P O L O D E V E L O P M E N T, L L C
Ready, set, go! NYTS qualifier season gets underway By Hayley Heatley
The summer polo season looks bright. The National Youth Tournament Series program offers young players, aged 19 and under, the opportunity to play with and against their peers in USPA circuit events. The qualifier tournaments take place beginning early in the spring and culminate in the NYTS National Championship Cecil Smith Cup and NYTS Girls National Championship held in early September. This year’s national championship is slated to be held in Chicago, Illinois, at the historic Oak Brook Polo Club and surrounding clubs. Clubs interested in hosting a NYTS Qualifier, please email NYTS@uspolo.org or visit uspolo.org for more information. The NYTS qualifier season got started with the following events:
HAYLEY HEATLEY
Empire’s Elise Pardue, Tennyson Hamir, Rosie Gonzalez and Ajay Moturi topped Empire’s NYTS.
Empire Polo Club Indio, California The club kicked off the qualifier season, hosting five teams in the tournament, played in conjunction with its junior tournament honoring Margery Magill. Players, representing multiple clubs throughout California, participated in the two-day tournament.
A majority of the players participate in both the USPA Interscholastic program and the NYTS program. Teams A+ Welding: Ana Sophia Wolf, Piers Bossom, Helena Bache, Nicholas Fernandez Empire: Tennyson Hamir, Elise Pardue, Rosie Gonzalez, Ajay Moturi Yolo Polo: Mike Estrada, Lily Gonzalez, Taylor Olcott, Zachery Cobbs Sutter Buttes: Morgan Manos, Matias Wolf, Kyla Douglas, Caroline Mathews Horse Park: Rolando Llamas, Lars Neumann, Alyssa Garcia, Simone Harper Final: Empire defeated A+ Welding, 4-2. All-Stars: Piers Bossom, Lars Neumann, Taylor Olcott, Elise Pardue, Caroline Mathews, Ajay Moturi, Nicholas Fernandez, Lily Gonzalez Best Playing Pony: Taylor Olcott’s Rubio Eldorado Polo Club Indio, California Four teams competed in the tournament. Taylor Olcott’s gelding, Rubio, was awarded his second Best Playing Pony award within the month. Due to COVID-19 restrictions throughout 2020 and 2021, the club was unable to hold its weekly junior polo program, however, it is eager to be back to its full junior polo schedule in 2022. Teams Bush League: Quinn Kyle, Ulysses Escapite, Zain Hamir, Taylor Olcott Eldorado: Elise Pardue, Mike Estrada, Tennyson Hamir, Ana Sophia Wolf, Alyssa Garcia Seattle Polo: Colby Smith, Matias Wolf/Brock Rubin, Ajay Moturi, Morgan Manos Yari Daimyo: Riley Jordan, Augie Spear, Simone Harper, Rosie Gonzalez Final: Bush League defeated Eldorado, 7-3.
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