Central Hub

Chicago polo grows despite pandemic

Mariano Gutierrez and Tommy Collingwood battle in the Sportsmanship Cup final.

While the global pandemic caused havoc in many polo seasons, shortening some while canceling others altogether, the Chicago Polo Association entered its third season with high expectations. It met its goals by further advancing its polo initiatives from 2019 and creating new ones for 2020.

Chicago Polo is a collective, cooperative effort of seven area clubs, with a total of 15 polo fields, seven polo arenas and three polo schools. The clubs joined forces as a way to grow and develop the sport of polo in the greater Chicagoland area and establish itself as a regional asset for the USPA’s Central Circuit. The association was created to better optimize Chicagoland’s numerous polo activities, including practices, grass and arena tournaments, exhibition matches, and polo schools for the area’s more than 155 players.

According to Chicago Polo Executive Director Pam Mudra, the schools have started 35 new players, which resulted in several horse leases and sales.

“Chicago Polo has seen success from last year. We are continuing to gain momentum and increase participation at all levels of polo. This was the busiest summer polo season even during the COVID-19 shutdowns in the state of Illinois,” said Mudra.

“When we started the Chicago Polo Association in 2018, we barely had enough player support for three 4-goal teams. This year we had three polo schools, a practice league, two women’s tournaments, NYTS, as well as 0-, 4-, 8- and 12-goal polo. We had visiting 8goal teams come in from St. Louis and Louisville that are making plans to come and play several tournaments with us next summer. We are the Midwest hub for polo and plan on making 2021 an even busier season,” she said.

The season got off the ground in late July after receiving approval from state and local authorities. State guidelines limited capacity at the clubs to 20% while instituting social distancing and personal protective equipment mandates.

Daniel OLeary, managing director of Oak Brook Polo, said, “There was a silver lining to the pandemic that only polo could achieve. We may not have been successful financially, but operationally and visibly, it was a massive success. It took a lot of educating and hard work to justify why polo is in a league of its own compared to traditional sports. We wrote the CDC guidelines for polo and hope others emulate our playbook and have as much success as we had.”

According to Mudra, 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 prospered in and around Chicagoland with as many as 50 polo clubs hosting competitive, professional and amateur polo. Various well-known Chicago families were avid polo players and helped bring attention to the sport, including the Wrigleys, McCormicks, Armours and the Butlers.

Chicago was also home to a number of notable and historic polo events, including the East vs. West

match that drew over 40,000 spectators to the Onwentsia Club in 1933; 24 U.S. Open Polo Championships from 1954 to 1979 at the Oak Brook Polo Club; and the first all-women’s polo club in the United States, the Naperville Women’s Polo Club in the 1980s.

This year, the season was highlighted with 14 USPA tournaments, including NYTS, women’s, arena, and 8- and 12-goal level competitions.

MVP Grace Mudra pilots Best Playing Pony Thing 2 in the Women’s Challenge.

Jaguar’s Seth Roy, Mason Phelps, Billy O’Leary and Eddy Martinez won the 4goal Buzz Cup Player’s Cup.

12-goal League

The newly-formed 12-goal league offered five tournaments, attracting four teams each. In the USPA Chicago Invitational Constitution Cup played Aug. 5, at Las Brisas Polo Club, G2 (Larry Aschebrook, Juan Martin Gutierrez, Juan Martin Obregon, Matias Obregon) defeated Las Brisas (Chris

Robert’s Angels’ Minya Bulic, Robert McGinley, Megan West and Celia Strobos won the Arena Sportsmanship Cup. Vangel, Pedro Manion, Lindor Corvalan, Miguel Gutierrez), 12-8.

The teams matched each other early, allowing Las Brisas to hold on to a handicap goal it received. But, G2 dominated the rest of the match to win.

Juan Martin Obregon’s eight goals earned him MVP honors and his Pantera was Best Playing Pony.

Next up was the Chicago Polo Open, won by Good Thunder over Oak Brook (results in Oct. issue).

The $2,500 Gen. George S. Patton Cup final was also played as the first game of the Butler International Cup (results in Nov. issue). The finals of both tournaments saw the same teams but with different results. The Patton final pitted USA (Toto Obregon, Mariano Gutierrez, Horacio Onetto, Jim Drury) against Argentina (Larry Aschebrook, Juan Martin Gutierrez, Juan Martin Obregon, Matias Obregon). Juan Martin Obregon put Argentina ahead early, but USA rallied to lead, 5-4, at the half.

