Along the Sideboards
By Alex Webbe
February, 2010
As the 2010 Ylvisaker Cup continues rumors abound about US Open Championship teams and the possible expansion of the present field of nine teams we hear that John Goodman might be entering a team that would include Sugar Erskine (7), Mike Azzaro (9) and a player to be named. Fred Mannix Jr., is also said to be working on fielding a team for the 2010 event, but any guesses as to its composition would be pure speculation-even though his current teammate is the esteemed 10-goaler Mariano Aguerre.
The Metal Tech team of Will Johnston, Stevie Orthwein, James Armstrong and Robert Orthwein captured the 14-goal Wanderers Cup at IPC in January with a 14-13 overtime win over Lechuza II. Stevie Orthwein was named MVP and his horse, Ohio Rose was honored as Best Playing Pony.
The South Florida Challenge 12-Goal Pro-Am went to the Yellow Cab team of Simon Garber, Guille Usandizaga, Tavi Usandizaga and Will Johnston. Good month for Will. Tavi Usandizaga was selected MVP while Guille Usandizaga’s Guapita was named Best Playing Pony.
The Yellow Cab interest in polo wasn’t limited to the South Florida Challenge. Yellow Cab Patron Simon Garber also has a team entered in the Gulfstream 12-goal competition under the name SLS Jets; he has a team entered in the 20-goal competition at IPC; and two of his sons, Shaun and Jeffrey, are playing in the 8-goal tournament at Villa del Lago Equuleus.
The teams for this year’s Outback 40 Goal Challenge were announced, with Equuleus sponsoring the team of Mariano Aguerre, Gonzalito Pieres, Facundo Pieres and Eduardo Novillo Astrada. The EFG Bank team consists of Adolfo Cambiaso, Lolo Castagnola, Juan Martin Nero and Pablo Macdonough.
Detroit Polo (Paul Wheaton, Colin McCosh, Robert Orthwein and Peter Von Gontard) captured the William Conners Memorial Cup at the Port Mayaca Polo Club.
The biggest news of the month, however, might be the success of the 8-goal league at the Hobe Sound Polo Club. Under the direction of Phil Heatley, the Outback Polo League moved its 8-goal competition to the Martin County facility that had been banging the drum in the name of Adolfo Cambiaso only to come up short when it came to producing serious polo competition. With eight teams competing in the opening Outback at Hobe Sound tournament, the Cornell team of Roberto Narvaja, Leo Mandelbaum, John Gobin and Ted Brinkman took top honors.