September 2021 Polo Players' Edition- Championships Ahead

Championships Ahead

NYTS Qualifier Season Recently Concluded

By Hayley Heatley

Winnie Branscum, August Schneekloth, JB Long, Robby Mooney, Daniel Gallegos, Ariel Loza, Boyett Watridge, Allyssa Morgan, Kelsey Bray and Woods Kemmer in St. Louis.

The National Youth Tournament Series qualifier season officially begins each year on March 1, complimenting the schedule of the indoor intercollegiate/interscholastic season. As the summer heats up, there are often as many as four qualifier tournaments taking place per weekend. At each qualifier, all-stars are selected based on four criteria: horsemanship, sportsmanship, playing ability at current handicap and ability to play as a member of a team. From the compiled list of all-stars, the national teams are selected to play in the NYTS National Championship Cecil Smith Cup and the NYTS Girls National Championship.

Bill Dencker’s Nube, ridden by Saralyn Painter, was Best Playing Pony at Gardnertown.

This season ended Aug. 1, marking a successful year of tournaments across the United States and Canada. The NYTS Qualifiers are USPA circuit events organized and hosted by USPA member clubs. The program provides young players, aged 19 and under, with an opportunity to play with and against their peers in competitive outdoor polo. The resilience shown by member clubs, youth players and their families over the past two years is commendable.

Three teams competed in the Southampton NYTS qualifier.

Thank you to the host clubs:

Aiken Polo Club

Big Horn Polo Club

Black Diamond Polo Club

Chicago Polo Association/Las Brisas Polo Club

Bloomfield Polo Club

Cerro Pampa Polo Club

Eldorado Polo Club

Empire Polo Club

Gardnertown Polo Club

Giant Valley Polo Club

International Polo Club

Lancaster Polo Club

Maryland Polo Club

Maui Polo Club

Midland Polo Club

Myopia Polo Club

Nashville Polo Club

Prestonwood Polo Club

South Bay Polo Club

Roseland Polo Club/King’s Family Vineyard

Southampton Polo Club

Spa City Polo Club

St. Louis Polo Club

Tinicum Park Polo Club

Rolando Llamas, Simone Harper, Kyla Douglas, Morgan Manos, Ruby Decker, Angus Harris, Ajay Maturi, Lucas Esposto, Marco Esposto, Timur Kotelnikov, Helena Bache and Liliana Gonzalez compete at Cerro Pampa.

The NYTS Championship games begin Sept. 8 at Chicago Polo Association member clubs in the Chicago area and the finals of both the Girls and Open divisions will be played at the Oak Brook Polo Club on Sunday, Sept. 12. Oak Brook was once the home of elite professional polo and hosted the U.S. Open Polo Championship for 24-years.

Will Schneider, Sabine Stoben, Nadia Stoppe, Finlay Ramson and Chet Nelson were all-stars at Black Diamond.

Full coverage of the NYTS National Championships will be in next month’s issue.