Juan Martin Obregon tied the score in the fourth with a Penalty 4, then added two more unanswered goals in the fifth to give Argentina a 7-5 lead, which it held until the end. Juan Martin Obregon was MVP and his Twister was Best Playing Pony.

8-goal League

In the USPA Congressional Cup, Oak Brook (Aiden Meeker, Toto Obregon, Horacio Onetto, Tomas Aubone) defeated Sanfilippo/Aubone Towers (Keith Gray, Deigo Varela, Lindor Corvalan, Miguel Gutierrez), 9-6, at Arranmore Polo Club. The teams matched each other in the first 14 minutes but Oak Brook got ahead with a pair of unanswered goals in the third to take a 5-3 lead into the half.

The teams mostly kept pace in the second half but the damage was done and Oak Brook prevailed 9-6. Onetto was high-scorer with five goals, including two penalty conversions.

A few weeks later, G2 (Larry Aschebrook, Vaughn Miller, Jr., Juan Martin Gutierrez, Matias Obregon) got the best of Sanfilippo/Font (Maximo Font, Diego Varela, Lindor Corvalan, Miguel Gutierrez), 7-4, in the Gen. George S. Brown tournament played at Las Brisas Polo Club.

G2 led 3-1 at the half. Sanfilippo managed to

briefly tie the score, but G2 regained the lead to claim victory.

Miller was named MVP and Obregon’s fifth chukker pony was Best Playing Pony. The winners went home with trophies and $2,500.

Five teams competed in the USPA Officer’s Cup, played from July 24-Aug. 2. Las Brisas (Mason Phelps, Larry Aschebrook, Juan Martin Obregon, Juan Martin Gutierrez) edged River Bend Farm (Parker von Gontard, Umberto Sanchez, Alfredo Guerreno, Peter von Gontard Jr.) in the semifinal, the second overtime match between the teams. Morgan Creek/Good Thunder (Bill Patterson, Tod Rackley, Tommy Collingwood, Derek Berg) edged Tower Warriors (James Sanfilippo Sr., Diego Varela, Lindor Corvalan, Miguel Gutierrez), 7-6, in the other semi.

Good Thunder prevailed in a rain-soaked final that required a shootout to determine a winner.

Six teams filled the rosters in the USPA $30,000 Sportsmanship Cup. The teams were divided into two brackets with the top two teams in each bracket moving on to the semifinals.

In the first semifinal, Morgan Creek/Good Thunder (Bill Patterson, Tod Rackley, Tommy Collingwood, Cristobal Consigliere) defeated Las Brisas (Larry Aschebrook, Chris Vangel, Matias Obregon, Juan Martin Gutierrez), 7-5. The second semifinal between Oak Brook (Samantha Falbe, Toto Obregon, Mariano Gutierrez, Jim Drury) and PFP (Frauke Lueders, Andrew Garcia, Nino Obregon, Scott Silver) was canceled and Oak Brook advanced to the final.

Penalty shooting accuracy was key in a choppy final. Rackley sunk three penalties and scored two from the field, while Collingwood helped out with another four tallies to put Morgan Creek/Good Thunder in the winner’s circle. For Oak Brook, Obregon converted four penalties in a losing effort. Still, the match was close with the difference never more than two goals.

Tommy Collingwood was MVP and Tomas Obregon’s M&M was Best Playing Pony.

The final was played as part of the Team Up for Tony events, benefiting Tony Sekera. A longtime Chicago player, Sekera was left paralyzed from the chest down after a riding accident in 2017. An annual benefit for him raises funds to help with his long-term care. Area players are happy to participate to help their friend and hand over the tournament prize money. This year, the benefit raised $50,000, all prize money from two USPA events. Over $150,000 has been raised for Sekera over the past four years.

6-goal

Brinker Hill Farm (Kelcey Roberts, Christian Aycinena, RJ Roberts, Pedro Manion) doubled up Elk Grove /Sanfilippo (Courtney Rohs, Roueen Rafeyan, Lindor Corvalan, Adam Kaminski), 6-3, in the USPA $20,000 Master’s Cup at Oak Brook Polo Club. It was also part of the Team Up for Tony benefit. Seven teams, divided into two brackets, participated.

