for the rodeo events.
Dr. Marvin Beeman was honored at the event.
18 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Riders competed in a grand prix as part of the Celebration of the Horse.
PRIDE OF THE PRAIRIE
Annual polo match breaks records, tops $6.8 million raised.
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OR MORE THAN THREE DECADES, West Texans have match. MD Anderson’s chief financial officer, Ben Melson, and gathered at the Musselman Brothers Lazy 3 Ranch in Albany, cancer survivors Ed and Judy Compton shared brief remarks at Texas for an event you can’t find anywhere else—Polo on the the trophy presentation before congratulating each player with Prairie. A dusty gravel road off of Highway 237 will take you five miles back to a picturesque Bermuda-green polo field set in the middle of the rough and tumble prairie. Henry Musselman, an MD Anderson Board of Visitors member, and his family created the event in 1986. Over the past 32 years, they’ve welcomed tens of thousands of West Texans to join in their mission to end cancer, raising millions of The players and umpires make their way onto the field for the spirited match. dollars in the process. “Polo is tradition for us,” said Musselman. “I’m proud to look back on our 30-plus year a handshake and an award. Guests then enjoyed a chuck legacy and see all who have joined us to help MD Anderson’s wagon-style barbecue dinner, courtesy of Joe Allen’s Pit Bar-Bphenomenal researchers and clinicians get one step closer to Que of Abilene. A private concert from Grammy Awardending cancer.” winning country music star Ryan Bingham kept guests twoNearly 1,000 people turned out to watch Sewell Ford (Collin stepping on the dance floor long into the evening. Sewell, Ulysses Escapite, Loreto Natividad, Vaughn Miller Jr.) This year’s event raised more than $619,000 bringing Polo beat the Legacy Polo team (Kyle McGraw, Mitch Horne, on the Prairie’s year-to-date fundraising total to more than Ernesto Natividad, Pelon Escapite), 8-6, in the annual polo $6.8 million. Cody Goetz arrived in Midland by supersonic jet. He later was named
Grammy Award-winning country music star Ryan Bingham performed a private concert for guests.
The evening was topped off with a colorful fireworks display.
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 19
BOB MANZANO
GAME, SET, MATCH
Couple meets, weds at polo club
ON SATURDAY, APRIL 14, Jade Crabtree and Chris Jones
tied the knot at Crabtree’s family’s Prestonwood Polo Club in Oak Point, Texas. Crabtree is the daughter of Dena Miller and stepdaughter of Vaughn Miller. Jones, the son of Ralph and Lynette Jones, is a Marine who competes in military polo matches all over the country. Jones is also a regular at the Prestonwood Polo Club where he reconnected with Crabtree. The two attended the local Hebron High School together, but never dated. Years later they ran into each other at the club, and magic happened. Dena Miller said, “Two polo families joined in a perfect and beautiful way.” After the wedding, Jones and groomsman and new brother-in-law Vaughn Miller Jr. couldn’t resist saddling up some ponies to stick and ball in their wedding suits!
Mr. and Mrs. Jones
CITY SLICKERS
Arena polo match played in the heart of Vancouver
POLO CAME TO VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 20,
when Thunderbird Show Park partnered with Vancouver Polo Club to bring equestrian sport to downtown Vancouver, with skyscrapers as a backdrop. The event attracted 4,000 spectators. The 90- x 175-foot arena was set up in a parking lot in Larwill Park, just east of Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Five
hundred tons of exquisite footing was trucked in to accommodate a grand prix and the polo match. The event was a precursor to the Longines FEI Nations Cup set for June 3 at the Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, British Columbia, as well as the Vancouver Polo Club season. A VIP area, food trucks and beer garden were set up along the arena, complete with a jumbotron. Pony rides were also available for the younger spectators. In the match, George Dill Polo (Paul Sullivan, Jay Garnett, Dean Medwid) took on Vancouver Polo Club (Grant Lockhart, Ralph Benson Hurlbutt, Claudia Tornquist) with Vancouver getting the 9-8 edge. After the polo match, 19 top riders from Canada, USA, Ireland, Israel and Netherlands competed in the 1.40m Invitational Grand Prix. The event was capped off with an official afterparty at the Opus Hotel in Yaletown.
Grant Lockhart greets the fans after Vancouver’s win.
20 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
HAWAII POLO LIFE
Hundreds treated to world-class polo on Oahuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s North Shore
THE HAWAII POLO CLUB, in Mokuleia, Hawaii, held The Hawaii Polo Life Spring Invitational, May 6. The 18-goal match
was the highest-rated polo to be played at the club in 30 years. The match pitted HPL Black (Luis Escobar, Chris Dawson, Roberto Zedda, Jeff Hall) against HPL White (Patrick Uretz, Devon Dailey, Mariano Gracida, Matias Torres Zavaleta) in an exciting match. Dawson traded goals with Zavaleta in the first chukker to knot the score 1-1. White took a 3-2 advantage after the second but Black rebounded to finish the first half on top 6-4. Emcees Kaiki Ragragola, Jobeth Devera and Scotty B welcomed hundreds of guest to divot stop to remixed disco grooves by DJ Toma. In addition, polo player Noelani Picollo and friends gave a drill performance and Cos Acro showed off acrobatic moves. Hall extended Blacks lead to 8-4 in the fourth. The fifth and final chukker had Zavaleta narrowing the gap with Polo player Noelani Picollo and friends performed drills during halftime. back-to-back goals but Hall responded in-kind to give Black the 10-6 victory. After the match, top Billboard reggae recording artist and North Shore native Landon McNamara entertained the crowd with a high-energy, oceanfront concert. u
Welcome! Nine new members selected for program The United States Polo Association established Team USPA in 2009 to grow and sustain the sport of polo by identifying talented young American players and providing opportunities to grow their abilities.
Nine new members were selected to join the Team USPA program after the final stage of 2018 tryouts were held in Aiken, South Carolina, May 18-20. New members include Molly Agee, Lucas Arellano, Lauren Biddle, Mia Bray, Tony Calle, Justin Daniels, Grant Ganzi, Jake Klentner, and Sloan Stefanakis. The players spent three days immersed in polo and related activities on Langdon Road, home to Adam Snow’s New Haven Farm and Owen Rinehart’s Isinya Farm. Snow and Rinehart, both Hall of Famers and former 10-goalers, have been mentoring Team USPA members for several years. “It was fun to see the kids interacting in this more rural environment. Whether it was running around the farm in their training session with [fitness trainer] Alex [Moraes], cooling-off in the pond after polo, or touring Isinya’s active breeding operation,” said Adam Snow. “I am
hopeful that life on Langdon Road served to enhance their connections to each other, as well as to the sport. They experienced first-hand how Aiken’s sandy soil usually allows us to play polo safely, even with lots of rain. Fortunately, the skies cleared long enough to allow for two good, fast practices with coaching provided by Owen Rinehart, Carlucho Arellano, Julian Daniels, and myself. USPA CEO Bob Puetz was in attendance and welcomed the incoming class of nine Team USPA members,” Snow continued. “We were grateful to host this year’s Team USPA tryouts at Adam and Owen’s facilities in Aiken,” said Puetz. “It was wonderful to have the group stay in Adam’s pond house and watch them bond together as a team over the weekend. To have three strong and talented women in the program gives me confidence that women’s participation in our sport is growing and is valued.
“This was an assembly of experienced participants who have played at all levels of polo ranging from intercollegiate to high-goal, and each player had different needs and interests. This gathering, and the education and mentoring it provided, gave the USPA an opportunity to determine how to best help each individual with [his or her] own personal goals both on and off the field. I am pleased to welcome the newest players to the Team USPA program, and look forward to watching these young Americans grow and develop within the sport.” Snow, co-chair of Team USPA, facilitated two fast practices with the new members and mentors Rinehart, Julian Daniels and USPA Director of Services, Carlucho Arellano. Snow and Rinehart instituted a “three-touch” rule, forcing the players to think about their next plays before arriving to the ball, thus
Molly Agee, A-rated Women’s Handicap: 5
Lucas Arellano, 2 goals
Lauren Biddle, .5 goals Women’s Handicap: 4
22 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Mia Bray, .5 goals Women’s Handicap: 4
Tony Calle, 3 goals
Justin Daniels, 2 goals
quickening the pace of the game. “I’ve learned a lot about positioning, not to change my swing, but to position myself before I hit the ball,” said Grant Ganzi. “A lot of what Adam and Owen were going over with me were backshots, which have been tough for me. I had worked with Mike Azzaro on my backshots earlier this year and that had helped too. It is interesting to hear different takes from different polo legends. There is no better advice I could get than from the top Americans who have ever played the game.” In addition to two practices, the players worked with Snow and Rinehart on the USPA Polo Development, LLC riding pattern designed to test all aspects of riding used in a match. Each player’s swing was also filmed and reviewed. Aside from their time in the saddle, new members toured the Isinya Farm’s breeding operation with farm manager Beth Skolnik, seeing several famous polo stallions, mares and babies scattered throughout meticulously kept green pastures. Later, Dr. Shelley Onderdonk discussed the importance of equine nutrition and maintenance for polo horses. She compared several theories on best practices and took time to answer individual questions posed by the players. “Team USPA tryouts taught me a lot about myself, and my passions and about what I want to pursue,” said Agee. “Hearing about all of the breeding and training techniques has made me realize that it is something that I want to pursue. Training my own horses is something I am very interested in and I learned a lot about it this weekend.” With the popularity of Instagram, Facebook and social media platforms prevalent in today’s society, the USPA communications team worked with the group to discuss personal branding, messaging and tips for live interviews. As an exercise, each player was filmed giving a cold interview then was able to review the footage with the group to see what areas needed improvement. Moraes rounded out the weekend with two polo specific workouts, a pre-game stretch routine and a discussion on nutrition.
Grant Ganzi, 2 goals
Jake Klentner, 1.5 goals
Sloan Stefanakis, 1.5 goals
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 23
Double trouble Texas A&M tops both men’s and women’s divisions PHOTOS BY JIM BREMNER/JFBPHOTOS.COM
Texas A&M’s Fritz Felhaber, Christian Aycinena, Mariano Silva, Gideon Kotkowski, coach Mike McCleary, Marissa Wells, Kendall Plank, Ally Vaughn and Courtney Price
I
t was a historic moment in intercollegiate competition as Texas A&M University’s men’s and women’s teams brought home titles at the National Intercollegiate Championship finals, sponsored by U.S. Polo Assn., on Saturday, April 7, at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in Carpinteria, California. The feat has only been accomplished by two teams: UCDavis (’78, ’81, ’82, ’83) and UVA (’93). In the women’s final, Texas A&M easily rode away with the 14-5 win over University of Virginia, garnering its third national title after a 23-year dry spell. The men’s final proved a bitter battle until the last, with TAMU men fighting back in the fourth chukker to tie the score. A powerhouse since the early 1990s, TAMU pulled off the win after six grueling rounds of penalty shootouts, dashing Southern Methodist University’s national title hopes for a
24 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
second year in a row. Ten USPA Intercollegiate teams from across the country and Canada traveled to the West Coast for their chance at a national title. The four regional winners from both the men’s and women’s divisions (Northeastern—Cornell University; Southeastern—University of Virginia; Central—Texas A&M University; Western—California Polytechnic State University) were joined by two men’s wildcard recipients: Western Ontario and Southern Methodist University.
Men’s Division
The intercollegiate men’s division began with the two wild card teams squaring off in a quarter final. The game came down to the wire with SMU securing its bid into the semi-finals with a 10-8 win over Western. The second men’s quarter-final pitted TAMU against Cal Poly. TAMU rode into the second
semi-final with a decisive 24-3 win. In the men’s semi-final round, SMU faced off against Cornell. From the onset, game play was choppy as both teams struggled to keep the ball in play long enough to move down the arena. Utilizing the wall to its advantage, SMU picked up back-to-back goals in the first chukker, but Cornell countered with an impressive backshot to goal by Ryan Saul. SMU focused defensively on powerful Cornell forward Lorenzo Masias, allowing Jake Klentner to maneuver through the arena, opening opportunities for his teammates to score. SMU benefitted from a mistake by Cornell that sent the ball through its own goal near the end of the second chukker, giving SMU a slight 6-4 lead headed into halftime. “Lorenzo [Masias] is such a tough player that we thought it best to dedicate one man to him,” JT Shiverick said. “The
first two chukkers Jake Klentner was on him and in the second half we had Michael Armour come in fresh because it’s a really tough job.” Displaying an unstoppable intensity in the third, SMU erupted with a series of well-strategized goals from Shiverick and Armour. Aggressive and active in every play, Shiverick skillfully moved the ball down the arena using the walls for protection, escorting the ball to goal. Riding a wave of momentum, SMU quickly doubled up the scoreboard 12-6. Moving into the final chukker Cornell needed to act fast. As the pressure rose, penalties began to increase on both sides, inviting the opportunity for Masias to capitalize twice from the penalty line. Continuing its offensive onslaught, SMU’s Ramon de la Torre picked up his third goal of the game. Assisted by his team, Shiverick had time to add one final goal, ending the game 14-9 in favor of SMU. Disciplined in the first chukker, TAMU got off to a powerful start against
Men’s All-Stars were Texas A&M’s Mariano Silva, SMU’s JT Shiverick, Cornell’s Lorenzo Masias and Texas A&M’s Christian Aycinena.
UVA in the second men’s semi-final with four unanswered goals. Focused on going
to the man first and then taking possession of the ball, TAMU prevented
TAMU’s Mariano Silva chases after SMU’s Jake Klentner in the men’s NIC final.
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 25
Texas A&M Christian Aycinena Fritz Felhaber Gideon Kotkowski Mariano Silva Southern Methodist University Michael Armour Jed Cogan Barrett Coke Ramon de la Torre Jacob Klentner Nicholas Salnikoff James Shiverick University of Virginia Ali Mobtaker Merrall Echezarreta Kamran Pirasteh Antonio Mendes de Almeida Cornell Lorenzo Masias Morgan Palacios Ryan Saul Daniel Shaw Cal Poly Theo Anastos Sayge Ellington Stone Rush Western Ontario Kingsley Ward Evan White Andrew Begg CJ Sifton Mich Ward
SMU’s JT Shiverick and TAMU’s Christian Aycinena battle in the men’s final. Both Shiverick and Aycinena were later named All-Stars.
