U.S. Polo Association’s Team USA Competed in First Official Event
The United States Polo Association’s (USPA) 2010 Team USA Program officially kicked off last weekend, February 13-15, at the International Polo Club Palm Beach, located in Wellington, Florida. Twenty-four young men and women were selected from nearly seventy-five applications to attend rigorous evaluations and education sessions with nearly all of the American professional high-goal players.
The Team USA selectees represented young players from around the country, including Hawaii, Texas, California, New York and Florida.
Trevor Allen-Florida, Belinda Brody-New York, Jacob Brown-Pennsylvania, Chris Collins-Colorado, Devon Dailey-Hawaii, Cristina Fernandez-South Carolina, Taylor Freeman-South Carolina, Nicolai Galindo-California, Carlitos Galindo-California, Cachi Garcia-Valez – Florida, Matt Huckeba-Wyoming, Steve Krueger-Texas, Nick Morrison-California, Rob Payne-Texas, Megan Shader-Maryland, C.B. Scherer-Florida, Jared Sheldon-California, Josh Shelton-Kansas, Molly Smith-Ohio, Nick Snow-Masaschusetts, Jacob Stimmel-Texas, Will Tankard-Tennessee, Collin White-California, Mason Wroe-Texas
The professional polo players included: Adam Snow, Owen Rinehart, Joey Casey, Tommy Biddle, Luis Escobar, Jeff Hall, Jeff Blake, Kris Kampsen, Charlie Muldoon, Hector Galindo and the highest-rated woman player of all-time, Sunny Hale.
Team USA players and their professional high-goal counterparts braved the elements with severe wind conditions during the three-day event which included numerous training sessions led by former ten-goal players Adam Snow and Owen Rinehart. The weekend also included education sessions by noted sports psychologist Mark Brown Lee and USPA Professional Umpire Dale Schwetz.
The first day of the event featured a series of hitting and riding evaluations while the second day focused on coached, three-on-three team play. The event came to a close on Monday with the 24 selectees assigned to a team with a total of six teams. The teams competed in a series of round robin matches coached and evaluated by the professional players.
According to Team USA head coach Charlie Muldoon, “The weekend was a major success as the polo community came together to help these talented young players. The USPA did a wonderful job organizing every aspect of the event so that each player of Team USA got the most they could from it. I am especially proud of my fellow professionals who donated their time which allowed these young players to learn so much in such a short time. It is rewarding to be a part of this program and I look forward to our next Team USA event.”
Kris Bowman, USPA National Club Development Director and Team USA event organizer was also overwhelmed by the support of the polo community. “We received a great response from professional players and sponsors in support of Team USA which is what this program is about. Their support will make the difference.”
The Team USA Program was designed to identify, evaluate, promote and educate a number of young men and women further providing them with playing and learning opportunities. This grass-roots program, funded and endorsed by the USPA, seeks to develop homegrown talent using a variety of resources, including high-quality mentorship with some of the highest rated American professionals.
USPA Chairman Tom Biddle acknowledged all of the people involved with last week’s event, contributing them to what he felt was a first step in the right direction for the program. “This was a well organized start to a program never before attempted by the USPA. The dedication shown by our high goal players and USPA staff was outstanding. Team USA members are now aware of the opportunities never before available to young upcoming players.”
Mr. Biddle further stated that the next step will be a concentrated effort by the Team USA staff to place as many of the players as possible in mentoring situations that will be monitored. “One of our goals is to ensure the program’s success in terms of elevating these young men and women’s playing ability as well as their knowledge of the game.”
All of the 24 Team USA selectees will be featured on the Team USA page located on the USPA website and on the Team USA Facebook Page. All team and club owners throughout the country will be encouraged to consider these young American players when forming teams.
Charles Smith, former seven goal player and a member of the Polo Hall of Fame, and Team USPA sub-committee chairman commented, “This is a great opportunity for players and clubs throughout the country to help some of our finest young American players.”
USPA Executive Director Peter Rizzo further stated that the program’s purpose goes beyond professional opportunities to be sought after. “One of the most important goals of the Team USA Program is to provide opportunities for young men and women from around the country to meet each other and begin a whole new generation of bonding and networking relationships that will initiate and sustain friendships that will go beyond the world of polo. These relationships will be the foundation and future of the sport of polo in the United States.”