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
Alumni Networking Event connects former I/I members with local clubs By Ali Davidage • Photos by Pat Michaels
Players and coaches representing UVA, CSU, Cornell and WTR caught up with friends before the game.
“I haven’t done this in eight years!” This may be the favorite comment overheard at the inaugural Alumni Networking Event held at Seneca Polo Club in Poolesville, Maryland, in July. I/I program officials were excited to hold the event, which saw graduates of both the intercollegiate and interscholastic programs playing chukkers and mingling with other alumni, some for the first time in years. The newly-formed I/I Alumni Engagement Committee, made up of young I/I alumni from programs across the country, has worked for the last year on initiatives to bring alumni back to the sport. Chaired by Kareem Rosser, a Work to Ride and Colorado State University alumnus, the group has focused its efforts on how to best support and connect I/I alumni with clubs in their area after graduation, as well as connect alumni with each other. The group was excited to launch one of its first initiatives, an alumni engagement event, at Seneca Polo Club. Maryland is a hotbed of I/I talent and allaround fun, skilled polo. The club’s beautiful arena, with rolling hills serving as a backdrop, provided the
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perfect setting to invite alumni back to the arena to mingle and network as well as tune up on some polo. The event started Friday night with ‘Back to the Game’ chukkers, which included a wide range of ages and experience, allowing players who had not been playing to dip their feet back into the game. Next came a competitive round robin of recent alumni. While chukkers were going on, alumni mixed and mingled, sharing old polo stories, discussing new jobs, catching up with friends they hadn’t seen in a while, and exchanging business cards. Mark Gillespie, an I/I supporter and the chair of the USPA’s Armed Forces Committee, traveled from Virginia with two alumni to take part in the night of networking. Mark, who was the first to extend a warm welcome to anyone interested in playing with the crew at the Army Polo Club, said, “This was a great way to make connections and I had a lot of fun. I would encourage anyone who gets the chance to attend an alumni networking event to do so.” Jessica Schmitt, a recent alumnus from the University of Virginia and member of the Alumni