UVA from making any successful shots on goal until the second. “We strategized to play simple, stay with the man and try to win the throwins,” Christian Aycinena said. Breaking the silence and retaliating with an almost identical chukker, UVA reevaluated its strategy and came out just as aggressively. A true team effort, each UVA player contributed a goal in succession, Kamran Pirasteh’s second goal leveling the scoreboard 4-all going into the half. Witnessing how fast the game could shift, TAMU reorganized and returned to the game motivated to shut UVA’s 26 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
comeback down. Trading goals back and forth, TAMU accumulated five penalties, two of which Ali Mobtaker was able to convert. Narrowly retaining the lead at the end of the third, 7-6, TAMU brought every ounce of energy and skill into the final chukker. Action-packed from the first throw-in to the last, both teams went all out and repeatedly made powerful shots on goal with noticeable intensity. “I told them you have less than three minutes left to play polo and so go out there and play it like it’s the last game of your life, man-to-man first,” Texas A&M coach Mike McCleary said. “And that’s what I’ve been preaching to my team for
over 40 years now. They are taking the man first, controlling their man and then they’ll control the ball.” Consistently one goal behind, UVA battled fiercely to catch up, but Mariano Silva’s pivotal two-point shot increased the Texas A&M lead. Running out of time, UVA delivered on two additional goals, but TAMU’s offensive drive was too significant to overcome. The game ended with TAMU on top 13-11 clinching its spot in the final against SMU. Texas Shootout Making its first appearance in the NIC final last year, SMU was eager to prove its worth and found itself once again face-toface with the opportunity to make intercollegiate history by capturing its first university title. Pitted against SMU, and equally as passionate to recapture its 2016 title, the
formidable Texas A&M team took the field. Each team on a mission, sparked by more than just friendly rivalry but a valiant campaign, an exhausting game pursued between the evenly-matched squads. Ultimately, the game was decided after a demanding six rounds of overtime penalty shootouts, during which Texas A&M prevailed 13-12. Trading goals, offensive powerhouses Aycinena and Shiverick dominated first chukker play; a trend that would pervade throughout the entire match. After the first walk break, Shiverick crushed two field goals to give SMU the lead moving into the next chukker, 4-2. Not to be outdone, Aycinena countered with two of his own in the second to equalize the score 4-all. Once again, SMU would shine after the walk break by working cohesively with renewed energy, scoring three combined field goals. A goal from Aycinena kept Texas A&M in the game trailing by two to end the half 7-5. SMU continued its forward momentum, outscoring Texas A&M in the third. SMU substituted Michael Armour for Jake Klentner, widening the gap to 10-7, entering the final chukker. Feeling the pressure, Aycinena rose to the occasion, scoring the only twopointer of the game at the onset of the fourth to close-in on SMU. He was followed up nicely by Felhaber who equalized the score, 10-all. Mirroring first chukker play, Shiverick scored two consecutive goals to regain the lead, but Aycinena struck fast to bring the score within one. As time ran down, SMU coach Tom Goodspeed swapped out an injured Shiverick for Klentner. Aycinena’s quick stick scored the final equalizing goal, which forced the game into an overtime penalty shootout for the second year in a row. The teams matched goals after three rounds of penalty shootouts, sending the game into a fourth overtime penalty shootout. Both teams buckled under the influence of stress and fatigue, and the fourth round shootout proved a bust, neither team claiming a goal. The fifth round shot found Shiverick and Felhaber effectively scoring for their teams,
Danny Scheraga, left, Lou Lopez, center and Jeff Scheraga, far right, present Best String Awards to George Dill (men’s division) and student Celeste Turner for Stanford (women’s division).
however, tied once again, the match went into an unbelievable sixth round of penalties. SMU failed to capitalize on its two penalties of the round, while Mariano Silva nailed a booming shot straight to goal and Felhaber followed suit to cement the narrow 13-12 victory for Texas A&M. McCleary gave some final thoughts on the game and sage advice for players of all ages. “Both teams had some breakdowns and both teams had some really brilliant plays. It was just a matter of not giving up. You don’t quit just because you are down, you give it all you’ve got.” Men’s All-Star awards were presented to JT Shiverick (SMU), Lorenzo Masias (Cornell), Mariano Silva (Texas A&M) and the now two-time national champion Christian Aycinena (Texas A&M). Cornell’s Dan Shaw received the Connie Upchurch Award for Sportsmanship. For the second consecutive year, Jaguar, a bay gelding played by Shiverick and Aycinena in the final and owned by George Dill, was bestowed with Best
Playing Pony honors, and Best Playing String was awarded to George Dill’s String No. 1. Men’s horses were provided by Dill and Cal Poly.
Women’s Division
The first game of the women’s division belonged to Texas A&M. Knowing Cal Poly had the advantage of familiar horses, Texas A&M made a solid start from the first throw-in and established a commanding lead, which grew with every chukker. Powerful from both the penalty line and the field, highscorer Marissa Wells started off the charge, combining with Ally Vaughn and Kendall Plank for six unanswered goals by the end of the first. “We knew it was going to be competitive since Cal Poly was a home team and playing on their own horses,” Wells said. “We knew we had to go to the man hard, rotate, hit the ball well, and score goals. Margarita (owned by Stanford) was really handy in the first chukker and she allowed me to get quickly back to the ball so I scored a lot POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 27
Women’s All-Stars were UVA’s Katie Mitcham, TAMU’s Kendall Plank, UVA’s Jessica Schmitt and TAMU’s Marissa Wells.
of goals on her.” Aware of the tremendous gap, Cal Poly’s Trista Noland fought past defenders to put the first goal on the board for Cal Poly before halftime. The second half continued much like the first, as Courtney Price stepped in for Vaughn and all three Texas A&M players landed on the scoreboard. Headed into the final chukker, Wells stepped out of the arena to allow for Vaughn’s return. Cal Poly began to gain some momentum as Nolan charged to the wall and hit a backshot, followed up by a second field goal by Fiona McBride-Luman. Nolan kept the momentum going, but time was running out. Although Texas A&M went scoreless in the fourth, its substantial lead held firm, deciding the victory, 17-6. Stepping into the arena for the second semi-final as the defending champion, UVA anticipated a tough game against
Cal Poly’s Fiona McBride-Luman is outnumbered by Texas A&M’s Marissa Wells, left, Kendall Plank, center, and Courtney Price, far right.
28 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Texas A&M Kendall Plank Courtney Price Alexandra Vaughn Marissa Wells UVA Jessica Schmitt Sadie Bryant Katie Mitcham Meghan Milligan Cornell Shariah Harris Hannah Noyes Anna Ullmann Gillian Cowley Cal Poly Holly Hinnant Bridget Hobscheid Fiona McBride-Luman Trista Noland Maggie Papka Megan Wurden
historic rival Cornell and set a fast pace early on. Opening the game with a strong first chukker, UVA made every minute count, scoring five goals with each UVA member adding to the scoreboard. Countering with a single penalty conversion, Cornell was unable to defend its goal against the aggressive plays of UVA, ending the first 5-1. “I thought they put in a tremendous effort today,” UVA coach Lou Lopez commented. “For every goal that Cornell scored we came back and fired another one in their goal.” Recovering from the first period, Cornell returned with renewed intensity in the second and steadily began to make successful plays happen. A field goal from Shariah Harris was followed by two consecutive goals from Hannah Noyes, which began to propel Cornell in the right direction, yet the scoreboard stood 7-4 in favor of UVA at halftime. Penalties continued to be called on both sides in the second half as the teams battled for possession. Back and forth the goals went, UVA’s Katie Mitcham adding two to open the third. Claiming both her first goal and the first twopointer of the game, Anna Ullman kept Cornell competitive and within three headed into the final chukker, 10-7.
Texas A&M coach Mike McCleary, center, presents sportsmanship awards to Cornell’s Dan Shaw and UVA’s Sadie Bryant.
Mitcham started off the fourth once again with a goal while teammate Sadie Bryant came through with her fourth of the day, a two-point shot to seal the hardearned win, 13-8. Finals day would have a rematch of the 2017 national final, with UVA looking to defend its title. Play was powerful from the start, as both teams fought hard for control, riding Cal Poly’s quick horses. Unstoppable on offense, Texas A&M’s Marissa Wells scored four unanswered goals in the first while her teammates successfully defended UVA players, clearing the way for her. Three consecutive goals for Texas A&M, all off of Wells’ mallet, gave the Aggies a substantial lead midway through the second. After the second chukker walk break, UVA came together thanks to accurate penalty conversions by Jessica Schmitt and Sadie Bryant to end the first half, 7-2, with Texas A&M on top. Play resumed in the third with a skilled shot to goal from Texas A&M’s Ally Vaughn who effectively carried the ball on the nearside then switched to the offside to score. She was quickly followed up by Wells who made her eighth and ninth goals of the day. Despite trailing by eight goals, UVA’s spirits were not dampened. Back-to-back goals by Schmitt and Bryant helped get UVA back in the game to end the third 10-4 in favor of Texas A&M. Although UVA began to find
its groove, it was not enough to overcome Texas A&M’s offensive onslaught. The Aggies added four more goals to the tally in the fourth (two from Kendall Plank) to get all three players on the board. UVA countered with only one from Katie Mitcham before the final horn sounded to end the game, 14-5, crowning Texas A&M the 2018 National Intercollegiate Women’s Champions. The win held special significance for Plank who is graduating this year. “It means the world to me. We have been in the finals for the past two years, and we lost in the finals both years, so this is a huge moment for me.” When asked what she will miss most about college polo Plank replied, “Just being with my team, having this connection, and being able to travel and meet new players. It is so much fun and an experience that I will never forget.” Women’s All-Stars were awarded to UVA’s Katie Mitcham and Jessica Schmitt, alongside newly-minted champions Kendall Plank and Marissa Wells of Texas A&M. The Connie Upchurch Women’s Sportsmanship Award was presented to Sadie Bryant of UVA. Best Playing Pony honors were presented to Stanford University’s Margarita who was part of Stanford’s Best Playing String. Women’s horses were provided by Cal Poly, Stanford and Jeff Scheraga. POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 29
MIKE RYAN
Kelly and the Champion Factory Interscholastic coach has exemplary record By William L. Matheson
30 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
MIKE RYAN
Kelly has a deep passion for her horses, and works tirelessly caring for them. She cried tears of happiness when her Marlan Farm ponies won Best String in the Open National Interscholastic Championship and her mare, June won Best Playing Pony. This photo captured six of them.
Kelly Wells has pulled off an incredible triple in 2018: Her Maryland teams won both the Open and Girls’ Interscholastic Championships; and her daughter, Marissa, won the Women’s Intercollegiate Championship with Texas A&M. With Jack McLean and her son, Brennan Wells, having graduated, her Open team may have a hard time defending its title, but she will have an excellent shot at having a hand in three out of four again next year, and an outside shot at an unprecedented “Grand Slam.” Kelly’s championship teams took their respective titles in convincing fashion, with the girls winning their final 26-4 and the boys taking the Open title 20-11. The latter was not as close as the final score might indicate, as Maryland led 154 at the third chukker walk break and 175 at the start of the fourth before taking their foot off the accelerator just a bit. The Open team was led by seniors Brennan Wells and Jack McLean, who teamed with junior Parker Pearce for their second title in two years. Brennan and Jack will remain teammates in
college, so UVA coach Lou Lopez is looking forward to the coming season with great optimism. Considering that the Maryland high school team beat Cornell’s and UVA’s men’s teams, both of which won their regionals and qualified for the National Intercollegiate Tournament, one has to assume Brennan and Jack are ready for college-level competition. Similarly, the Maryland girls’ teams defeated several college teams as part of its preparation for the national interscholastic tournament. In fact, Wells took Brennan and the Reynolds sisters (both interscholastic players) to give the Texas A&M women’s team a prep game before nationals. “We assisted in preparing [the Texas A&M women’s team] for NIC,” Wells said. “I have been to all of Marissa’s college nationals. [I] even drove a string of Maryland horses for the college nationals at UCONN in 2016. I thought the girls’ winning margin of 22 goals had to be a record for a final, but then I noticed that Maryland had won the 2014 Girls’ Championship 38-8. That was Marissa’s junior year in high
school, and they defended their title in 2015 by a somewhat closer score of 22-7. The former was played at UCONN, and the latter at Empire Polo Club, so the size of the arena probably affected the overall goal totals. Remarkably, Marissa’s teammates in 2014 were all middle schoolers, none older than eighth grade. The Grant sisters, Maddie, Abbie, and Sophie, will almost certainly hold the record for interscholastic championships within one family, having collected 10 among them already and with only Maddie having graduated. Marissa’s Texas A&M team was similarly dominant this year, racing out to a 7-0 lead in the second chukker and cruising to a 14-4 victory. Marissa scored 11 of A&M’s goals. With Marissa on the team, A&M has made the final three years in a row, losing by two goals to Cornell in 2016 and UVA in 2017. Kelly grew up around polo in upstate New York, with her father and uncles being legends in arena polo and the horse business. Her father, Dale Chambers, and Uncle Mike both achieved 5-goal handicaps indoors, with Uncle John POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 31
MIKE RYAN
Maryland Girls’ National Interscholastic Champs Abbie Grant, Maddie Grant, Catie Stueck and Sophie Grant with coach Kelly Wells and her Open National Interscholastic Champs Parker Pearce, Wells’ son Brennan Wells and Jack McLean (Aidan Tydings is not shown).
topping out at 4. Kelly is an accomplished player in her own right, having won the 1991 Women’s Intercollegiate Championship with Cornell. Kelly
continues to get many of her best horses from her family in upstate New York. Kelly’s coaching career began in the 1997-98 school year when she took over
Kelly Wells, far left, after coaching Garrison Forest’s Cara Whelton, Melissa Riggs, Beth Supik and Annie Buck to a 1998 Open NIC victory.
32 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
the Garrison Forest polo program after Cindy Halle’s first retirement. She inherited a program that had won six straight girls’ titles, and she proceeded to
Julie Colhoun with Maryland’s Sally Nussenfeld, Lizzie Wisner, Courtney Asdourian, Kelsey Nussenfeld, coach Kelly Wells and Marissa Wells
Daughter Marissa Wells served as mascot for Kelly’s teams.
improve on that by winning the Open Interscholastic Championship with an allgirls team (in addition to taking the girls’ tournament by the score of 15-14). An allfemale team had never won the Open Interscholastic tournament, and Garrison did so by a convincing score of 20-15. The feat will likely never be duplicated, either, as all-girl teams are no longer eligible for the Open Tournament unless they choose not to play in the girls’ event. After a bit of a lull the next two years, Kelly’s Garrison team won the girls’ title again in 2001, 2002 and 2003 in tightly contested finals. Their winning margins were one, four, and two goals, respectively. Kelly left Garrison after the 2003 season, starting her own program at her home base, Marlan Farm. They made the final in their first attempt, losing narrowly to Garrison Forest, 11-9. Considering that she was drawing largely from the same talent pool in the Maryland Hunt Country north of Baltimore, fielding the second-best team in the country was quite an accomplishment. Maryland went on to win the title the next three years, running up convincing scores of 19-9, 20-10 and 17-9 in the respective final games. They lost the final by one goal in 2008 and by three in 2011, before winning again in 2012. After
losing by one goal again in 2013, they ran up the absurd margins mentioned previously in the following two years, and defeated Garrison 15-8 in 2016. The following year saw another narrow loss, as Garrison won in a shootout to send Halle into her second retirement on a high note. All in all, Kelly’s teams have won 12 titles and been runners-up five times in the past 21 years, which is remarkable to say the least. Their five losses have been by a total of eight goals, with three being the biggest deficit, while the total of their winning margins is well into triple digits at 109, an average of just over nine goals per final. Kelly works with most of her students from their first riding lesson all the way up to national championships. Alumnae of Kelly’s teams have gone on to win a remarkable 13 Women’s Intercollegiate Championships, starting with Melissa Riggs for Cornell in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Kelly Wisner and Elizabeth Rockwell led UCONN to four straight from 2005-2008, and were joined by Lizzy Wisner for the last of those. Cristina Fernandez led UVA to the 2009 title, and Courtney Asdourian did the same for University of Kentucky in 2010. Cornell took the 2011 championship with two Maryland veterans, Lizzy Wisner and Ali Hoffman. Mary Collins, Marissa’s teammate on the 2012 Girls’ Interscholastic Champion, won two titles with UVA in 2014 and 2017, joining forces with Julia Smith, who had been part of the Marlan Farm program before winning an Open Interscholastic Championship with Cowtown/Work to Ride. Marissa’s win was lucky number 13, and she has a good shot at repeating next year. Marissa will be joined by Hannah Reynolds, graduating from high school this year after moving programs to play at Marlan Farm. In addition to being champions a great deal of the time, Kelly’s players are great kids and good sports all the time. They play smart, clean, fast polo that is truly a joy to watch. Even after a heartbreaking shootout loss in the 2017 girls’ final, the Maryland players conducted themselves with dignity and grace. Kelly must be doing something right.
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Foreign friends
Interscholastic players compete in International event
S
everal American kids traveled abroad to compete in a competitive, yet friendly international junior tournament, which has been held for a quarter of a century
Bio-Bioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pedro Letelier, Sophie Grant, Juan Banchero and Vincente Reynot won first place in the B Series. Grant was later given the Fair Play Award.
