Polo Development

Meet the players

NYTS Championship Cecil Smith Cup

By Hayley Heatley

Eastern’s Reed Miller, Parker Pearce, Aiden Meeker and Winston Painter won the 2019 Cecil Smith Cup. Meeker and Painter are competing again this year.

The 2020 National Youth Tournament Series Championship was not immune to the cancellations caused by COVID-19. Originally scheduled for Sept. 8-13 at Oak Brook Polo Club in Oak Brook, Illinois, the USPA determined there were too many factors impeding its ability to host a safe and memorable event at that time. The USPA was able to reschedule the event for Jan. 12-15 at the Port Mayaca and International Polo Clubs.

Sixteen players divided into four teams competed for the USPA Cecil Smith Cup. These players have been recognized for their exceptional talent, leadership, horsemanship, sportsmanship and ability to work as a team. A girls’ championship will not be held this time. Current plans are to hold a 2021 NYTS Championship in Chicago in September.

The teams for the 2020 championship are as follows:

Western Region

Alea Crespo splits her time between Aiken, South Carolina, and Wellington, Florida. Her favorite horse is a chestnut gelding named Petaco. “He is a big teddy bear who will do any trick for a handful of grain. He is an incredible polo pony who enjoys fighting for a good ride off and it’s easy to tell how much he loves the game.” Crespo also enjoys playing softball.

Colby Smith was introduced to polo through his father’s Seattle Polo & Equestrian Club. Learning to ride young horses and working on horsemanship has been a foundational part of Smith’s connection with polo. His first homebred Thoroughbred, Aspen, is an all-around horse that plays polo and is a great ranch horse. Aside from polo, Smith has a passion for working on cars and is

currently rebuilding the suspension of his 1996 F-150.

Riley Jordan grew up on the back of horse in sunny Southern California. Jordan’s first horse Oakley allowed him to get into polo and start to improve as a player. He now has a filly out of her, Muskoka. Jordan competed in the 2018 and 2019 NYTS National Championship.

Niklaus Felhaber calls El Paso, Texas and the Rancho Naranjo Polo Club home. During high school, he played with Prestonwood Polo Club and won the 2019 National Interscholastic Championship with Vance Miller III and his brother, Johann Felhaber. Now a student at Texas A&M, Felhaber continues to play throughout the year.

Central Region

Texan Lily Lequerica, is known for making a splash on the polo field and at the fairgrounds. She shows her horses at the county fair and saves her earnings for college. Lequerica’s polo role model is Cody Ellis. “Playing against me he still continues to coach me as if I were his teammate. He always has a smile. I’ve seen very few games where he doesn’t impress everyone on and off the field. He is the most hard-working player out there and deserves everything and more in the polo world,” she said.

Grace Parker was introduced to polo through Paige and Barlee Flanders at the Houston Polo Club. Her first adventures with horses were in the show ring, but she quickly fell in love with polo. Her polo role model is Audrey Persano. “She is a great person both on and off the field. She is very tough with a man on the field and always gives it her all.” Aside from polo, Parker enjoys fishing, golfing and hunting.

Prestonwood Polo Club’s Vance Miller is eager for his final NYTS Championship appearance. Miller has had a successful run in the Interscholastic Program and is now playing Intercollegiate Polo at the University of North Texas alongside his brother, Vaughn Jr. Miller played in tournament polo in Houston, Tennessee, Chicago, Wyoming and Minneapolis this past summer while also competing in numerous NYTS Qualifier tournaments.

Lance Stefanakis carries an athletic gene, playing basketball, ping-pong and polo on his one wheel whenever he is not on a horse. He shares a love of the sport with his father and brother. The Stefanakis family is based out of Houston, Texas where they have a polo ranch just outside of the city. “I have looked up to my older brother, Sloan, my whole life. He is a good polo player.”

Florida

Vero Beach native, Finn Secunda was introduced to polo by his father and grandfather. He describes his favorite horse, Pitstop, as being sweet and friendly but also strong and powerful on the field. This summer, Secunda explored the West with his mother driving to Arches National Park, Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon.

Jack Whitman was first introduced to horses through his mother who participated in the hunter/jumper circuit. He took his first polo lesson at Gardnertown Polo Club and was hooked. Whitman is known for racing around playing foot mallet polo on his one wheel. This summer, he played in Bliss, Michigan. “Being so close to the lakes is incredible and the weather is amazing!”