I N T E R C O L L E G I AT E I N T E R S C H O L A S T I C
In the saddle Subcommittee member dedicates life to horses By Emily Dewey
Beth challenges I/I player Parker Pearce to the ball at Maryland Polo Club.
I/I subcommittee chair Beth Supik grew up around horses, at times with a focus on polo. She competed in both interscholastic and intercollegiate competitions before starting a career with equine athletes. A child of a racehorse trainer and a professional show hunter rider and trainer, Beth Supik’s birthday was a practically timed event. Her mother had a planned c-section scheduled for after Dec. 1 to give her an extra year in the junior circuit, so Beth was destined to ride. “Like a typical horse crazy kid, I didn’t walk anywhere,” Beth laughs. “I galloped.” At two-and-ahalf years old she entered the show ring and began a childhood in the saddle.
PAUL ZAPPALA
Garrison Forest’s coach Kelly Wells, Cara Whelton, Melissa Riggs, Beth and Annie Buck in 1998. It was the only time all girls won the Open National Interscholastic.
24 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Supik’s childhood best friend, Elizabeth was the daughter of Tom Voss, a hall of fame trainer and one of the founders of the Maryland Polo Club in Monkton, Maryland. Beth and Elizabeth were allowed to ride the polo ponies and stick and ball. “Young players have so many opportunities in polo now—the Middle School League, NYTS, so many things!” Beth exclaimed. “We were rarely allowed to even play on the main fields of the Maryland Polo Club when I was younger. When I did get a chukker, I was terrified of messing up! Adult players are much more accepting of youth players than they used to be.” Her fascination with polo took off when she transferred to Baltimore County’s Garrison Forest School and was able to participate in its nationally recognized polo program. Beth stayed with the hunters until high school but was ready for something new. Polo took the front seat when she made the varsity team at GFS.