34 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
The American International Polo Foundation sent five players, ages 10 to 14 years old from Maryland, California and Arizona to participate in the XXVI Campeonato Internacional de Polo Infantile (Children’s International Polo Tournament) at San Cristobal Polo Club in Santiago, Chile, Feb. 27-Mar 1. The event is recognized by the Chilean Polo Federation and has been played for the last 25 years. Kids from Chile, Argentina, Peru and the U.S. participated this year. The teams were made up of kids from all of the participating countries to promote the interaction between the kids and create a true international experience. The kids made many new friends as all of the kids were housed and fed by the families of Chilean players’ at no cost and they all had a great experience, learning the ways of their Chilean counterparts. Additionally, the American players’ airfare was funded from AIPF donations and donations to the Being The Change Polo Club of Phoenix, Arizona. The U.S. players included Trent
About AIPF “The mission of the AIPF in particular, the Foundation is organized to foster national and international amateur competition in the sport of polo, related charitable and educational activities and to conduct any and all other activities as shall from time to time be determined appropriate in connection with the foregoing as are lawful for a not-forprofit corporation organized under the Illinois General Not For Profit Corporation Act of 1986, as amended from time to time.” AIPF is not funded by USPA.
Wakefield, 10; his brother Troy, 13; and 14-year-old Bryan Burby, all from Being the Change Polo Club in Phoenix, Arizona. They were joined by 14-year-old Sophie Grant of Maryland, and 13-yearold Kylie Kufahl from San Diego, California. All of the players are on USPA interscholastic teams. They were chosen on the recommendations of their coaches based on their attitudes and playing abilities. All five of the kids represented themselves, USPA and AIPF very well! A total of 40 kids were divided into 10 teams playing in one of two divisions according to age. Awards were given for sportsmanship, fair play and best players. Kufahl played for the Calafquen team, which placed first in the older group. She played alongside Leon Bulnes, Samuel Rodriguez and Dante Castagnola. Troy Wakefield’s team, Ranco, was runner-up and Trent Wakefield’s team came in 4th. In another division, Grant’s Bio-Bio placed first while Burby’s Tolten team was runner-up in his group. Grant was also recognized with the Fair Play Award in her match.
Awards Fair Play Santiago Letelier Sebastian Bulnes Sophie Grant Franco Casali Outstanding Sportsmanship Gaspar Mena Best Foreign Player-upper group Franz Spürgin Best Foreign Player-junior group Dante Castagnola Best Chilean Player-upper group Samuel Rodriguez Best Chilean Player-junior group Pedro Letelier
Forty kids from around the world competed in the 25th edition of the Children’s International Polo Tournament.
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 35
Champion: Calafquen Leon Bulnes Samuel Rodriguez Kylie Kufahl Dante Castagnola 2nd Place: Ranco Santiago Letelier Ramón Eyzaguirre Ricardo Mihanovich Troy Wakefield 3rd Place: Panguipulli Olivia Zucchi Juan Ignacio Leon Martin Ferrari Iago Masias 4th Place Riñihue Gaspar Mena Raimundo Walker Trent Wakefield Felipe Peron Silvestre Mena C Series 1st Place: LOA Federico Martin Marcos Rivarola Juan Ignacio Peron Iñaki Campo
Franz Spürgin heads to goal. His Cacapoal team came in first place in the A Series. He was also later named Best Foreign Player in the upper-level group.
2nd Place: Puelo Kai Rammsy Estanislao Vidal Franco Casali Ignacio Tapia B Series 1st Place: Bio-Bio Pedro Letelier Vicente Reynot Juan Banchero Sophie Grant 2nd Place: Aconcagua Cristobal Huidobro Francisco Cavanagh Gines Bargallo Tarek Simon A Series 1st Place: Cacapoal Tomás Delfino Franz Spürgin Baltazar Lama Sebastian Bulnes 2nd Place: Tolten Ignacio Rivarola Diego Cozzi Francisco Achurra Bryan Burby Tomás Delfino gets a hand adjusting his stirrups on the spotted pony.
36 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
2018 Interscholastic Varsity Letter Recipients Amy Kim Emmie Golkosky Harrison Thomas ZackaryColeman** Elizabeth >HSR SRLY Gracie Brown ,SPaHIL[O [O 6^LU Nicole Jaswal* ;PќHU` H ` (YTZ[YVUN Z V N Cassidy Wood Taylor Olcott Charles Walker *OHYSPaL )PZVNUP Cory Williams* Ford Middendorf (UN\Z 4PKKSL[VU Aliah Debejian* Antoinette Miller Nick Paciorek Drew Kessler Freida Witmer* 1HZTPUL <TYPNHY 2\Y[ Y[ 4PVU Vlad Tarashansky Tori Mast =PJ[VYPH :\ZZ (\IYL` 4J=HUL` (IPNH`SL 4J=HUL` Zachary Wallace Caroline Mooney ,SPaHIL[O 3L\KLZKVYќ John Dencker** 4H[[LV *OH\_
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[V^U Winston Painter .HYK YKULY[V ^U Valentino* Nicholas DiV .HYK YKULY[V ^U [V^U [V^U Joe Post** .HYK YKULY[V ^U -VYL Elizabeth Bennett* .HYYPYPZVU -V YLZ[ .HYYPZ -VYL Kaylin Bender YPZVU -V YLZ[ /PSSZ ,TTH :IYHNPH SSZPKL Sydney Weise /PSSZ SSZPKL /V\Z[VU *HY[ Y[LY 5P_ /V\Z[VU Cara Kennedy Joanie Jackson /V\Z[VU /V /V .YHJL 4\KYH /V\Z[VU Grayson Price /V\Z[VU /V KL 1VHX\PU 4HY[PU 7LYLa 3HRLZPKL 3HRLZPKL +HZJOSL +\UUL KL KL David Kral* 3HRLZPKL KL Zoey Newton 3HRLZPKL Drew Hobscheid* 3HRLZPKL KL 3HRLZPKL KL 7HPNL 2\MHOS Franchesca Johannsen 3HRLZPK PKL 4HY` *H[PL :[\LJR Y`SHUK Grace Beck 4HY` Y`SHUK Abbie Grant 4HY` Y`SHUK 4HY` (PKHU ; ;``KPUNZ Y`SHUK Jack McLean** 4HY` 4H YY```SSHUK McLean 4HY` Y`SHUK 4HKLS`U )S\T Bre ennan Wells* 4HY` Y`SHUK Sophie Grant 4HY` Y`SHUK MaddieGrant* 4HY` Y`SHUK Parker Pearrce* 4HY` Y`SHUK Maui 3H\YH *VÅPU Alana Benz Maui Maui :\UU` +PSSLY
Maya Miller Avery Evans* April Galindo* 4HKPZVU 3HUNL Reed Miller* Grace Gro otnik* James Grayken Chloe Irvine* 4H_PTPSSPHU 4LOT Skyler Dale* Ian Schnoebelen David Werntz* 5PRSH\Z -LSOHILY Johann Felhaber Vance Miller III** Kiya Gerre .LVYNPH :[VUL 9V^HU 5LPKPUNLY Anne Ebersold*** Claire Kennedy Natalie Clark Rachel Booth 3H\YLU =PJ[VYPH 9HWW Hardie** rrd die** Pelham Pel ham Har )LU UQHTPU :\SSP]HU Sarrah Lynch Lynch 3V\ \PZH /\ILY Marc Harris* y Palacios* Taylor Noah ah Fioravanti* Clair aire Wieser** +PN]PQH` :PUNO
Passion. Ded dication. Excellence.
Maui 4PK PKSH SHUK SHUK 4PK PKSH 4PK PKSH SHUK 4`VWPH 4`VWPH 4`VWPH 4`VWPH 4`VWPH 7V^H` 7V^H` 7YLZ[VU^V ^VVK 7YLZ[VU^V ^VVK 7YLZ[VU^V ^VVK 7YLZ[VU^V ^VVK 9VZL City :HU (U[VUPV PV PV :HU (U[VUPV :PTZI\Y` :V\[O [O )H` :V\[O [O )H` =PYN YNPPU UPH 1YZ =PYN YNPPU UPH 1YZ OVYL >LZ[ : :OVYL :O OVYL YL >LZ[ : >LZ[ : :O OVYL YL :O OVYL YL >LZ[ : V 9PK >VYR YR [[V PKL Yale Yale Yale Yale
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COACHING POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 37
Free & Easy Six tips for marketing your polo club By Elizabeth Hedley
G
etting the word out about your polo club can be difficult, but there are some simple things you can do to help bring in the crowds
Detroit Polo Club saw an increase in spectators after joining the local Chamber of Commerce.
Marketing. Now there’s a big word. Webster’s dictionary defines it as the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising. Um. Ok. Should you — and your polo club — be doing that? Yes is the answer to that question. And when it comes to who should be doing it, I see two options: hire an expert or do it yourself. I get the impression those reading this article would choose doing it themselves. I know I would. So, to all you DIY folks out there, here are six free and easy marketing tips when it comes to navigating the open waters of marketing your polo club. 38 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
TIP #1 Be Authentic In order to draw attention to your club, grow a following and increase business through marketing and social media. I first suggest approaching everything you do as your true authentic self. If you are a smallish club, don’t try to fake big. If Tippy the barn cat having kittens is all you have right now, guess what, that will get more traction than news of an upcoming tournament that only eight people care about. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are your go-to options for social media and yes, those people are likely interested in how many kittens Tippy had and what color they are. But more importantly, make your social media posts short, your videos fun
and interesting (videos get more attention than photos) and post often to keep the connection. Vary your subject matter by posting about your club’s history, your members or your horses, share how-to videos from USPA’s Polo Skilz site and of course include the club’s USPA tournament schedule with win results. Those are all good topics for telling the larger story of who your club is and why it would be fun to join, sponsor and socialize there. TIP #2 Meet the Press It’s time to meet the press. One of your smartest free marketing efforts is to develop a file of contacts within the local media outlets. Local paper? Contact the lifestyle
ELIZABETH HEDLEY
ELIZABETH HEDLEY
Engage your audience by choosing a No. 1 spectator in child, adult and canine categories.
and sports editors. Local television news? Find out who the producers are and keep them up-to-date with what’s happening at your club. Get in the habit of emailing, once a week, your local media list several photos from the last polo match, including action, social and trophy shots. These contacts pay off in free publicity, not to mention goodwill within the community. TIP #3 Swim in a Different Pond It kills me that we talk to each other every day through social media, then wonder why we don’t attract new business to our club. We continually swim in only one pond: ours. If you really want to grow
Elizabeth Hedley recently started a polo club consulting business after an extensive career working for and with polo clubs throughout the U.S.
awareness about local polo, you need to get out of the barn, and connect with real people outside your immediate circle. First suggestion, join the Chamber of Commerce. The willingness of chamber business owners to help one another is amazing and their energy and enthusiasm when you mention your business is polo, is over the moon. Just ask Emmalyn Wheaton of Detroit Polo Club about the Hartland Chamber Classic event brought to her club a few years ago from her simple act of paying $215 and clicking the JOIN NOW button on Hartland’s chamber website. Next thing she knew, her club had peaked tents
Post to social media often, making your posts short and using photos and videos that are fun and interesting. You can even ask spectators to post their polo photos to social media.
and oodles of spectators contributing to a momentum more profound that any marketing brochure or expensive lifestyle magazine ad. If that doesn’t have you convinced, ask David Brookes of Triangle Area Polo Club, located in Hurdle Mills, North Carolina, population 4,210. His adding polo to the event schedule of the local hog festival generated a wave of positive reactions, ultimately leading to sponsors and a free business coach that showed him how to monetize a larger profit from his lesson horses. Smart guy! Second suggestion, e-calendars. Do you know how many free online event calendars there are in your zip code? Well, it is time to find out, because these calendars hold the key to why your spectator base is nonexistent and where everyone is on Friday nights instead of at your polo matches. You might find out your town is hosting a popular outdoor concert series or art walk each and every Friday in the summer. Perhaps switching your polo night to Thursdays and listing your events on 10 of the gazillion online calendars could make the difference in affording sand for the fields or redesigning a more effective trophy stage. Perhaps pay an energetic, computersavvy person to list your season’s schedule of events on those 10 free online community e-calendars. Start with the chamber’s calendar, senior organizations, area colleges, singles groups and churches. Using (continued on page 43) POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 39
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BY ERNESTO RODRIGUEZ
FIRST STEP Team from Asochinga takes 30th Argentine Interior Championship
40 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
MATÍAS CALLEJO/AAP
P
ompeya, the team from Asochinga, on the outskirts of Córdoba, won the 30th CAIH, the Argentine Interior Championship with Handicap—the most important trophy for the provincial clubs in Argentina—on its first try. Ascochinga means lost dog. It was also the name of a Comechingónes’ (natives) chief who inhabited the Punilla Valley at the time of the Spanish Conquest in Argentina. The area of small mountains, on the outskirts of the capital city of Córdoba, has been, for almost two centuries, an abundant green backwater of summer residences for well-off families, including several presidents of the country. Even a young John Fitzgerald Kennedy spent his 24th birthday in that area, enjoying the wonders of the landscape. The Pompeya Polo Club is located in this sierra paradise, an institution founded 15 years ago by Sebastián Fernández de Maussion. El Pompeya, as it is known in the Argentine polo world, has already become famous for the Equestrian Week, a medium- and lowhandicap tournament that has already played 14 editions. Each March, no less than 30 teams gather for a week to enjoy the club’s five fields protected by aged trees. “We felt we could do something more. And we focused on winning the CAIH to demonstrate our growth,” Fernández de Maussion explained to Polo Players’ Edition. The tournament venue rotates from year to year so Pompeya played for the Sesquicentenario de la Revolución de
Ivan Maldonado, left, was the third best scorer of the tournament with 25 goals.
Mayo Cup in the contest hosted this year by the Tucumán Polo Club and Tapia Polo, both located in the outskirts of San Miguel de Tucumán. Along with the Cordoban and the pair of locals clubs, A total of 10 teams between 10 and 16 goals, including Pompeye and teams representing the two host clubs, competed, representing nine provinces. From Sunday, May 6 until Friday, May 11, the qualifying matches between the two brackets were played. Bracket A got in the hands of Los Sauces, from San Luis. The Sánchez family team had to work hard to be the best since, in the initial date, it needed extra time to beat Hípico Gualeguaychú Granazo, 9-8, after conceding a goal. Next, it took advantage of the two-goal handicap granted by Tapia Polo to win, 10-7, before taking maximum
advantage of the three-goal handicap conceded by Tucumán Polo to win 11-10. In its last match against C9 ERSA, it also needed extra time to win, 10-9, with a golden goal coming from Ezequiel Sánchez. The win allowed Sánchez to reach his third consecutive CAIH final, leaving him hopeful of achieving the title this time. Pompeya Escorihuela took Bracket B with a progressive performance. After being free on the first day of activities, it beat El Destino Polo, 12-10, after conceding five goals. Then it defeated SP Cartagena de Indias Imperial, to which it had given two goals, by 11-9. Next, it took advantage of the goal received from Venado Tuerto to overcome it, 10-9. It got the ticket to the final after beating Chapaleufú Escorihuela RUS (the team
Roberto Cavanagh Cup (reserved for the runners-up in each bracket) between Tapia Polo and Chapaleufú Escorihuela RUS. Tapia received a handicap goal and in the initial chukker took an advantage that seemed decisive despite the little time played (5-1). But the representatives of the Heguy family club were regaining positions despite losing Ivan Lariguet and Santiago Goñi through injury, and in the sixth, tied the score 12-all to force extra time. In the first second of overtime there was a foul for Tapia Polo, which Felipe Corroto Buffo did not waste to seal the deal, 13-12. The final for the main prize was played by two quartets who wanted to raise the coveted cup for the first time. Los Sauces took the first shot and went to the first
break ahead, 4-3, taking full advantage of the two goals received. In the following period Pompeya Escorihuela matched the score, which remained balanced at halftime, 7-all. In the fourth, with fresh horses, Pompeya Escorihuela scored two goals to get away, 10-8. Pompeya kept its momentum in the last two periods, outscoring its opponent 4-2, taking the game, 14-10, as the last bell rang. To complete the celebration, Iván Maldonado (third best scorer of the tournament with 25 goals, behind Manuel Tocallino’s 28 and Mariano Obregón’s 27) received the Best Playing Pony award for Open Capo, bred by Ellerstina and owned by Fernando Monteverde and Guillermo Willington. MATÍAS CALLEJO/AAP
that lost the República Cup final to La Dolfina Brava two weeks before) by a clear 12-8. The closing day was held on Saturday, May 12, beginning with the two subsidiary trophies. The Friendship Cup (reserved for the third place teams in each bracket) was disputed between Hípico Gualeguaychú Granazo and Venado Tuerto, a very contested match in which Hípico Gualeguaychú Granazo raised an initial disadvantage (2-1) and took command in the second chukker until the fifth, when Venado Tuerto regained control (8-7). Mariano Obregón allowed Hípico Gualeguaychú Granazo to score two goals in last period to turn the score and keep the prize. Even more tense was the clash for the
Ivan Maldonao holds off an opponent to keep control of the ball. His team eventually won 14-10.
