follow @hurlinghampolo
TA L K
33
The best polo for me is in the 10-
to 16-goal range, played with competitive
friends. It is part of polo’s DNA to play with
amateurs, and it is very important for the
survival of the sport that the financiers
have a great time – they only have that if
they are part of the team and part of the
success, and they will only become part
of the team if the professionals back this up.
Of course, there are patrons for which
winning is more important than playing,
but I think those are the exceptions. Pros
and patrons have to make each other
understand what polo is all about. In the
end, winning or losing is of no consequence
– the satisfying feeling of riding healthy
and happy off the field, exhausted, to
the ponylines after a good game, means
I want to play again.
I’ve played a lot of good games, but the
most emotional was probably the German
high-goal championship in Berlin in 2018.
There was something very special about
playing on the historic Maifeld, the last
Olympic polo stadium in the world, with my
two sons Caspar and Caesar (3 goals each),
and Juani González (5). It is a privilege to
play alongside your children, and we won
this great tournament in a very close final.
Indeed, polo is one of the few sports you
can play with your family at a very high
level. My sons were lucky to start polo
very early, and watching them develop
and now playing with them gives me the
greatest satisfaction. Especially at the
ages of 12 to 18, it is so important to
be in conversation with your children,
and a common sport is a perfect way
to bring us together.
Of course, it is a special task to
keep the children grounded despite their
involvement in elite sports, and to educate
them about modesty, but I believe I have
succeeded and that my sons can appreciate
the work and the values behind it.
M A L L O R C A C O U L D B E A
G R E AT L O C AT I O N F O R P O L O
I N T H E C E N T R E O F E U R O P E
Opposite:
Caesar Crasemann
on the field
Below, from left:
Daniel
Crasemann, Juani Gonzales, Caspar
Crasemann and Caesar Crasemann at
the Maifeld Stadium.
Right:
Caesar
Crasemann and Manuel Elizalde
