Florida lineup victorious in debut of USPA Youth Tournament

Florida lineup
victorious in debut of USPA Youth Tournament

By Alex Webbe

The Zone 3-Florida lineup of Justin Daniels, Grant Ganzi, Juancito
Bollini and Wes Finlayson captured the championship of the United States Polo
Association’s inaugural National Youth Tournament Series National Championship Sunday
afternoon at the Virginia International Polo Club in Upperville, Virginia
scoring an impressive 9-4 win over The Zone 2 lineup of Andrew Begg, Pierce
Alworth, Agustin Arellano and Wes Bryan.

The final round is the culmination of several months of
intense tournament play, which included qualifiers around the country with 16
all-stars selected to represent the final four regions and vie for the National
Championship title.

With four teams entered in the tournament and rosters that were
sprinkled with last names familiar to ardent polo fans, the United States Polo
Association launched their latest effort to build the game from the younger
ranks.

Competition got underway on Saturday, August 31st
as Zone 3 advanced into the final with a 7-3 in over Zone 4 (Wyatt Harlow,
Johann Colloredo-Mansfield, Simon Colloredo-Mansfeld, and Marissa Wells) on
Saturday, in the opening round game.

The Zone 3-Florida had the advantage of having played
together in the past, with Ganzi, Bollini and Finlayson having united on the 2013
8-goal Grand Champions team that won the USPA Presidents Cup at the
International Polo Club this spring.

The genetic credentials of Ganzi, Bollini and Daniels are
reflective in the long-standing involvement of parents in the game with Marc
and Melissa Ganzi’s well-established Grand Champions Polo Club serving as an
annual site for nearly every level of competition and the home base for 20-goal
and 26 goal Piaget and Audi polo teams, which allowed fifteen-year-old Grant
Ganzi the opportunity to compete on the field with some of the game’s top
players.

Juancito Bollini claims the genetic prowess of his father,
former 8-goaler Juan Bollini, who claims some of the game’s top trophies to his
credit over the years including the USPA Gold Cup, the North America Cup, and
multiple Monty Waterbury championships among many others.

Justin Daniels follows in the path of his father’s Pony
Express participation in the game over the years with 17-year-old Wes Finlayson
making his own name on the strength of strong performances on tournament play
in his young career and a 2-goal handicap.

Polo veteran John Gobin was brought in to coach the talented
young Florida team offering years of high-goal experience that includes several
round of play on United States international rosters.

“John Gobin was a huge help to us,” cited young Ganzi.  “He settled us down and offered some great
plays for us to use in the course of the game.”

The team continued to gel under the watchful eye of Gobin,
but it was the chemistry that he felt carried the day.

“The kids played disciplined polo,” he offered.  “Whatever I asked them to do, they did,” he
added.  “They played the unselfish brand
of polo that breeds success and executed their responsibilities well to a man.”

Ganzi also credits the team chemistry to the success of the
Florida side.

“We played so well together,” said Ganzi, “it was a seamless
effort with each of us working for one another. 
There was no selfishness on the team, and we all complimented one
another’s play throughout the tournament.”

“After the first half of the final game I told Grant (Ganzi)
that he was going to be my workhorse in the second half,” said Gobin, “and that
it was time to hook him up to the plow.”

Bollini and Finlayson confirmed the team effort that Florida
demonstrated throughout the tournament.

“Wes (Finlayson) scored the first three goals of the (final)
game,” said Bollini, “but each of us did our job contributing to the effort.”

“John Gobin did a great job coaching,” said both Finlayson
and Bollini.  “He kept us focused and got
us to slow down in the second half of the finals, to take control of the game
and the pace of play.”

It was a Bollini ride-off that allowed Finlayson a clear
path for his first goal of the day, while scoring runs by Daniels were
accentuated by the workhorse efforts of Ganzi throughout the match.

Zone 3 All-Stars led the entire game, taking a 2-1 lead in
the opening chukker and 3-1 halftime lead. Behind Daniels and Finlayson, who
each scored two goals, they pulled away for a 7-2 lead in the third chukker.

For the two-day tournament, Bollini and Finlayson each
scored six goals, Daniels four and Ganzi one.

 

Finlayson led all scoring with four goals including one on
penalty and was named Most Valuable Player, an honor he had earned playing with
the Grand Champions Polo team that garnered the National President’s Cup
earlier in the year.

Bollini and Daniels each had two goals and Ganzi scored one
goal.

Daniel’s mare Lolita was named Best Playing Pony.