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 41
“I have to thank the two of them very much because they always lend me horses for important championships. I feel it was a full tournament,” he explained. “We organized this team with Santiago Maldonado. I had played the 2017 final for Los Sauces and we lost it. But I realized that we could do it soon. That is why we imposed ourselves with Santiago Otamendi to make the best possible team with the support of all the Pompeya people, our lifetime club. We added two friends like Sebastián Borghi, who had already won the CAIH with El Chañar and Washington, and Magín Burgos. And we made it possible. It was a very nice first step for Pompeya on this level.”
16 3 2 6 5
Tucumán Polo (Tucumán): Federico Pasquini Gonzalo Paz Posse Federico Pasquini Diego Araya
16 1 4 4 7
16 3 5 3 5 3 3
SP Cartagena de Indias Imperial (Salta): Esteban D´Andrea Tomás Gómez Naar Humberto D´Andrea Santiago Escudero Replacement: Jaime Tuyá
13 4 3 3 3 3
C9 ERSA (Corrientes): Walter Cardozo Martín Fiol Alejandro Palomeque Juan Facundo Morando
12 2 3 5 2
16 3 3 4 6
El Destino Polo (Catamarca): Carlos de la Barrera Mario Guardo Felipe Kelly Martín Jáuregui
10 1 1 4 4
15 5 2 5 3
Los Sauces (San Luis): Juan Carlos Sánchez Ezequiel Sánchez Rodrigo Sánchez Jerónimo Venturini
13 2 5 4 2
Tapia Polo (Tucumán): Felipe Corroto Buffo Diego Murga Pablo Frías Silva Manuel Toccalino
15 4 1 4 6
Chapaleufú Escorihuela RUS (La Pampa): Alberto Garzarón Iván Lariguet Santiago Goñi Andrés Lariguet Replacements: Delfín Uranga Nicolás Garzarón Hípico Gualeguaychú Granazo (Entre Ríos): Mateo Veronesi Manuel Veronesi Franco Veronesi Mariano Obregón
MATÍAS CALLEJO/AAP
Below: Santiago Otamendi, Iván Maldonado, Magín Burgos and Sebastían Borghi won the Interior Championship.
Venado Tuerto (Santa Fe): Gonzalo Ferrari Tomás Ferrari Guillermo Cavanagh Eduardo Venturino
Pompeya Polo Escorihuela (Córdoba): Sebastían Borghi Magín Burgos Iván Maldonado Santiago Otamendi
42 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
(continued from page 39) your zip code, google “free community event calendars,” then watch your spectator base grow. TIP #4 Charge Admission Be sure to charge something at the gate. If spectators have to pay, they are receiving something of value, and equally important, they know they are welcome to come and watch! Even $2 per person with 50 people attending just once a week, times 16 weeks gives you $1,600 in revenue. Alternatively, charge $10 a carload. And while you have those new polo fans there, sell them a $20 hat, a tailgate spot or a polo lesson. Attracting spectators is only half the potential, selling them something while they are there, is the other half. TIP #5 Influencers I’ll never forget the time I went to lunch with a Virginia polo manager and by the time we left the restaurant, everyone in there was either signed up for a polo lesson or coming to spectate at his next polo event. He is an influencer. There are people on this planet who have an uncanny knack for cultivating and attracting people. Chances are, you have someone similar in your club, so put ‘em to work! These outgoing, engaging people are great ambassadors for your club, so encourage them to bring their social contacts into the fold.
ferent pond, charged admission and identified your influencers, I’d like to suggest one more untapped free marketing idea: engage your spectators. Have you noticed the lag time while waiting on the players to make it to the trophy ceremony? Well, perhaps use this as an excuse to announce awards focused on the spectator, potentially reaching over 5,000
ELIZABETH HEDLEY
TIP #6 Engage Your Spectators So, now that you have been authentic, posted a variety of great topics to social media, met your local press, swam in a dif-
Develop a relationship with local media, keeping them up-to-date with your clubs happenings. Also, reach out to people outside of polo. Tinicum Park Polo Club advertised an event in a special horse publication put out by the local paper.
A trophy stand with your club’s name highly visible works well when spectators are taking photos and posting them to social media.
new polo fans via social media. For example, at Brandywine Polo Club, I created a Best Spectator Award given to an adult, a youth and a canine. The idea is to pick influencers that are spectators, give them the awards on stage with the club’s name highly visible in the background, take photos with the winners’ phones, then ask them to post to their Facebook and Instagram accounts. Who doesn’t have up to 2,000 followers on any given social media platform? #Free&EasyPoloClubMarketing You do have a trophy stage with your club’s name highly visible, right? Elizabeth Hedley recently started a Polo Club Consulting business after an extensive career working for and with polo clubs throughout the U.S. Her goal is to help lowto medium-goal clubs reach sustainability by implementing clever cost-effective ideas to generate revenue. It is usually a two-year process. She is currently working with Brandywine Polo Club in Pennsylvania, until October and can be reached at elizabeth@poloclubconsulting.com. POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 43
The first Costa del Sol Beach Polo Cup at the exclusive Kempinski Hotel Bahia attracted over 2,000 spectators May 1920. The four talented teams battled it out to the delight of the spectators. International players including patrons Niclas Johansson, Veronica and Laurent Desmas and Beach polo at Costa del Sol Jaspar and Kate Kühlwein, and high-level professionals Jamie Le Hardy, Santí Torreguitar and Hernan Pieres put on an excellent show for the crowds during the two-day event. The gripping final between Perrier Jouet and Kempinski Hotel Bahía (Niclas Johansson, Jamie Le Hardy, Rupert LeeUff) saw both teams pushing hard until the final whistle, with Kempinski Hotel Bahía taking the title in this very closely fought match. The winners took home a variety of prizes including beautiful Bvlgari watches. Team Perlage, followed very closely behind and all teams put on a fantastic display of beach polo. The winners were presented with their trophies by the Mayor of Estepona José María García Urbano. The Mayor congratulated Isabel de Borbon and her polo events company, Polo4Ever, for being the driving force in bringing beach polo to the Costa del Sol, and the principal sponsor Kempinski Hotel Bahía for its work to bring this innovative sporting event to Estepona, which showcased the town’s capacity to hold first-class sporting events. The awardRupert Lee-Uff, Jamie Le Hardy and Niclas Johansson took home many prizes, including Bvlgari watches, after topping Perrier Jouet. winning hotel was
DESTINATION: SPAIN
44 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
the perfect venue to host such a unique event. Designed by one of Andalucia’s most renowned architects, Melvin Villarreal, it opened in 1999. Surrounded by indigenous and subtropical gardens, the ocean-front hotel has 128 spacious rooms, 17 luxury suites and a spa. This calming oasis is located between Marbella and Gibraltar, on the doorstep of the authentic, unspoiled town of Estepona. The large crowds agreed that this was an excellent event for both tourists and residents, attracting both polo enthusiasts and locals who were able to enjoy the incredible action up close. The perfect weather conditions, well-prepared beach and backdrop of mountains and blue skies was the ideal setting for this event and the Mayor of Estepona has committed to host the event in the municipality for many years to come. Following the matches there were two glamourous events at the new beachside restaurant Spiler Beach Club, which attracted the crème de la crème of the Costa del Sol society, including Countess Gunilla von Bismarck, Princess Bea Auersperg and Princess María and Prince Pablo von Hohenlohe with their daughters Allegra and Cecilia. Beach polo is an innovative version of traditional polo. Rather than four-man teams on grass, it is played three to a side in a sand arena where the audience can appreciate the fast polo action at close range. The Costa del Sol Beach Polo Cup is the only one of its kind in the Costa del Sol are and was sponsored by Kempinski Hotel Bahía, Bvlgari, Perrier Jouet, Scapa Sports, Perlage, Ferragamo and Pagani. Carla Lopes, general manager of the Kempinski Hotel Bahía commented, “We are very pleased to host and sponsor the Costa del Sol Beach Polo Cup. The timing of this event goes hand in hand with the reopening of the hotel after an extensive redesign and it was wonderful that so many people were able to enjoy the exciting matches and great atmosphere.”
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
S P O T L I G H T
The perfect weather conditions and well-prepared beach, with a backdrop of mountains and blue skies, made Estepona the ideal setting for the event.
Over 2,000 spectators watched the inaugural Costa del Sol Beach Polo Cup at Kempinski Hotel BahĂa.
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 45
POLO REPORT DISPATCHES FROM THE WORLD OF POLO SOUTHEAST
KATIE ROTH
SD FARMS SUCCESSFUL IN BOSTWICK MEMORIAL
SD Farms’ Peco Polledo, right, tries to get past defender Banks Mill/Cardina Eastern’s Chilo Cordova in the final of the Bostwick Memorial at New Bridge Polo Club.
J
uan Martin Obregon led SD Farms to a 10-6 victory over Banks Mill/Cardina Eastern in the final of the 12-goal Pete Bostwick Memorial at New Bridge Polo Club in Aiken, South Carolina on May 20. Banks Mill/Cardina Eastern (Hope Arellano, Chilo Cordova, Julio Arellano, Lucas Arellano) got on the board first with a Penalty 2 conversion from Hope Arellano. SD Farms (Tristan Hurley, Kegan Walsh (filling in for Sayu Dantata), Obregon, Peco Polledo) shot
46 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
back with a goal from Hurley and a pair of goals from Obregon to end the first chukker with SD Farms sporting a 3-1 lead. Lucas Arellano split the uprights early in the second, but Obregon answered back with Penalty 2 conversions in both the second and third to give SD Farms a 5-2 lead at the half. Hurley shot through two goals and Obregon sunk a Penalty 4 in the fourth to jump out front 8-2. Banks Mill/ Cardina Eastern took control of the fifth
chukker with Hope Arellano finding the target with a pair of penalty conversions and Julio Arellano, aboard Best Playing Pony Goosebumps, sent the ball through the uprights while SD Farms was silenced. SD Farms then extended a three-goal lead to four with a goal by Polledo. Cordova answered for Banks Mill but Obregon shot through his sixth goal to ensure the win. SD Farms’ Tristan Hurley, who scored three goals, was named MVP. In 8-goal action, Sig/Foxdale
R E P O R T
SHELLY MARSHALL SCHMIDT
KATIE ROTH
P O L O
SD Farms’ Peco Polledo, Juan Martin Obregon, Kegan Walsh and MVP Tristan Hurley won the Pete Bostwick Memorial.
Rockin P/W-S’ Wesley Sinor, Agustin Arellano, Grayson Price, an injured Marcos Villanueva and Geronimo Obregon with Jenny Sharrock and Tammy Livingston after the Livingston Memorial.
(Mandeep Singh, Alan Martinez, Willie Hartnett, Hugh Worsham) edged Cooper Home & Stable (JD Cooper, Justin Pimsner, Eddy Martinez, Dennys Santana), 7-6, in the final of the Members Classic on May 13. Four teams played off over 10 days before the top two teams met in the final. In that match, Pimsner started the scoring off for Cooper Home & Stable with a lone goal in the first chukker. Alan Martinez put SIG on the board in the second, but Pimsner shot back with another. JD Copper found the uprights in the third and Eddy Martinez sunk a Penalty 3 to put Cooper Home & Stable ahead 4-1 at the end of the first half. The fourth had Alan Martinez wrapping goals around a goal from Pimsner to bring SIG within two. Hartnett and Alan Martinez found the target in the fifth to knot the score at 55, but a goal by Pimsner late in the
SIG/Foxdale’s Mandeep Singh, Alan Martinez, Willie Hartnett and Hugh Worsham won the Members Classic.
Horsegate’s Shane Rice, Joe Wayne Barry, Sloan Stefanakis, Lance Stefanakis, (subbing for Nick Stefanakis) and Ariel Mancebo (with son Luisito) won the 8-goal Officer’s Cup.
chukker put Cooper back on top. Alan Martinez leveled the score once again and found the mark with a Penalty 3 for the win. Alan Martinez was high-scorer with six goals and Pimsner, who lead Cooper with four goals, was named MVP. Willie Hartnett’s Rose was Best Playing Pony. On the way to the final Sig/Foxdale and Cooper Home & Stable edged out Crestview Genetics (Aiden Meeker, Alan Meeker, Hugo Lloret, Mariano Gracida) and Peachtree (Randy Rizor, Winship Rees, Stuart Campbell, Marcos Onetto). SOUTHWEST
ROCKING P/W-S WINS
LIVINGSTON MEMORIAL Rocking P/W-S rocked its way to victory in the 8-goal Livingston Memorial final
at Houston Polo Club in Houston, Texas on May 17. Five teams competed in the event including finalists Rocking P/W-S (Carl Price/Grayson Price, Wesley Sinor, Agustin Arellano, Marcos Villanueva) and Cinco Ranch (David Marks, Drew Luplow, Bryan Middleton, Robert Orthwein). These teams edged BTA (Chrys Beal, Julia Smith, Alejandro Gonzalez, Steve Krueger), Horsegate (Nick Stefanakis, Sloan Stefanakis/Ariel Mancebo, Joe Wayne Barry, Shane Rice) and Pegasus/Propaganda (Paul Hobby, Nick Cifuni, David Andras, Mason Wroe) in preliminary play. Marcos Villanueva put Rocking P on the board in the opening minutes of the final, but Middleton was quick with the response. Arellano split the uprights to put Rocking P on top 2-1. The No. 1s traded open-goal penalty
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 47
P O L O
R E P O R T
BCI/CW Petroleum’s Taylor Freeman, Cara Kennedy, Chad Bowman and Chris Williams took the Lone Star and Chili Pepper Cups.
conversions in the second, keeping Rocking P on top. With just 32 seconds left in the chukker Villanueva was injured and was replaced by Geronimo Obregon. Price sunk two more Penalty 3s in the third and Arellano traded goals with Luplow for Rocking P to double up Cinco’s score, 6-3. Cinco fought hard to comeback, with Luplow and Middleton finding the mark, but three goals by Obregon widened the spread to 9-5. Cinco shut down Rocking P in the fifth while Orthwein scored his first goal to cut the deficit to three. The final chukker was an all-out battle with Cinco Ranch attempting a comeback and Rocking P ensuring it wouldn’t happen. Obregon split the posts but Marks countered with a Penalty 3 conversion. Obregon scored again and Price followed with one of his own to put the game out of reach, 12-7, as time was slipping by. Still, Orthwein kept pushing and scored the last two goals to cut the deficit to three, 12-9 before the final horn sounded. Grayson Price was named MVP and April, a grey mare played by Obregon in the fourth period, was Best Playing Pony. Rocking P/W-S wasn’t as lucky the previous month when it fell to Horsegate (Nick Stefanakis/Ariel Mancebo, Joe Wayne Barry, Shane Rice, Sloan Stefanakis), 9-7, in the final
48 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Shannon Galvin presents Dunbar Capital’s Emma Tooth, Tommy Costello, Bryan Middleton and Nick Dunbar with the Players Cup trophies.