In the final, Elk Grove/Sanfilippo had trouble getting started while Brinker Hill Farm was hot out of the gate. Aycinena found the target early in the first chukker. Kelcey Roberts converted a Penalty 2 and Manion added another field goal to go up, 3-0. Kelcey Roberts converted another Penalty 2 in the second and RJ Roberts shot one in from the field to take a comfortable 5-0 lead at the half.

Robert Mooney, August Schneekloth, Aiden Meeker and Inez Onetto won the NYTS event.

Tod Rackley, Tommy Collingwood, Derek Berg and Bill Patterson won the 8goal Officers Cup.

Elk Grove successfully shut down Brinker Hill in the third, but was unable to reach the goal. Corvalan came alive in the final chukker, scoring a trio of goals, including a Penalty 2. Manion responded with a Penalty 4 conversion before the final horn sounded, giving Brinker Hill the 6-3 victory. Corvalan was MVP and his Pico Blanco was Best Playing Pony.

4-goal

Jaguar (Seth Roy, Mason Phelps, Billy O’Leary and Eddy Martinez) won the Buzz Cup Player’s Cup at Blackberry Polo Club in Batavia on Sept. 26.

O’ League

Blackberry Polo Club in Batavia hosted O’ League games in July, August and September. A visiting Grand Rapids team won the league in July.

After the matches, players received trophies, took pictures then shared beer and burgers together.

PTF Seniors Tournament

Blackberry Polo Club in Batavia, Illinois, hosted the PTF Seniors Cup on July 17. Barrington Hills (Keith Gray, Roueen Rafeyan, Joan-Carles Brugue, Gaston Raimondo) topped Twin/Quad (Jeff Boeh, Clifton Yandell, Pete Alworth, David Wolf), 3-1. The $2,500 in prize money for the winners was generously donated to the Polo Training Foundation.

NYTS

Oak Brook (Robert Mooney August Schneekloth, Aiden Meeker, Inez Onetto) edged Beaver Creek, 6-4, in the National Youth Tournament Series. Despite rainy skies and wet conditions, the young players put on a great show of sportsmanship and talent.

Women’s Tournaments

In the USPA $2,500 Women’s Challenge, Oak Brook (Minya Bulic, Emily Smedlund, Dolores Onetto, Grace Mudra) edged Beaver Creek (Inez Onetto, Bella Vangel, Megan West, Zivile Rackauskas), 3-1, at Oak Brook Polo Club on Aug. 2.

Five teams competed over two days. In the final, West was the first to strike in the first chukker. Mudra responded for Oak Brook in the second chukker. Mudra’s back-to-back goals in the third put Oak Brook up, 3-1. Beaver Creek was silenced for the remainder of the match, though it successfully shut down any more Oak Brook drives. Mudra, who scored all of her team’s goals was MVP and Thing 2, owned by Will Mudra and played by his sister Grace, was Best Playing Pony.

Arena

Robert’s Angels (Minya Bulic, Robert McGinley,

Megan West, Celia Strobos) crushed ILM Environments, 13-3, to take the 0- to 3-goal USPA $2,500 Arena Sportsmanship Cup.

In the 0- to 2-goal USPA $2,500 Arena Constitution Cup, played at Barrington Hills Polo Club, Lakewood (Minya Bulic, Joan-Carles Brugue, Celia Strobos, John Rosene) downed ILM Environments, 7-2, in the final.

Four teams played off on July 25, with each match played as two chukkers.

Mudra explained, “Moving into its fourth year, Chicago Polo will focus on continuing to build on the momentum established from the launch of the association and look to develop four key components of its program: starting new players; grow beginner and 4-chukker polo; continue to build upon Chicago Polo’s 6- to 8-goal and 12-goal leagues with local and out-of-state teams; and hold arena polo seasons with the goal of establishing a strong interscholastic presence and winter arena league.”

“It is exciting to see the cooperative effort between clubs, teams and facilities that have formed the CPA after three seasons. Its members grow more passionate and motivated every year to make it work and grow, while meeting the demands and needs of its multiple stakeholders,” said OLeary. “It is in no way an easy task and comes with its tensions. But those are easily outweighed and forgotten when we look at the growth at the end of every season. We come together more motivated to fix what went wrong and how we need to expand. 2021 is going to be big and 2022 is going to be even bigger.”

For more information about Chicago Polo please contact Pam Mudra by email at pam@chicagopolo.com. •

Juan Martin Obregon races ahead while under pressure from Tommy Collingwood in 8-goal action.