POLO REPORT DISPATCHES FROM THE WORLD OF POLO CENTRAL
COLIN MACDONALD
BLUE TRIUMPHS IN SPENCER SMITH MEMORIAL
Davis McClarty, far left, and Tia Andrews, middle, tangle in the Spencer Smith Memorial. Andrews’ teammate Katie Smith and McClarty’s teammate Regan Smith are far right.
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HE Springfield Polo Club held its 2nd Annual Spencer Smith Memorial at its renowned fields in Birds Hill Provincial Park, in Manitoba, Canada, Aug. 22-23. Two teams played off over two days, ending knotted in a tie and requiring a shootout to name the tournament winner. Although travel was still permitted within Western Canada, the club made the responsible but difficult decision to avoid inviting out-of-town teams to compete due to rising concerns sur-
52 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
rounding the novel coronavirus. With a resolve to continue to honor Spencer Smith, the club member pivotal in shaping the club throughout 30-plus years before losing his fight with cancer in 2018, the club elected to field teams of local players. Many local members stepped up to take on big roles on the field throughout the season, along with finding more time to exercise and train their horses in the unusual year with open schedules and an absence of hired
help for the horses. Ultimately, the involving nature of the year for local club members brought out the best of each member’s playing and riding abilities and it was highlighted during the tournament. Just as Smith would have liked it when he was managing the fields and organizing the tournaments, the playing surface was immaculate going into Sunday’s final. After ending level at 44 the first day, the teams continued the second day with extremely close