of the Officer’s Cup. The finalist overcame Pegasus/Propaganda and Cinco Canyon Ranch in preliminary rounds. In the final, Shane Rice put Horsegate out front early in the first but Agustin Arellano answered. Sloan Stefanakis sunk a Penalty 2 in the second but Marcos Villanueva countered with a field goal to keep the score level at 2-all. Ariel Mancebo found the mark with goals in the third and fourth while Rocking P couldn’t find the goal. Rice added two more, including a 60-yard penalty shot to jump out front 6-2. Rocking P rallied in the fifth with goals by Jenny Vargas, Arellano and Grayson Price but a single goal by Rice kept Horsegate narrowly ahead, 7-6. A Penalty 3 conversion from Price tied the score early in the sixth but Rice and Joe Wayne Barry hit the target to win the match. Rice was named MVP and Marcos Villanueva’s third period bay mare, Gata, was Best Playing Pony. In 4-goal action, BCI/CW Petroleum got the best of Dunbar Capital in the final of the 4-goal Lone Star Cup final on April 29. Six teams competed for the title. BCI/CW (Chris Williams, Taylor Freeman, Cara Kennedy, Chad Bowman) gave Dunbar Capital (Nick Dunbar, Emma Tooth, Tommy Costello, Bryan Middleton) a half-goal
handicap to begin and Nick Dunbar added to it with a quick goal to open the scoring. Freeman answered back for BCI/CW and Bowman added another. Bowman and Freeman gave the one-two punch again in the second but a Penalty 4 conversion by Middleton kept Dunbar in the running. Williams sunk a Penalty 2 only to be countered by a penalty conversion from Tooth. Freeman struck again in the fourth to put BCI/CW up by 2½ with time ticking away. Tooth took advantage of another penalty opportunity, sinking her second Penalty 2 to bring Dunbar within oneand-a-half. In the last seven minutes, Dunbar shot at goal four times to no avail, giving BCI/CW Petroleum the 64½ win. The same four teams battled for the USPA Southwestern Circuit Players Cup. This time Dunbar Capital met Ghurka (Abby Benton, Fox Benton, Drew Luplow, Nick Cifuni) in the final. Dunbar again started with a half-goal handicap, but in a defensive battle, neither team was able to reach the goal in the first seven minutes. Ghurka was silenced in the first half, with Cifuni slipping in the team’s first goal in the third. Meanwhile, Middleton took control, scoring four in a row in the second and third, putting Dunbar up 4½-1 to start the final chukker. Cifuni sailed the ball through the uprights
P O L O
Chad Bowman, Cindy Madole, Debbie Shelton and David Crea won the Golden Chukka final. Not shown are Brandey Heckeroth and CJ Lequerica.
with a nicely hit Penalty 4 and Luplow followed with a field goal before the final horn dashed any chance of a comeback. Middleton, who scored all of his team’s goals, was named MVP and Cifuni’s pretty bay mare, Lady Luck, went home with the Best Playing Pony blanket. The teams finished out the month with the Chili Pepper Cup final. In that match, BCI/CW Petroleum faced Bearsden/Tylee Farm (Al Pepi, Jimmy Seward, Carol Farnsworth, Cody Woodfin). BCI’s Chris Williams and Chad Bowman added to a half-goal handicap by wrapping goals around one from Jimmy Seward in the first chukker. Bowman and Seward traded goals in the second, leaving BCI ahead 3½-2. Williams struck early in the third, but Seward had the answer. Williams sunk a Penalty 3 and Taylor Freeman split the uprights on a run to goal for a 6½-3 advantage. Bowman swapped goals with Carol Farnsworth in the fourth, but Bearsden was unable to get any closer. BCI went home with the trophies and the 7½-4 win. Chris Williams was MVP and Jimmy Seward’s fancy chestnut, Colefa, was Best Playing Pony. In club league action, Crow’s Nest Ranch & Rover’s Romphouse/Stuart Title edged Horsegate/Land Rover to take the Golden Chukka final on May
R E P O R T
Whitehall Ranch’s Sterling Giannico, Facundo Obregon, Tolly Ulloa and Bill Lane with Land Rover’s Jason Lacher, center.
29. Horsegate jumped out front with goals off the mallets of Maddie Outhier (Penalty 2) and Anson Moore, while Crow’s Nest was silenced. Crow’s Nest answered back in the second with unanswered goals from Cindy Madole and David Crea. The momentum bounced back to Horsegate in the third, with Outhier and Moore finding the mark. Chad Bowman stole the show in the final seven minutes with back-toback goals to knot the score at 4-4 at the end of regulation time. A shootout was necessary to determine a winner. Horsegate sunk one of two shots, while Crow’s Nest’s Madole and Debbie Shelton both found the mark for the win. In the 8-goal leagues, Bill Lane’s Whitehall Ranch edged Eureka 7-6 in the final of the 12-goal Land Rover Houston Central Cup on May 6. Whitehall jumped out of the gate with quick goals by Facundo Obregon and Bill Lane. A Penalty 3 conversion from Alvaro Ara put Eureka on the board, but Tolly Ulloa responded for Whitehall to give it a 3-1 lead. Eureka made up the difference in the second with unanswered goals by Geronimo Obregon and Jorge Cernadas. Ara briefly put Eureka on top but Ulloa answered back with two to give Whitehall the 5-4 advantage at the half. Facundo Obregon widened the spread with a lone goal in the fourth.
He then swapped goals with Cernadas (Penalty 3) in the fifth to maintain the two-goal lead, 7-5. Cernadas shot through a goal in the closing minutes of the sixth to bring Eureka within one but time ran out leaving Whitehall the winner. Geronimo Obregon was MVP and Cernadas’ pretty bay mare, Alexia, was Best Playing Pony. A few weeks later, BTA took on Tonkawa for the 12-goal SW Regional Classic final. Kelly Beal put BTA on the board first, but Tommy Biddle countered with a Penalty 2 conversion. Matt Coppola put Tonkawa ahead in the second, but Steve Krueger answered with a Penalty 2 conversion of his own. Shane Rice put BTA on top in the third with a belly shot to goal but Coppola answered. Mason Wroe gave BTA a brief lead after making a difficult shot to goal with a man on his hip until Biddle sunk his second Penalty 2 to tie the game at 4-4 after the half. Tonkawa surged ahead in the fourth with goals by Coppola and Hildebrand but Krueger split the uprights to keep in close, 6-5. The game was postponed after the fourth chukker, resuming two days later. Hildebrand was unable to play the last two periods, so Troy Lequerica filled in for him. Coppola and Wroe traded goals early in the fifth. Biddle followed with his first field goal and Coppola shot through his fifth
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 49
R E P O R T MARTHA BAGLEY
P O L O
Jeff Hildebrand’s Tonkawa, with Tommy Biddle, Matt Coppola, Cody Ellis and Troy Lequerica, won the SW Regional Classic.
goal, giving Tonkawa a comfortable 9-6 advantage going into the final chukker. Krueger capitalized on a Penalty 3 opportunity and Wroe hit the target to cut the deficit to just one, but time ran out on BTA and Tonkawa had the win. Tommy Biddle was MVP and Wroe’s bay mare, Zena was Best Playing Pony. 8-GOAL TEAMS
Horsegate—Nick Stefanakis, Sloan Stefanakis/Ariel Mancebo, Joe Wayne Barry, Shane Rice; Pegasus/ Propaganda—Paul Hobby, Nick Cifuni, David Andras, Mason Wroe; Rocking P/W-S—Carl/Grayson Price, Marcos Villanueva, Agustin Arellano, Wesley Sinor; Cinco Canyon Ranch—David Marks, Bryan Middleton, Drew Luplow, Roberto Orthwein; BTA—Chrys Beal, Julia Smith, Alejandro Gonzalez, Steve Krueger. 4-GOAL TEAMS
BCI/CW Petroleum—Chris Williams, Taylor Freeman, Cara Kennedy, Chad Bowman; Bearsden/Tylee Farms—Al Pepi, Jimmy Seward, Carol Farnsworth, Cody Woodfin; Dunbar Capital—Nick Dunbar, Emma Tooth, Tommy Costello, Bryan Middleton; Genghis Khan— Alston Beinhorn, Tiamo Hudspeth, Joe Wayne Barry, Joe Fitzsimons; Ghurka— Abby Benton, Fox Benton, Drew Luplow, Nick Cifuni; Sullivan Group—Joanie Jackson, Sarah Prinsloo, Nicolas Gomez, Mark Prinsloo.
50 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Umpire Karl Hilberg and Governor Paul Jornayvaz with Army’s Javier Insua, John Greening, Gal Shweiki and Taylor Morris in San Antonio.
CLUB LEAGUE TEAMS
Bayou City/Spindletop—Liz Lary/Lucy Bailey, Carolyn Stimmel, Jenny Sharrock, Taylor Freeman; Crows Nest Ranch & Rover’s Romphouse/Stewart Title— Brandey Heckeroth/Debbie Shelton, CJ Lequerica/David Crea, Cindy Madole, Chad Bowman; Horsegate/Land Rover—Lance Stefanakis, Ariel Mancebo/Anson Moore, Madi Outhier/Joe Mack Stimmel, Mark Prinsloo/Paige Luplow; Cinco Canyon Ranch/Shanghai--Colleen Marks, Bryan Middleton, Steve Armour, Neil Osburg. 12-GOAL TEAMS
Whitehall Ranch—Bill Lane, Sterling Giannico, Tolly Ulloa, Facundo Obregon; Eureka—Rene Campos, Alvaro Ara, Jorge Cernadas, Geronimo Obregon;Tonkawa—Jeff Hildebrand, Cody Ellis, Matt Coppola, Tommy Biddle; BTA—Kelly Beal, Steve Krueger, Shane Rice, Mason Wroe
ARMY CAPTURES PATTON TOURNEY
Recently, Lt. Gen. Buchanan, commander of U.S. Army North based at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, invited the U.S. Polo Association’s Armed Forces Committee to arrange a polo demonstration on post at Fort Sam Houston as part of its
Military Appreciation Weekend May 56. The committee coordinated the event with USPA’s Southwestern Circuit and the Texas Military Polo Club (one of three clubs in the Central Texas Polo Association). To tie this event closer to the Army it was played as the USPA SW Circuit Gen. George S. Patton Jr. tournament. Working with the Army North staff, a simple demonstration match with teams representing the Army (Taylor Morris, Gal Shweiki, Javier Insua, John Greening) and Navy (Keller Henderson, Cody Goetz, Pud Nieto, Jack Crea) was organized. The staff and members of the Texas Military Polo Club walked a number of locations, some former polo fields from when the Army played polo on bases around the nation, on Fort Sam Houston to determine the final location of the event. A final determination of the field location was made and planning commenced to ready the field for the first polo match on Fort Sam Houston in approximately 50 years. Field preparation for the event took about four weeks as the base removed obstructions, filled in holes, mowed weekly and generally converted a parade ground back to a polo field. In the week leading up to the event the weather forecast was for a week of rain from Monday to Friday before the event on Sunday. However, both
R E P O R T
DAVID MURRELL
MARTHA BAGLEY
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Navy jumps out front in the SW Circuit Gen. George S. Patton tournament against Army at San Antonio’s Fort Sam Houston.
Saturday and Sunday were predicted to be warm and sunny. Fortunately, on Saturday the field was drying up nicely and by Sunday the footing for the horses was perfect. All the players in the match had ties to the U.S. or Argentine military. Representing the Army was Taylor Morris, with family members in Marine Corps and Army; Gal Shweiki whose wife is a medical officer at San Antonio Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston; Javier Insua with relatives in the Argentine military; and John Greening whose father was in the Army Air Corps in WWII flying in B-24s out of Italy. For the Navy it was Keller Henderson whose father served in the Army at Fort Sam Houston and then in the Korean War; Maj. Cody Goetz, USAF Reserve, a former F-15E Strike Eagle pilot with numerous combat missions and who currently flies at Randolph Air Force Base; Pud Nieto with numerous relatives in various branches of the military; and Jack Crea whose daughter is serving in the Coast Guard and son is in the Army. The umpire, Cmdr. Karl Hilberg, served 28 years in the Navy prior to retiring. The base opened to the public at 1 p.m. with the horses and players ready as spectators started to show up. About 20 minutes prior to the 2 p.m. match, the VIP tent was starting to fill and Gen. Buchanan and his guests had
Horsegate’s Chino Payan, Joanie Jackson, Quique Garcia and Lance Stefanakis won the NYTS qualifier in Texas.
arrived. Southwestern Circuit Governor Paul Jornayvaz represented the USPA at the event. To start the match, Buchanan bowled in the game ball between the two teams. Navy was the first to score with both Henderson and Goetz scoring from the field in a hard-fought chukker as the teams jelled. However, Army was quick to respond and completely controlled the second and third chukkers with Shweiki scoring two and Insua scoring three. Insua started the fourth chukker with two more goals and it seemed that Army would run away with the match. However, Navy rallied behind Goetz, who scored two in the fourth and Nieto added one. This was not enough and Army, fittingly, won the match 7½ to 5. Navy’s Cody Goetz was MVP and John Greening’s grey gelding, Gusto, was Best Play Pony. —Karl Hilberg
YOUTH TOURNAMENT
HELD IN CENTRAL TEXAS The Central Texas Polo Association had the distinct pleasure to host a USPA National Youth Tournament Series Qualifier on May 12-13. With 12 polo players from Austin, Dallas, Houston, Midland and San Antonio participating, it was an exciting weekend. The play by the kids and young
adults was superb. While most were B rated, they all played well above that level. They were team players, sportsmen and sportswomen, horsemen and horsewomen of great quality. I was disappointed we could only select five all-stars from the 12 players that participated in our two-day round robin as they all deserved to be selected. The CTPA tournament committee and the USPA tournament manager decided this event would be played on the flat, with chukkers 1 and 2 of a game played on Saturday and chukkers 3 and 4 on Sunday. In case of a tie on Sunday, per NYTS tournament conditions, we would have a shootout. Saturday’s game started at 1 p.m. to allow players from Dallas and Houston to drive in. The first match was between Texas Military/Willow Bend and Horsegate. Horsegate’s Lance Stefanakis was the first to score with a nice run to goal, but it was quickly matched by Texas Military’s April Galindo to tie the game. Horsegate’s Quique Garcia was next to score and again was matched by Texas Military’s Max Beuck to end the chukker. The second chukker was almost a repeat of the first with Texas Military’s Beuck scoring and again quickly matched by Horsegate’s Chino Payan to end the first match with a tie. Texas Military stayed up to face JD
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R E P O R T DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS
P O L O
Klentner Ranch’s Luke Klentner, Jesse Bray, Santi Wulff and Justin Klentner won the 12-goal Pope Challenge.
