The Polo School Ends Successful Summer At Aspen Valley Polo Club; Preparing For Grand Champions Fall Season |
After a record turnout at Aspen Valley Polo Club this summer, the Polo School is preparing for the fall season at Grand Champions Polo Club. The Polo School, headed by instructors Juan Bollini and Melissa Ganzi, both full-time polo players, is helping to grow the sport of polo at the grass roots level. If the record turnout at the nation’s fastest growing polo club is any indication, the future of polo is in good hands.
“I was very pleased with our kids tournament,” said Ganzi, who has played a major role in the growth and development of polo with the Polo Training Foundation. “All those kids learned how to play polo let alone ride this summer,” Ganzi said. The Polo School students demonstrated their foot mallet skills during the club’s tournaments with halftime demonstrations and shortened games.
The Polo School is year-round, alternating between seasons at Aspen Valley Polo Club in Carbondale, Colo. and Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington, Fla. The Polo School operates in Aspen in June, August and December and in Wellington January through June and September through November. The Polo School, a 501c3 organization, is dedicated to teaching polo to all ages, particularly grass roots youth. Its mission is to provide all individuals opportunities in polo.
While the emphasis is on youth and teaching the proper technique and skills, The Polo School is for men and women of all ages; shapes and sizes; and from all walks of life. The sport is affordable at The Polo School. It’s not necessary to own a horse or equipment or look for a sponsor. The club rents horses and equipment and has a variety of affordable single and group lesson packages to choose from.
Bollini, a former 8-goal polo player from Argentina, is head instructor and will take beginners through the basics of the game. He also helps intermediate and advanced players hone their skills and horsemanship. Ganzi was pleased with the progress of the kids she worked with in Aspen. The kids were fast learners and were appreciative of her knowledge and the way she took time to work with them one-on-one. Several of them took the time to write thank you letters to her.
The Polo School is helping grow membership and bringing new players into the sport. Both Aspen and Grand Champions host youth tournaments. Ganzi created the unique ProKidz Tournament Series where young players compete with and against a pro who instructs them during games.
The Polo Training Foundation has also been instrumental in the growth of junior and youth polo players by encouraging the sport’s development with training programs, lessons and tournaments for boys and girls and international exchange programs. Ganzi serves as PTF secretary-treasurer. Her children, Grant and Riley, both outstanding amateur players, have grown up playing in PTF events.
ChukkerTV, the leaders in worldwide polo broadcasting, has been live streaming most of the club’s tournaments during the summer in Aspen and as a special treat also live streamed some of the kids’ events. ChukkerTV is in the midst of its second annual Summer Tour, a 13,000-mile cross country trip featuring several U.S. Polo Association tournaments, including the East Coast Open at Greenwich (Ct.) Polo Club through Sept. 6.
ASPEN VALLEY POLO CLUB The exclusive Aspen Valley Polo Club is one of the nation’s fastest-growing clubs. It offers polo in the summer for players and spectators. The Polo School is available to adults and juniors. Individual and group lessons are available for all levels and ages in both arena and grass polo. For spectators, there are great field side views for tournament action and also the Aspen Valley Polo Club Boutique. Everyone is welcome to watch polo in a relaxed atmosphere with food and refreshments provided by Aspen Valley Polo Club. Admission and parking are free. For Polo On Demand price rates of group and private lessons, arena chukkers, grass chukkers and individualized “Polo Experience” packages email aspenvalleypolo@bellsouth.net. Polo will return in the winter with the Dec. 17-19 USPA Piaget World Snow Polo Championship, one of the world’s top tournaments. 2015 POLO ON DEMAND Grand Champions Polo Club, featuring five world-class fields, has a full schedule of fall tournaments from September to November. Let our polo experts create a turn-key experience including top pros to bring out the best in you and your team. Lessons are available. 2015 FALL SCHEDULE Sept. 30-Oct. 4: Tackeria Invitational; Oct. 6-11: US Trust Cup; Oct. 13-18, USPA Fall Classic; Oct. 20-25: USPA Kay Colee Memorial; Oct. 27-Nov. 1: Pedro Morrison Memorial; Nov. 1-15: USPA North American 20-Goal Cup; Nov. 3-8, USPA Fall Plates; Nov. 11-22: USPA National 20-Goal Tournament; Nov. 28: Carlos Gracida Legends of Polo Memorial and International Cup, Team USA vs. South Africa |
