DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
U S PA B U L L E T I N
Helmets Stay On Members of the Rules Committee, Safety Committee and USPA Umpires, LLC all agree that players who are mounted should keep their helmets on during the National Anthem and any other pregame or post-game ceremonies. The helmet rules (Outdoor Rule 4a and Arena Rule 3.a) apply before, during and after any Event. Armed Forces Committee Chair Mark Gillespie has also confirmed that the Defense Authorization Act of 2009 authorizes veterans and out-of-uniform military personnel to render hand salutes during the National Anthem without removing headgear. Players should not remove their helmets for the National Anthem and clubs should make sure their announcers reinforce this rule. Rule Variances Outdoor Rule 33 For the reasons explained below, the USPA chairman and Executive Committee have approved a variance to Outdoor Rule 33 requested by the USPA Rules Committee and USPA Umpires, LLC. The variance, which allows the umpires to issue three yellow cards for post-game misconduct, will apply as of Wednesday, May 19, in all polo played under the USPA Outdoor Rules. Background USPA Outdoor Rule 33 as currently written provides the umpires with two options for penalizing a player who demonstrates 6 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
unsportsmanlike conduct after the game ends: (1) issue the player two yellow cards, which requires the player to sit out for the first two minutes of play in his or her next game of equal or higher handicap for the same team with no substitute allowed for those two minutes of play in that game; or (2) issue the player a red card, which suspends the player for the entirety of his or her next game of equal or higher handicap for the same team with no substitute allowed for the first two minutes of play in that game. USPA umpires have found there are instances of post-game unsportsmanlike conduct which warrant a more severe punishment than two yellow cards but a less severe punishment than a red card. The variance adds the option of three yellow cards which, when issued, require the player to sit out for the first four minutes of play in his or her next game of equal or higher handicap for the same team with no substitute allowed for those four minutes of play in that game. Outdoor Rules 36 and 37 For the reasons explained below, the USPA chairman and Executive Committee have approved a variance to Outdoor Rules 36 and 37 requested by the USPA Rules Committee. The variance, which allows a player who is off the field during the execution of a defended penalty to return to his or her proper position before or after play is called, will apply as of Wednesday, May 19, in all polo played under the USPA Outdoor Rules.