Polo. Texas Military’s Galindo was the first to score after a long run to goal but JD Polo’s Anson Moore responded quickly. Galindo came through for Texas Military with her second goal of the chukker, giving Texas Military the 2-1 lead. Starting the second chukker with a bowl in, Moore took the ball to goal. Texas Military wasted no time in responding with Clark Mayer scoring his second goal of the day and the first of this match to end with Texas Military leading 3-2. The final match of the day was Horsegate vs JD Polo. Horsegate was out of the gate quickly with goals by Payan and Joanie Jackson. JD Polo had a number of shots on goal by Moore and Kaylin Bender with no luck. Horsegate enter the final chukker of the day leading 2-1 but it was Moore who opened the scoring only to be followed by Horsegate’s Stefanakis and Payan who each scored to end the chukker with a score of 4-1. Sunday’s games started at 10 a.m. with Horsegate playing JD Polo. Chukkers three and four were all Horsegate with Garcia scoring in the third chukker and Stefanakis scoring from the field in the fourth. Finally, Payan converted the first penalty of the event to end the match 7-1 in favor of Horsegate. Next up was JD Polo and Texas Military. In a hard-fought chukker Galindo was the first to score, but was
52 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Antelope Jr., with Herndon Radcliff, Felipe Vercellino, Jim Wright and Grant Palmer, won the Lisle Nixon Memorial.
matched by JD Polo’s Taylor Morris to leave Texas Military in the lead by one going into the fourth chukker. Mayer led off in the fourth for Texas Military with a goal from the field and Galindo converted a Penalty 3 to end the match with Texas Military leading 6-3. The final two chukkers of the round robin was a championship match between Texas Military and Horsegate as each team had one win. Starting with a bowl-in at the center, the teams faced off in what would feature strong defensive play. It was Jackson scoring first for Horsegate and then Mayer for Texas Military to end the third chukker with a tie. Horsegate led the scoring in the fourth with a goal by Payan. On a number of occasions, it seemed that Texas Military would tie the game, but missed by just yards. With time running out, Horsegate fouled Galindo and the ball was set on the 40-yard line for a Penalty 3 with five seconds left on the clock. Unfortunately, Texas Military was unable to convert the penalty and Horsegate won the match by one goal. –Karl Hilberg Horsegate—Chino Payan, Joanie Jackson, Quique Garcia, Lance Stefanakis; Texas Military/Willow Bend—Max Beuck, Clark Mayer, April Galindo, Lauren Platt; JD Polo–Anson Moore, Cara Kennedy, Taylor Morris, Kaylin Bender
CALIFORNIA
KLENTNER RANCH ACES POPE CHALLENGE IN CA
Klentner Ranch locked horns with Antelope Jr., requiring extra time to take the title in the Pope Challenge at Santa Barbara Polo Club in Carpinteria, California on May 14. Klentner Ranch (Luke Klentner, replacing brother Jake; Santi Wulff; Jesse Bray; Justin Klentner) began the match with a one-goal handicap, but Antelope Jr. (Grant Palmer, Jim Wright, Felipe Vercellino, Herndon Radcliff) quickly countered with a goal by Vercellino. Klentner added another to stay ahead 2-1 after the first seven minutes. Antelope dug in, outscoring Klentner 2-1 in the second to knot the score at 3-all after two chukkers. Klentner bounced back with goals by Wulff and Bray, while holding Palmer to a goal to give Klentner the 5-4 advantage at the half. It was Antelope’s turn in the fourth, with Vercellino and Palmer converting penalties for the 6-5 lead. Wulff found the mark on a run to level the score at 6-6. Klentner got ahead in the fifth with a pair of penalty conversions, but Antelope Jr. matched them with field goals to tie the score 8-8. Vercellino, mounted on Barbarita, one of his favorite mares, for the final chukker managed to put Antelope Jr.
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JIM BREMNER/JFBPHOTOS.COM
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up by two, 10-8. With two minutes remaining, Antelope Jr. tried to keep Klentner from reaching the goal, but in doing so drew the umpires’ attention and was whistled on two plays. Klentner took full advantage of the opportunities and managed to level the score, sending the match into overtime. In extra time, Bray stole the ball from Vercellino on a knock-in, quickly necking the ball through the post for the Klentner win. Klentner’s Santi Wulff was named MVP and Vercellino’s Barbarita wore the Best Playing Pony Blanket well. Two weeks later, Grant Palmer’s Antelope Jr. faced Grant’s father, Geoff Palmer’s Antelope team in the final of the Lisle Nixon Memorial. Antelope (Hilario Figueras, Peke Gonzalez, Santi Trotz, Geoff Palmer) boasts a mix of experience, talent and youthful ambition. Trotz has been a mainstay of the Antelope organization for years, carefully organizing teams that have been successful at all levels at the club. He has also played a significant role in bringing up Grant through the coaching league and pro pool at the club. Grant and his young teammates (Herndon Radcliff, Jim Wright, Felipe Vercellino) quickly found their way to the goal mouth after the first bowl-in, Radcliff tapping his way through the uprights. Trotz lit a fire under Gonzalez, sending him flying across the field, resulting in back-to-back goals for a 2-1 Antelope lead. Radcliff and Gonzalez traded
JIM BREMNER/JFBPHOTOS.COM
Participants in Lakeside Polo Club’s Margarita Invitational—Polo is for Fun tournament.
goals in the second. In a foulplagued third, the teams converted pairs of penalties to end the first half of play, 7-5, in favor of Antelope. The young team came back from the halftime break on a mission. It managed to level the score, 7-7, before going on a scoring spree over the last 14 minutes, outscoring Antelope 6-2 for the win. “We really focused on keeping our man in the second half,” said MVP Jimmy Wright. “Once we tightened up on our defense, it gave us more room on the field to work and get the ball back on our side of the field. It’s always tough playing against Antelope, but I think our team did a good job of reading each other, especially in the fifth chukker. Playing with and against friends is one of the best parts about being in Santa Barbara. You don’t find the same atmosphere anywhere else.” Santi Trotz’s Chava was awarded Best Playing Pony. Antelope Jr.—Grant Palmer, Jim Wright, Felipe Vercellino, Herndon Radcliff; Klentner Ranch—Luke Klentner, Jesse Bray, Santi Wulff, Justin Klentner; Antelope—Hilario Figueras, Peke Gonzalez, Santi Trotz, Geoff Palmer; Farmers & Merchants Bank—Dan Walker, Marcos Bignoli, Felipe Viana, Leigh Brecheen.
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a polo ball! Red Raiders and Blue Bandits search for the ball.
RED RAIDERS SECURE MARGARITA MATCH Lakeside Polo Club in Lakeside, California hosted its annual Margarita Invitational—Polo is for Fun Tournament in May. It was not one of its typical bright sunny mornings for the first throw-in but the May gray could not dampen the spirits of the 32 polo friends who showed up to play. The players were divided into two teams based on experience levels, and played 16 alternating fast, really fast and some less fast periods over the next four hours. Intense competition was not the purpose of the day, but when you have six guys and girls mounted on horses, with sticks in their hands and one ball, it gets competitive in a hurry. The final score was the Red Raiders, 30, and the Blue Bandits, 28; but who cares, each chukker was a match in itself. Following the play and care for the horses,
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P O L O
R E P O R T
McLin Burnsed’s Francisco Llosa, Oliver Butterworth, Holly Chamberlain and Stan Sandefur won the 6-goal Pro Pool.
camaraderie prevailed as we retired to the Pepper Tree Cantina for celebratory beverages and a barbecue. Many thanks go to umpire Frankie Questel Sr. who kept the play moving fair, fast and safe; to announcer Kimberly Hobscheid who encouraged the players and kept the spectators entertained and engaged in the action; to photographer Jim Bremner who recorded the action; and the Bankhead family and their River Valley Equestrian Center for keeping this friendly Lakeside Polo tradition alive and flourishing. We’ll see you again next year! –Kip Hering FLORIDA
MCLIN BURNSED TAKES 6-GOAL PRO POOL EVENT
McLin Burnsed edged Citizens First in the McLin Burnsed 6-goal Pro Pool Tournament at The Villages Polo Club in The Villages, Florida on May 6. Citizens First (Sue Doyle, Miguel Lis Planells, Mike Harris, Francisco Bilbao) struck first with a goal by Lis Planells five minutes into the opening chukker, countering a one-goal handicap given to McLin Burnsed (Holly Chamberlain, Stan Sandefur, Oliver Butterworth, Francisco Llosa). Sandefur shot through McLin Burnsed’s first field goal a minute later to take back the lead, 2-1.
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Galaxy Home Solutions Luis Saracco, Diego Ferreira, Jason Cashin and Miguel Lis Planells won the Sharon/The Studio Theatre 6-goal.
Sandefur and Lis Planells traded goals again in the second to maintain the one-goal spread. Lis Planells tied the score two minutes into the third but Sandefur answered back. Mike Harris split the uprights to knot the score at 44 at the end of the first half. McLin Burnsed took back the lead thanks to goals from Holly Chamberlain and Francisco Llosa. Francisco Bilbao answered with a goal to keep it close, 65 in favor of McLin Burnsed. Sandefur traded goals with Sue Doyle in the fifth. Bilbao knotted the score but Llosa answered with two. Lis Planells added his fourth goal with just over a minute left, cutting the deficit to one. Citizen’s won the ensuing throw-in and Bilbao sent the ball through the uprights to even the score with 35 seconds left. Time ran out with the teams locked in a tie. To determine a winner, a shootout was held. Sue Doyle and Holly Chamberlain found the uprights before Lis Planells’ shot went wide. Sandefur put the ball through the posts, giving McLin Burnsed the win. The next week, Galaxy Home Solutions edged City Fire in The Sharon/The Studio Theatre 6-goal. City Fire (Sue Doyle, Kim Von Stade, Paige McCabe, Francisco Bilbao) got on the board with a pair of goals by Bilbao while Galaxy (Miguel Lis Planells, Jason Cashin, Diego Ferreira, Luis Saracco) was held scoreless. Luis Saracco put Galaxy on the board early in the second
with a penalty conversion while City Fire was unable to reach the goal. Bilbao started off the third chukker with a penalty conversion of his own but Galaxy shot back with goals by Saracco and Jason Cashin to knot the score. Sue Doyle put City Fire briefly ahead before Lis Planells leveled the score at 4-all to end the first half. Galaxy got the jump in the fourth, with a pair of goals by Diego Ferreira in the first two minutes. Paige McCabe scored for City Fire to keep the team in the game. Lis Planells started off the fifth with a goal to put Galaxy back up by two. A penalty conversion by Bilbao put City Fire closer but Saracco scored again, taking the ball coast to coast for a two-goal lead, 8-6. Kim von Stade scored a lone goal in the final chukker, but City Fire could not get any closer and Galaxy held on for the win. On May 23, Ardens Jewelers (Winship Rees, Paige McCabe, Lord Lyall, Francisco Llosa) defeated United Healthcare (Monica Lis Planells/ Jennifer Pascarella, Miguel Lis Planells, Luis Saracco, Charly Quincoces), 11-9, in The Villages 6-goal Cup. Less than a minute into the first chukker, Rees overcame the one-goal handicap given to United Healthcare. The teams battled back and forth for he rest of the chukker until McCabe found the uprights with 27 seconds left. Quincoces tied the score halfway through the second, but McCabe struck
P O L O
Arden’s Jewelers’ Winship Rees, Paige McCabe, Lord Lyall and Francisco Llosa won The Villages 6-goal Cup.
again, followed by a tally from Lyall for a 4-2 Ardens lead. Llosa shot through two in a row to increase the lead and McCabe and Lyall countered a pair of goals from Saracco, leaving Ardens on top, 8-4, at the half. McCabe and Quincoces traded goals in the fourth. United rallied in the fifth with Quincoces and Saracco combining for three goals, bringing United within a goal of Ardens. Llosa struck again, increasing the lead to two. Rees increased the spread to three before Pascarella cut it back to two with two minutes left. That was it for the scoring and Ardens held on for the win. A redesigned Galaxy Home Solutions (Scott Doyle, Winship Rees, Charly Quincoces, Stuart Campbell) edged Villages Insurance (Monica Lis Planells/Ian Campbell, Miguel Lis Planells, Marcelo Torres, Paige McCabe, Francisco Bilbao) 10-7½ in the final of the Villages Polo Club Tournament on May 26. The season-ending final was played on Saturday instead of Sunday in anticipation of heavy rains forecasted for the area. Just two minutes into the first chukker Scott Doyle went on a scoring rampage, slamming in three in a row before a goal by Marcelo Torres interrupted his momentum. But he wasn’t done yet. He added one more before the chukker ended. Monica Lis Planells scored early in the second, but Doyle responded and with less than a
R E P O R T
Galaxy’s Winship Rees, Scott Doyle, Charly Quincoces and Stuart Campbell were No. 1 in The Villages Polo Club Tournament.
minute left, Stuart Campbell added another for a 6-2½ Galaxy lead. Villages Insurance stopped the bleeding in the third with Monica and Miguel Lis Planells each scoring while Galaxy was shut down, cutting the deficit to 6-4½. The Villages was able to match Galaxy goal for goal in the next 14 minutes, keeping the difference to one and a half goals, 8-6½. In the final chukker, Torres scored his third goal to bring Villages within a half goal, but Winship Rees found the uprights and Doyle added his sixth goal to secure the win.
DUTTA CORP SHINES IN SPRING TOURNEYS Dutta Corp shined in an unusually rainy spring season at Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington, Florida with wins in three of the five tournaments played. The team began its season with a three-peat in a four-chukker, lightening abbreviated championship final of the Santa Rita Abierto on April 22. Dutta Corp defeated Sebucan, 7-4. Dutta Corp (Timmy Dutta, Lucas Diaz Alberdi, Piki Diaz Alberdi, Alex Webb) defeated Sebucan, 7-4. The team qualified for the final with wins over Altair Polo (Ashley Busch, Moritz Gaedeke, Brandon Phillips, Kris Kampsen) and Deeridge (Will Jacobs,
Grant Ganzi, Carlitos Gracida, Ezequiel Ferrario) in the opening nine-chukker round robin on Friday. Sebucan (Josh Dubarry, Pablo Pulido, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Julio Gracida) advanced into the final with a hard-fought 13-12 victory over Hidden Creek (Marc Ganzi, Sean Keys, Pablo Dorignac, Jesse Bray). Dutta, 16, coming off a successful 20goal season, was named MVP. Under foreboding skies, the wellmatched teams played evenly in the first two chukkers. In the opening chukker, the teams tied 1-1 on Piki Diaz Alberdi’s 60-yard penalty conversion and Novillo Astrada’s shot from the field. In the second chukker, goals from Piki Diaz Alberdi and Webb were matched with a 30-yard penalty conversion from Novillo Astrada and a goal from Gracida. Dutta Corp pulled away with a 5-4 advantage in the third with back-to-back goals from Lucas Diaz Alberdi. Dutta Corp never trailed after that. With rain falling and thunder in the background, the teams got in one final chukker before lightning forced the game to be abbreviated after four chukkers. Timmy Dutta and Webb scored the final two goals for a 2-0 advantage in the fourth and final chukker. Dutta Corp came in as two-time defending champion. In 2016, as a 15goal team, Dutta Corp won the 16-goal
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 55
R E P O R T
CHAIRO FOTO
CHAIRO FOTO
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Dutta Corps’ Alex Webb, Piki Diaz Alberdi, Lucas Diaz Alberdi and Timmy Dutta won the season-opening Santa Rita Abierto.
tournament with Matias Magrini, Carlitos and Mariano Gracida and Timmy Dutta. For the Grand Champions Cup, Beaverton, Oregon-based Hidden Creek won its Grand Champions debut in the subsidiary round robin. Hidden Creek defeated Deeridge, 5-2, led by Pablo Dorignac’s game-high three goals, and tied Altair Polo, 4-4. In the other game, Deeridge edged Altair Polo, 6-5, on Ezequiel Ferrario’s game-winner. Sean Keys of Hidden Creek Polo Club was named MVP. The excitement continued with the USPA Eastern Challenge the following week. Sebucan (Timmy Dutta, Pablo Pulido, Lucas Diaz Alberdi, Juan Martin Obregon) dominated ChukkerTV (Josh DuBarry, Piki Diaz Alberdi, Pablo Dorignac, Julio Gracida) from start to finish, winning 16-10. Pulido, playing well above his 2-goal rating, was named MVP. The former collegiate player at Cornell scored four goals and was one of the most dominant players on the field. Cupid, a 5-year-old owned and played by Julio Gracida in the third chukker, was selected Best Playing Pony. At 13-goals, Sebucan entered the final as the underdog after two close one-goal victories over Newport and Chateau D’esclans in the round robin qualifier. Sebucan started with a 3-goal handicap and quickly built 6-1 and 7-2
56 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
USPA CEO Bob Puetz presents trophies to Sebucan’s Pablo Polido, Timmy Dutta, Lucas Diaz Alberdi and Juan Martin Obregon.
