The high goal polo winter season in Florida ended on an exciting note with Orchard Hill capturing the 112th U.S. Open at International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington.
Orchard Hill’s Facundo Pieres, Julian de Lusarreta, Juan Martin Nero and Steve Van Andel defeated Dubai’s Rashid Albwardy, Alejo Taranco, Facundo Sola and Adolfo Cambiaso in a thrilling 13-12 overtime game. Pieres was named MVP…
Prince Harry hosted the Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup that attracted several Florida polo players at Valiente Polo Farm. Prince Harry’s Sentebale ISPS Handa team of Melissa Ganzi, Malcolm Borwick and Robert Jornayvaz won the rainsoaked round-robin tournament. The team of Nacho Figueras, Teo Calle, Joe DiMenna and Marc Ganzi was runner-up. The third place team was Valiente’s Tommy Kato, Marty Cregg, Nic Roldan and Curtis Pilot. The event attracted more than 300 spectators and raised money for Sentebale, a non-profit charity organization founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006, in memory of their mothers…
Now the focus around Florida turns to spring polo at various USPA clubs including The Villages, Port Mayaca, Palm City and Grand Champions…
The Hurlingham Polo Association will be hosting a team of PTF junior players for the week of July 16-24 in England as part of the ongoing PTF and HPA Exchange Program. Anyone interested in participating in the exchange program can review the guidelines and download an application on the PTF website. Deadline is June 1. All applicants will be notified on or before June 10th. For questions please email jenniferannpoor@yahoo.com…
Grand Champions Polo Club will host the USPA NYTS (National Youth Tournament Series) on Saturday, May 21st. The NYTS is a series of youth qualifying tournaments around the country. The top All-Star representatives from each of the nation’s four zones play in a finals match. The selection is based on horsemanship, sportsmanship, playing ability at their current handicap and team playing ability. It is the third NYTS qualifier staged in Florida…
The USPA recently released its player handicap changes for the Florida circuit. They are available at uspolo.org.
Just another reminder to please send me (melissaganzi@me.com) your nominations for the Clint Nangle Equine Welfare Award and Circuit Sportsmanship Award for the 2016 season…
The updated Circuit Application for 2016 are out. The USPA has created a new Special Circuit Event type for tournaments that can be awarded to multiple clubs within the same circuit. The USPA has created five new circuit tournaments, an Arena Circuit Women’s Challenge and four Armed Forces events. Please contact USPA tournament administrator Lindsey Ebersbach at 561-935-3092 or email lebersbach@uspolo.org…
If there is a club that may benefit from the USPA Clinic program please inform the USPA Polo Development, LLC-Player Development Coordinator Elizabeth Holson at eholson@uspolo.org or call 802-299-9174.
Call the Umpire LLC to do a clinic at your club at 941-928-4600.
I would like to thank everyone in polo who work tirelessly to support and help grow the sport and promote polo through club activities, lessons, clinics and adult and juniors tournaments.
Melissa Ganzi
Florida Circuit Governor
United States Polo Association
THE VILLAGES
Congratulations to United Healthcare’s Scott Doyle, Joe Watkins, Peter von Gontard Jr. and Stuart Campbell for winning the weekly 6-goal tournament…Fross and Fross won the Galaxy Home Solutions 6-goal tournament on Mother’s Day…Citizens First won the Arden’s Fine Jewelers 8-goal tournament…City Fire won The Villages 12-goal title…This weekend four teams, City Fire (Scott Doyle, Laura Wilson, Lord Lyall, Stuart Campbell), United Healthcare (CoCo Switlyk, Jason Cashion, Joe Watkins, Nico Talamoni), McLinBurnsed (Jeff Zimmerman, Carlos Zamora, Peter von Gontard Jr., Jamie Mirikitani) and Fross and Fross (Jennifer Pascarella, Chase Butler, Nick Johnson, Del Walton) will compete in a 6-goal tournament to advance into Sunday’s consolation at 2 p.m. and final at 4 p.m…Spectators can watch polo from a three-level stadium. Games are held Friday and Sunday. General admission and tailgating tickets are available. The facility averages more than 30,000 spectators a year. For more information call 352-750-7656.
INTERNATIONAL POLO CLUB PALM BEACH
Now that the 26-goal season has ended, the club is now in the midst of transitioning under new management…Mark Bellissimo announced that the Wellington Equestrian Partners (WEP) completed the purchase of IPC. The strategic acquisition creates a network of three world-class facilities dedicated to equestrian sport and allows, for the first time in Wellington, the integration and coordination of equestrian activities around the hunter/jumper, dressage and polo worlds. “We believe this will become one of the world’s top platforms to grow interest in equestrian sport for riders, spectators and sponsors.”…Pony Express’ Benji Daniels, Justin Daniels, Grant Ganzi and Juancito Bollini won the 12th annual Jimmer Newman Memorial PTF Junior Championship at Isla Carroll West. Bollini was named MVP. The game featured several up-and-coming junior players.
GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB
The spring season is in full swing with three tournaments in the books. Casablanca’s Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Sebastian Merlos and Kris Kampsen won the season-opening Grand Champions Cup with an 18-17 win over Power Horse. Kampsen was named MVP after only his tenth game of playing polo since doctors gave him the green light to play after a serious mountain biking accident last summer…Casablanca, with Gene Goldstein, Grant Ganzi, Julio Arellano and Kris Kampsen won the Spring Challenge Cup with a 10-8 win over Team NR, making its sponsor debut. Melissa Ganzi of Team NR was named MVP…
The Dutta Corp swept the final and subsidiary games of the Sun Cup Final. The Dutta Corp’s Timmy Dutta, Tony Calle, Piki Diaz Alberdi and Brandon Phillips knocked off Newport, 8-6. Calle was named MVP…The Dutta Corp’s Tim Dutta, Jason Crowder, Lucas Lalor and JJ Celis won the subsidiary…
The club will host the Wellington Chamber of Commerce Kick-Off to Summer during the championship of the May 22 Polo Gear Challenge final where members will be treated to a VIP dinner and buffet from award-winning chef Shannon Atkins…
The nine-year-old club ends its spring season over the Memorial Day Weekend with The Memorial. Admission is free. Fans are treated to an asado during the Sunday feature game.
PALM CITY POLO CLUB
La Mission’s Joey Casey, Bob Kohn, Adam Koeffler and Misha Rodzianko won the month-long Palm City Spring Classic 6-Goal tournament with a 7-3.5 win over Phelps Media…The club is currently hosting the May 6-29 Palm City Trust Cup in the 0-4 and 6-10 goal divisions.. .The club finishes out the spring season with the May 6-29 Palm City Trust Cup and June 3-26 Palm City Turf Classic (0-4, 6-10)..
Prayers go out to the family of Steve Orthwein who was seriously injured during a riding accident at the club. Orthwein sustained a spinal injury and underwent surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Orthwein is awake, alert and with his family. He has received an outpouring of support from the polo community. The club’s website is posting frequent updates from the Orthwein family on his condition…Port Mayaca, with five championship fields, just concluded a successful season with its featured Saturday games. The club that opened in 2008 on the western edge of Martin County in a rural setting, had a record turnout of players and fans. Anyone interested in joining the club for next season can call polo manager Laura Linfoot Townsend at 772-228-0115.
SARASOTA POLO CLUB
Since 1991, the club has been providing exciting polo matches in a beautiful setting on nine well-groomed polo fields. After recently winding up a wildly successful 25th season, club officials are already planning for the 2016-2017 winter season. The club hosted competitive and fun 6- and 12-goal tournaments, Ranch and Sunshine League tournaments, arena tournaments and a women’s tournament. Among end of the season award winners were MVP Jason Crowder and best mounted James Uihlein. The first tournament begins at the end of December and will run through April.
BG VERO BEACH POLO CLUB
Vero Beach Polo Club member and Vero Beach High School senior Blake Ashcroft has been accepted to the University of Miami and its polo program for the upcoming season…The club ended its second season at the May 1 All The Marbles Tournament. Matches were held every Sunday. “We were proud to host another incredible season of polo which was better than ever,” said owner Bobby Genovese. The club’s USPA instructor and polo director is Max Secunda, a British Open finalist.
FLORIDA POLO CLUBS DIRECTORY
BG Polo & Equestrian, Vero Beach, pattaconboy77@aol.com
DI Polo Club, Plant City, www.dipolotour.com
El Rey Polo Club, Lake Worth, www.elreypolocountryclub.net
El Sur Polo Club, Wellington, www.elsurpolo.com
Escue Polo Club, Wellington, www.escuepoloclub.com
Equuleus Polo Club, Wellington
Everglades Polo Club, Wellington
Far Niente Polo Club, Wellington,
Flying Cow Polo Club, Wellington, fcpc@gmail.com
GPL Polo Club, Wellington, www.gaypolo.com
Grand Champions Polo Club, www.gcpolo.com
Hobe Sound Polo Club, Hobe Sound
International Polo Club Palm Beach, Wellington, www.internationalpoloclub.com
La Posta Polo Club, Wellington
Ocala Polo Association, Morriston, www.ocalapoloassociation.com
BG Ocala Polo, www.bgocalapolo.com
Oxford Polo Club, Lady Lake, www.oxfordpoloclub.com
Palm Beach Polo Club, Wellington, www.pbpolohuntclub.com
Palm City Polo Club, Boynton Beach, www.palmcitypolo.com
Port Mayaca Polo Club, Okeechobee, www.portmayacapoloclub.com
Promise Farms Polo, Reddick
Red Hills Polo Club, Tallahassee
Santa Clara Polo Club, Wellington, www.santaclarapolo.com
Sarasota Polo Club, Sarasota, www.sarasotapolo.com
South Forty Polo Club, Wellington
The Polo School, Wellington
The Villages Polo Club, The Villages, www.thevillagespoloclub.com
University of Miami Polo Club, Coral Gables/Wellington
Villa del Lago Polo Club, Wellington