cushions after two chukkers. Chukker TV cut Sebucan’s lead to two behind Gracida’s clutch penalty conversions to trail 8-6 at the half but could get no closer. Sebucan regained its momentum and offensive running attack in the second half to extend its lead to 13-7 after the fifth chukker. Timmy Dutta, 16, the second youngest player in the final, scored a game-high five goals. At 12, DuBarry was the youngest player on the field and in the six-team tournament. Dutta Corp (Timmy Dutta, Lucas Diaz Alberdi, Piki Diaz Alberdi, Tim Dutta) captured its second three-peat of the season, May 6, in a rain-soaked Sun Cup final. The father-and-son combinations defeated Newport (Gene Goldstein, Grant Ganzi, Nacho Novillo Astrada, Marc Ganzi) for the second time in two years with an impressive 10-6 victory. In a rematch of the 2016 final when Dutta Corp knocked off Newport 8-6, Dutta Corp was even more impressive the second time around, shutting out Newport in the second, third, fourth and sixth chukkers. Former 10-goaler Piki Diaz Alberdi, the team’s field general, was named MVP. Tambor, a 6-year-old gelding played by Lucas Diaz Alberdi in the second and fifth chukkers, was Best Playing Pony. It was a physical battle from the
opening chukker. Dutta Corp took a quick 2-0 lead before back-to-back penalty conversions by Grant Ganzi tied the game at 2-2. Piki Diaz Alberdi came back with a goal at 1:10 for a 3-2 advantage. Astrada scored in the closing seconds for a 3-3 tie. While both teams had their share of scoring opportunities, only Timmy Dutta scored off a broken play to regain the lead, 4-3, the only goal in the second chukker. Dutta Corp never relinquished the lead after that. Dutta Corp outscored Newport, 2-0, in the third and 1-0 in the fourth before Newport started to rally in the rain-filled fifth, outscoring Dutta Corp, 3-1, behind back-to-back goals by Goldstein and another by Astrada to trail by two, 8-6. Lucas Diaz Alberdi scored a quick goal to open the final chukker for a 9-6 advantage. After a brief rain delay, Dutta Corp maintained its offensive attack while holding Newport scoreless. “This is our fourth year together with Piki, and now we have Lucas coming in to play,” Dutta said. “It’s always fun to play with family and your son, for me it’s a joy to play with my son. We don’t need to talk to each other, we have great chemistry. Piki is the ultimate general, he commands the ship.” For Week 4, the Spring Challenge Cup final was truly a family affair with three sets of fathers-and-sons and wife and mother of two players all competing,
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CHAIRO FOTO
CHAIRO FOTO
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Dutta Corp’s Tim Dutta, Piki Diaz Alberdi, Lucas Diaz Alberdi and Timmy Dutta won the Spring Challenge Cup.
Dutta Corp (Timmy Dutta, Lucas Diaz Alberdi, Piki Diaz Alberdi, Tim Dutta) captured its third tournament of the spring season with an impressive 11-7 victory over Aspen Valley (Melissa Ganzi, Grant Ganzi, Nacho Novillo Astrada, Marc Ganzi). “Family truly is what polo is all about and this is what Grand Champions is all about,” Tim Dutta said. “The Ganzi family is amazing. They love kids, they love family and everybody that plays here is family. “For us, the Dutta and Alberdi family, we enjoy playing with our sons,” Dutta said. “Piki and I are very lucky to do this. We have a deep friendship and the friendship and chemistry shows on the field in how we fight for each other, we cover each other’s mistakes and at the end as long as we are learning, Piki is happy. He is the ultimate coach, the ultimate mentor and the boys are having a lot of fun.” Timmy Dutta, with a game-high 10 goals, was named MVP. Dutta dedicated the victory to his mom, Susie, an accomplished international dressage athlete and outstanding trainer for more than two decades, for Mother’s Day. Diamante, an 8-year-old chestnut mare, owned and played by Timmy Dutta in the fifth chukker, was selected the club’s Best Playing Pony after a remarkable injury comeback. Diamante was purchased as a 7-yearold from Carlitos Gracida in Mexico.
MVP Timmy Dutta scored a game-high 10 goals in the Spring Challenge Cup over Aspen Valley. He is trailed by Piki Alberdi.
While the horse was preparing for the beginning of the 2018 season with Curtis Pilot’s team she cracked her hip wing bone on a bump. Diamante missed the 20-, 12-, 8- and 6-goal tournament season. “That horse has done really well,” Timmy Dutta said. “That was very hard for me when she got hurt. She had been improving and I knew she was going to be great for the season. She came back nicely. We gave her the time to rehab and she came back well.” Piki Diaz Alberdi scored Dutta Corp’s first goal on a 30-yard penalty conversion to tie the game at 1-1 after Aspen Valley started with a 1-goal handicap before Dutta went on his scoring spree. The game was tied one last time, 2-2, before Dutta Corp mounted an offensive attack centered around Dutta scoring five consecutive goals for a 7-2 halftime lead. In the second half, Dutta Corp led by as many as six goals (9-3, 10-4, 11-5) before Aspen Valley closed the gap to four in the final two minutes. Melissa Ganzi led Aspen Valley with three goals and finished with nine goals in the tournament. It was a special pre-Mother’s Day for Grand Champions president and USPA Florida Circuit Governor Melissa Ganzi, the only woman in the tournament. For the first time in tournament and club history, Ganzi
teamed up with her husband and son. The Mother’s Day Cup subsidiary round robin game had ChukkerTV (Josh DuBarry, Nacho Novillo Astrada, Pablo Dorignac, Julio Gracida), Grand Champions (Jeff Desich, Juan Bollini, Carlitos Gracida, Lucas Lalor) and Newport (Gene Goldstein, Juancito Bollini, Brandon Phillips, Kris Kampsen) battling it out. Aside from the polo action, families, friends and fans were treated to food and refreshments and custom-made Mother’s Day cake. Mother Nature dampened the season with heavy rains the last two weekends on the schedule. The last weekend, just one game of the 14-goal The Memorial was played before the skies opened up thanks to bands from subtropical storm Alberto. The opening game pitted Aspen Valley (Jeff Desich, Carlitos Gracida, Juan Bollini, Lucas Lalor) against Intercontinental Hotel (Alejandro Pomo, JJ. Celis, Kris Kampsen, Juancito Bollini). Intercontinental Hotel secured the victory just before the skies opened up. Unrelenting rain prevented The match between Sebucan (Pablo Pulido, Grant Ganzi, Pablo Dorignac, Brandon Phillips) and Grand Champions (Josh Dubarry, Marc Ganzi, Nacho Novillo Astrada, Julio Gracida) from being played, as well as the final. Intercontinental Hotel, with the only win, took the title. --Sharon Robb u
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(continued from page 17) and should help alleviate pain that could prevent your horse from really banging itself up, especially if your veterinarian cannot immediately get to your farm to treat your horse. Ask your veterinarian how she prefers you handle administering analgesics during a period of colic with your horses. Stromal Abscess
Corneal Ulcer
Iris Prolapse
Eyelid laceration
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Sudden and Severe Eye Pain The second emergency scenario to recognize is sudden and severe onset eye pain. If you are a skimmer, the short and dirty of this paragraph is call your vet if your horse has an eye issue. Many problems with the equine eye are true emergencies, including blunt head trauma, eye trauma, protrusion of the eye, eyelid lacerations, acute blindness, acute eye swelling, tearing or squinting. Equine eye injuries are cases that need to be seen immediately by your veterinarian or veterinary ophthalmologist in order for accurate diagnosis and treatment to occur, ensuring the best long-term prognosis for globe and vision retention. You can help prevent further injury to the eye by keeping your horse from rubbing the eye further. Corneal ulcers are by far one of the most common eye ailments to polo ponies and are important to diagnose early, especially in the southern areas of the country where parasites and fungi run rampant. A simple corneal ulcer should heal in 7-10 days. The main staples of therapy are controlling the infection and the inflammation and pain associated with the ulcer. Acute corneal edema or a bluish tinge to the eye can also indicate many problems requiring immediate treatment like trauma, uveitis or glaucoma. For many eye maladies, be prepared to administer topical ocular medications as frequently as every four hours, a sub-palpebral lavage system can help to more accurately and less painfully (for you and your horse!) deliver eye medications, but referral to a
24-hour care facility may also be necessary to ensure treatments are performed. Lacerations The third emergency frequented by polo ponies are lacerations. Acute, traumatic lacerations of less critical structures, if caught within the first 12 hours can be cleaned, debrided, and closed (sutured, stapled, etc.), known as primary closure, by your veterinarian. Wounds with significant contamination may be bandaged for several days to allow for a delayed closure. Antibiotics and antiinflammatory drugs are usually administered with these injuries. Your veterinarian will also want to administer a tetanus toxoid to your horse if it has not had a booster within the last six months. The major concern with lacerations is the location, and if that location involves a synovial structure (joint or tendon sheath). Prognosis for your horse is significantly worse and cost significantly more when joints, tendon sheaths, and supporting structures (tendons) are involved with lacerations. In general, the more structures affected, the poorer the prognosis. It is also not safe to assume that just because your horse is weight bearing on a limb a synovial structure is not affected. Even with immediate treatment, when more structures are involved there is higher risk for complicating factors such as adhesion formation, permanent lameness, developing contra-lateral limb laminitis or persistent infection, that make prognosis and price substantially worse. Severe Lameness A fourth area of emergency that is worth calling your veterinarian for would be any non-weight bearing lameness. The main differentials (or causes) for a nonweight bearing lameness are fracture or luxation of a bone, an infection, for example a septic joint or foot abscess. Foot abscess is by far the most common culprit, but non-weight bearing lameness is and should be treated as an emergency.
decreasing bronchoconstriction, but little is known if these medications prevent EIPH.
The location of a laceration is concerning if it involves a joint or tendon sheath. Even with immediate treatment, there is higher risk of complications.
If treated within the first 12 hours, lacerations can be cleaned, debrided and closed by the veterinarian. If there is significant contamination, bandaging with delayed closing may be needed.
Having a pair of hoof testers at your barn can help you differentiate a hoof abscess from other possible problems. A horse that is significantly lame, in combination with being painful or reactive to an area of the hoof with hoof testers, and that has an elevated digital pulse within that foot, most likely has a foot abscess. Keeping the foot clean and dry (wrapped) along with daily Epsom salt soaks will help the abscess to rupture out, alleviating the build up of pressure that causes your horse to be so painful. Do not remove the healthy tissue of the sole if you are unable to identify a potential abscess at the time of the initial exam as that tissue can take months to grow back. Despite taking weeks to heal, acute diagnosis and treatment of a sole abscess will prevent development of a chronic abscess or involvement of the abscess with the coffin joint or coffin bone.
obstructed and the horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to breathe is compromised. Any condition that compromises your horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s airway is considered an emergency; a temporary tracheotomy may need to be placed by your veterinarian in order to facilitate breathing. An endoscopic exam performed by your veterinarian can diagnose the origin and severity of the bleeding. A condition called Guttural Pouch Mycosis is a lifethreatening problem where surgical ligation of the carotid artery is necessary. Other conditions of epistaxis are not as life threatening. Racehorses and polo ponies commonly develop a condition called Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage. This condition rarely results in respiratory distress or death. The exact cause of EIPH is unknown, but bleeding into the airway in turn causes airway inflammation, fibrosis, and alteration of normal tissue. Furosemide (Lasix) is the primary therapy initiated and is administered prophylactically prior to exercise in order to decrease the severity of hemorrhage. Bronchodilators and steroids have also been used as treatments targeted at decreasing airway inflammation, minimizing fibrosis, and
Nasal Hemorrhage The fifth category of emergency to recognize with your horses is nasal hemorrhage or epistaxis. Nasal hemorrhage secondary to head trauma only becomes emergent if the nostrils are
Fever As established earlier, any temperature greater than 101.5 F should be considered febrile. High, uncontrollable fevers, greater than 103.0 F should warrant not only emergency treatment for your horse but for your barn. The affected horses require treatment and isolation in order to prevent the rest of your herd from succumbing to the same ailment. Banamine (an antiinflammatory) and alcohol baths are essentials to help control high fevers. High fevers are usually attributed to a respiratory disease, virus, colitis (diarrhea) or neurological condition. In hospital scenarios, horses with high fevers, decreased white cell counts on their blood work, and diarrhea (any two of the three problems) are isolated from all other patients due to the likely contagious nature of their condition. These horses are treated in the beginning stages with supportive care and isolation until further diagnostics can identify or rule out contagious conditions. This article merely scratches the surface of the many emergency situations that can occur. Other emergencies include burns, thoracic trauma, snake envenomation, laminitis, and contagious and zoonotic diseases. Playing a sport that entirely relies upon our equine counterparts makes their health a top priority to ensure both their safety and ours on and off the field. Knowing your horsesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; normal vital parameters will enable you to recognize when they are not normal, hopefully saving your pocketbook a few dollars before simple problems become catastrophic events. Recognizing these problems early will also help you ensure your horses will be able to perform at their best for you as athletes, thus, helping preserve your string, and getting you out on the field for more chukkers of competitive fun. POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 59
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COLLEGE GAMES Collegiate tournaments were played indoors and out in 1958
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he 1958 National Intercollegiate Tournament was played in the Squadron A Armory in New York City on March 8. Perhaps a more significant intercollegiate tournament was played that year with four-man teams on the grass at Cowdray Park in Britain. For some reason, the National Intercollegiate Tournament records show only two teams competing that year, making the championship just one game. Cornell (Pablo Toro, Bennett M. Baldwin, Stanley Woolaway) took on Yale (Peter Carlton, J. Barker Hickox, Perry Welch). As a warm-up, Yale had competed in the Eastern Sherman Memorial, which drew eight teams. Yale made it to the final, only to fall to New Haven’s father and son duo of Frank Butterworth Jr. and Frank Butterworth III, along with Jarrett H. Vincent. A write up in the USPA Blue Book for that year reads: “Earlier in the season, the Eastern Sherman Memorial was played, eight teams being entered. The finals, an allYale one, found the Yale Varsity versus New Haven. In a brilliant finish Frank Butterworth, the only non-undergraduate on the field, scored the tying and winning goals leading his son and Jarrett Vincent to the championship. “Unfortunately for Yale, the finals of the Intercollegiates were not “all Yale’ as the Blues took a trimming from Cornell 20-4. This was sweet revenge for the Ithaca team which besides the college title had also lost the finals of the Sherman Tournament to Yale the previous year.” Since the tournament’s inception in 1922, Yale had taken the title 10 times to 60 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Mrs. Frank Butterworth Jr. presents the intercollegiate trophy to Cornell’s Stanley Woolaway, George Baer, Jay Shuttleworth, Peter Baldwin and Pablo Toro.
Cornell’s four. While Yale didn’t make the final the following year (Cornell beat University of Virginia 14-5), these two teams continued to battle over the next decade meeting each other in the final each year from 1960 to 1970. During that time, Yale won seven titles while Cornell took four. A bigger tournament was played in June 1958 when a U.S. team went to England to compete against other intercollegiate teams. According to the 1959 Blue Book, Cambridge University extended an invitation to the United States Polo Association, which put together a team to represent the U.S. The Blue Book goes on to describe the event like this: George “Frolic” Weymouth of Wilmington, Delaware, captain of the Yale Polo Team, played No. 1; Peter Baldwin, Cornell star from Hawaii, played No. 2; Richard Riemenschneider of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, captain of the University of Vir-
ginia, played No. 3; and Stanley Woolaway, also of Hawaii and captain of Cornell, played Back. The team gathered at Brandywine in early June where they elected Weymouth captain and underwent rigorous training and coaching by Ray Harrington and veteran Jimmy Mills. Upon landing in London, the team was taken to England’s polo mecca, Cowdray Park, where their gracious host and truly great sportsman, Lord Cowdray, provided ponies for a practice game Friday and their first match on Sunday, where the Maharaja of Cooch Behar’s ponies were too fast for their club ponies and the U.S. team was defeated in the last 40 seconds of the game, 5-4. The following Sunday, the team were guests at Woolmers Park of the Cambridge team consisting of men from all over the British Empire—England, South Africa, Malaya and Australia. The American team
George Weymouth Jr., Peter Baldwin, Richard Riemenschneider and Stanley Woolaway traveled to England to play against other collegiate players from all over the British Empire.
awarded Cambridge two goals, yet managed to gain a decisive victory by defeating Cambridge 11-4. Here began a series of wins that was not broken until the Americans were defeated some 10 games later in the Holden White Cup. It was evident that the Americans had been better schooled in horsemanship, knowledge and mallet handling—most likely due to superior training when the players had started learning. Yet it was quite an occasion to see young players from both sides of the Atlantic playing a sport that supposedly had fallen with the outset of the war. It was encouraging to realize that there could be found enough polo enthusiasts to send such a team abroad. The game proved to be great stimulus to the English, who realized that their young players had been neglected. The stimulus, however, is encouraging in that we now see that the interest is evident both in England and America. The Hon. George Bathurst supplied the ponies for the third game at Cirencester. Again the intercollegiates were victorious in a fast evenly-matched game, 6-3. The next day, the team played against Windsor at Windsor Park. A strong
wind had set in, the play was difficult, yet the Americans again won in a near shutout, 5-1. It was then said in a Horse and Hound article, “On good ponies they (the college team) would take a lot of stopping by one of our 12-goal teams.” The tour was over and the team was to return home, but the Americans were invited to play in two of England’s best low-goal tournaments—the Gloucestershire Cup at Cirencester and the Holden White Cup at Cowdray. With the helpful assistance of Judy Balding, Tom Barlow, one of the Cambridge players and Lord Cowdray, the team was able to gather a string together to play in these tournaments. The effort proved worthwhile as they won the Gloucestershire Cup, 6-3, over The Rest, after easily defeating three teams (Buccaneers 4-4; Barton Abbey 4-2; Farmington 3-1). Nineteen teams entered the Holden White Cup. Despite a vigorous schedule, plus weary ponies, the intercollegiate team managed to get to the semi-finals where they were finally downed, 7-3, by the eventual winners—Cheshire—thereby ending their streak of 10 consecutive wins. Following this, an exhibition game was
played at Cowdray, the Americans winning, thereby allowing them to end their tour successfully. During the latter part of his life, Gerald Balding, who had played for both England and America in international games, devoted his talent to teaching young players. It was his widow, Ellie, who housed the American team during much of their stay in England. In order to commemorate their visit and to return some of the generosity shown to them, the team presented to England a trophy to be called The Gerald Balding Memorial Cup in memory of Gerald, his widow, their English hosts and Gerald’s devoted interest in the young polo player. With the same interest at heart, the English likewise gave a cup to be played for in America. Through this exchange of cups it is hoped that the tournament will stimulate interest in the Balding tradition here and abroad; a tradition that deeply holds the interest of the young player at heart; a tradition that accepts the young, that teaches them, that eventually will make it possible to give to England and America young players who can carry on this great game. POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 61
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M A Y 31 - A U G U S T 2 5 Rincon League Pro-Am (6-8) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA J U N E 2 - J U L Y 14 Summer League (4) Southampton, Water Mill, NY J U N E 8 - J U LY 2 2 Independence Cup (8) Southampton, Water Mill, NY J U N E 15 - J U LY 1 USPA Officers Cup (8) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY J U N E 2 2 - J U LY 1 East Coast Women’s Championship Handicap (12-14) Open (16-20) Westchester, Portsmouth, RI J U N E 2 5 - J U LY 15 Silver Cup (16-20) Greenwich, Greenwich, CT J U N E 2 8 - J U LY 8 Pan-American Cup (2) San Diego Surf, Del Mar, CA J U LY 1 Stars & Stripes Tournament Menlo Circus, Atherton, CA Dark Horse Classic Play Polo, Westerville, OH
Malcolm Wallop Trophy Big Horn, Big Horn, WY Independence Cup Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO J U LY 4 - 2 9 USPA Eduardo Moore Invitational (8) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY J U LY 6 - 8 Women’s Championship (11-13) Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD Constitution Cup (4-6) Twin City, Maple Plain, MN Chicago Women’s Cup (6-10) Oak Brook, Oak Brook, IL Craig Sakin Memorial Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO J U LY 6 - 2 2 Club League NYC, Patterson, NY
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J U LY 7 Miguel Torres/World Gym (4-8) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA Gallatin Ranch Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY J U LY 7 - 8 USPA NYTS Qualifier Myopia, South Hamilton, MA Tiger Kneece Clinic Heritage, Canaan, NH Low Goal Classic Seneca, Poolesville, MD Summer Invitational Bluewater Creek, Rogersville, AL Constitution Cup (4-6) Twin City, Maple Plain, MN J U L Y 7 - 14 Burger King Juniors Invitational St. Ann, Drax Hall, Jamaica J U LY 7 - AU G U S T 4 Hampton’s League (6) Southampton, Water Mill, NY J U LY 8 High-Goal Challenge (16) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA
Montaylor Ranch Trophy/Connell Cup Big Horn, Big Horn, WY Gigi’s Playhouse Fundraiser Lancaster, Lancaster, PA J U LY 8 - 15 Cyril Harrison Cup (8) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA Masters Cup (4-8_ Bliss, Levering, MI J U L Y 11 - 2 2 U.S. Arena Open Championship Country Farms, Medford, NY J U LY 12 - 15 Constitution Cup (6) Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD J U LY 13 Children’s Summer Tourney Mountain View, Charles Town, WV J U L Y 1 3 - 14 NYTS Farmington, Farmington, CT
J U LY 13 - 15 The ChukkerTV Challenge Cup Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO J U LY 13 - 2 2 Robert Skene Trophy (16) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA J U LY 13 - AU G U S T 12 New York Cup (8) Southampton, Water Mill, NY J U L Y 14 Max Berger (0-4) Tinicum, Erwinna, PA USPA Congressional Cup (4-6) St. Louis, Defiance, MO Cloud Peak Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY J U L Y 14 - 1 5 USPA/PTF Senior’s Tourney Blackberry, Batavia, IL Women’s Challenge (2-4) Twin City, Maple Plain, MN Pacific Coast Arena League Lakeside, Lakeside, CA NYTS Nashville, Nashville, TN Black Diamond, Alberta, Canada 2-Goal Tournament Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 14th Paws on the Lawn Bluewater Creek, Rogersville, AL Polo on the Green Des Moines, Norwalk, IA J U L Y 14 - 2 3 Robert Skene Trophy (12-16) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA J U LY 15 Ortho Neuro Cup Play Polo, Westerville, OH WYO Rodeo/Eaton’s Ranch Cups Big Horn, Big Horn, WY Sportsmanship Cup (0-4) Hawaii, Waialua, HI J U LY 18 - 2 2 Constitution Cup (4) Acoaxet, Tiverton, RI
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J U L Y 19 - 21 Masters Cup (Arena 3-6) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA J U LY 2 0 Orthwein Cup (4-6) St. Louis, Defiance, MO J U L Y 21 Bradford Brinton Memorial Flying H, Big Horn, WY J U L Y 2 0 - 21 NYTS Buffalo, Wainfleet, Ontario, Canada Women’s Challenge (8-12) Farmington, Farmington, CT J U LY 2 0 - 2 2 Polo for the Cure Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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NYC, Patterson, NY J U LY 2 5 - 2 9 Women’s Challenge (6-10) Honolulu, Waimanalo, HI Piper Cup (10-12) Banbury Cross, Middleburg, VA
AU G U S T 1 - 13 United States Arena Handicap (12) Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO
J U LY 2 7 - 2 9 The Emma Challenge Cup Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO Heritage Polo Cup (2) Heritage, Canaan, NH
Masters Cup (4-6) Jackson Hole, Jackson, WY
Summer Splash Bluewater Creek, Rogersville, AL J U LY 2 2 Cloud Peak Bowl/Bank of the West Cup Big Horn, Big Horn, WY Governors Cup (0-4) Hawaii, Waialua, HI J U LY 2 2 - 2 9 USPA Chairman’s Cup (8-12) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA J U LY 2 4 - 2 8 Family Low-Goal St. Ann, Drax Hall, Jamaica J U LY 2 4 - AU G U S T 7 USPA National Arena Handicap Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO J U LY 2 4 - AU G U S T 13 USPA Players Cup (4)
Goose Creek Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY
USPA Officers Cup (4-6) St. Louis, Defiance, MO
The Basalt Handicap Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO
The Knox Memorial (0-2) Buffalo, Wainfleet, Ontario, Canada
Intra-Circuit Cup (0-4) Hawaii, Waialua, HI
J U L Y 31 The ChukkerTV Arena Challenge Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO
Women’s Challenge (4-8, 8-12) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA
Sportsmanship Cup (-3-2) St. Croix, Woodville, WI
D.A. Davidson Cup/Nicholson Memorial Big Horn, Big Horn, WY
J U LY 2 7 Ronny Maher Memorial Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD
Sportsmanship Cup (4-6) Jackson Hole, Jackson, WY
J U L Y 21 - 2 2 HYT Polo Challenge Will Rogers, Los Angeles, CA
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A U G U S T 1 - 19 USPA Constitution Cup (4) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY AU G U S T 2 - 4 Family High-Goal St. Ann, Drax Hall, Jamaica AU G U S T 2 - S E P T E M B E R 5 Sportsmanship Cup (0-2, 4-6) Twin City, Maple Plain, MN
J U LY 2 7 - AU G U S T 12 USPA America Cup (16) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA
AU G U S T 3 USPA Intra Circuit St. Louis, Defiance, MO
J U LY 2 8 Lester Crossman Cup (2) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA
AU G U S T 3 - 5 The High Alpine Cup Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO
Arby Dobb (0-4) Tinicum, Erwinna, PA Gateway to Hope Benefit Spirit Valley, Chesterfield, MO Oliver Wallop Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY J U LY 2 8 - 2 9 NYTS Twin City, Maple Plain, MN Full Moon Polo Bluewater Creek, Rogersville, AL Padres Memorial Des Moines, Norwalk, IA
AU G U S T 3 - S E P T E M B E R 1 Arena Women’s Challenge (0-3) Commonwealth, Paris, KY AU G U S T 3 - S E P T E M B E R 5 Landhope Challenge Cup Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA A U G U S T 3 - S E P T E M B E R 16 Southampton Cup (8) Southampton, Water Mill, NY AU G U S T 4 Mashomack Family Day Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY Skeeter Johnston Memorial Flying H, Big Horn, WY
J U LY 2 8 - S E P T M E B E R 8 Fall League (4) Southampton, Water Mill, NY
AU G U S T 4 - 5 Pacific Coast Arena League Central Coast, Los Osos, CA
J U LY 2 9 World Class Title/American Eagle Cup Play Polo, Westerville, OH
AU G U S T 5 Realty Source Polo Cup Play Polo, Westerville, OH
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Luplow Mem/Fremont Motors Cup Big Horn, Big Horn, WY Archie MacCarty Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY AU G U S T 5 - 12 W. Cameron Forbes Cup (6) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA AU G U S T 6 Hot Shots Tournament Southampton, Water Mill, NY AU G U S T 8 - 12 Sportsmanship Cup (0-4) Honolulu, Waimanalo, HI AU G U S T 8 - 15 Arena World Cup Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO AU G U S T 9 - 12 Congressional Cup (4-8) Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD Museum of Polo Challenge Cup Banbury Cross, Middleburg, VA AU G U S T 10 - 12 The Rocky Mountain Open Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO AU G U S T 10 - 2 7 Pacific Coast Open (16-20) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA A U G U S T 11 Linfoot Memorial Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA Presidents Cup (4-8) Tinicum, Erwinna, PA Arena Rules & Strategy Clinic Mountain View, Charles Town, WV Moncreiffe Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY A U G U S T 11 - 1 2 Holly Ward Memorial Sugarbush, Waitsfield, VT Dog Iron Tournament Will Rogers, Los Angeles, CA A U G U S T 11 - 19 Congressional Cup (4-8) Bliss, Levering, MI
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AU G U S T 12 Aiken Nuptial Cup Lancaster, Lancaster, PA
AU G U S T 2 2 - S E P T E M B E R 9 USPA Tracey Mactaggart Challenge (8) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY
A U G U S T 14 - S E P T E M B E R 3 USPA Masters Cup (6) NYC, Patterson, NY
AU G U S T 2 4 - 2 5 Oyster Cup Cerro Pampa, Petaluma, CA
A U G U S T 1 5 - 19 Officers Cup (4-6) Twin City, Maple Plain, MN
AU G U S T 2 4 - 2 6 The Carbondale Classic Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO
M.C. Sifton Memorial Toronto, Markham, Ontario, Canada AU G U S T 15 - 2 6 Governors Cup (0-6) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA AU G U S T 15 - 3 0 National Amateur Cup (0-4) Lexington, Lexington, KY A U G U S T 16 - S E P T E M B E R 2 Pacific Coast Open (16) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA A U G U S T 16 - 19 Binger Cup (0, 4) Twin City, Maple Plain, MN Hublot Polo Gold Cup Polo Club Gstaad, Switzerland A U G U S T 17 - 19 The Mount Sopris Cup Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO AU G U S T 18 Tuckerman Cup (4) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA Pacific Polo Tour Hollywood Cup Will Rogers, Los Angeles, CA Bozeman Trail Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY A U G U S T 1 8 - 19 I/I Alumni Tournament (2-6) Central Coast, Los Osos, CA A U G U S T 19 Capital City Aviation Cup Play Polo, Westerville, OH A U G U S T 19 - 2 6 USPA Governor Cup (6) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA
George Haas Windswept Trophy (2-4) Farmington, Farmington, CT Polo Ponies Memorial (6-8) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA AU G U S T 2 5 Women’s Challenge Cup Tinicum, Erwinna, PA Endangered Wolf Benefit Spirit Valley, Chesterfield, MO Flying H Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY AU G U S T 2 6 Caribbean Cup Lancaster, Lancaster, PA Amateur Cup (0-4) Hawaii, Waialua, HI AU G U S T 2 6 - S E P T E M B E R 0 9 East Coast Open (16-20) Greenwich, Greenwich, CT AU G U S T 2 8 - S E P T E M B E R 2 NYTS Championship (0-4) Columbine, Littleton, CO AU G U S T 3 0 - S E P T E M B E R 2 Labor Day Cup (2) Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD A U G U S T 31 - S E P T E M B E R 2 Women’s Challenge (0-6) Banbury Cross, Middleburg, VA Gerald Balding (6-8) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA The Triple Crown of Polo Trophy Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO A U G U S T 31 - S E P T E M B E R 1 2 Coal Cup Invitational (14) Mt. Brilliant, Lexington, KY
Note: All dates are subject to change. “USPA” refers to tournaments sponsored or sanctioned by the United States Polo Association. “NYTS” refers to National Youth Tournament Series. “I/I” refers to Interscholastic/Intercollegiate.
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