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New Zealand Schools Make Final U.S. Appearance Tuesday At Grand Champions Polo Club
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By Arianna Delin, Sharon Robb for Grand Champions Polo Club
A round robin, featuring New Zealand Schools players against top U.S. and Argentine junior players will be held at 5 p.m. on Field 2. The six-chukker game is part of the Polo Training Foundation’s Junior Polo Exchange program. Admission is free and open to the public. New Zealand Schools (Dean Fullerton/Will Appleby, Adam Haworth, Sam Martin, Jimmy Downes) will compete against Grand Champions (Riley Ganzi, Mia Novillo Astrada, Santos Bollini, Wes Finlayson) and PTF International (Guillerhme Maia, Juanse Olivera, Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini). For New Zealand Schools coach Guy Martin and his players it has been an opportunity of a lifetime to play on U.S. soil. New Zealand Schools, making its U.S. debut, was coming off two games against South Africa last week.
Will Appleby, son of top international umpire Julian Appleby, and Dean Fullerton are first-timers on the team. The Polo Training Foundation has been instrumental in the growth of junior and youth polo players by encouraging the sport’s development with training programs, lessons and tournaments for boys and girls. The international exchange programs have been among the most popular. Two years ago, the PTF took a U.S. team to play in New Zealand. Host Grand Champions Polo Club has been mounting the New Zealand players on its world-class horses. Grand Champions Polo Club president Melissa Ganzi, secretary-treasurer of the PTF, has been a longtime supporter of junior polo. Her children Grant and Riley have grown up playing in PTF events and will compete in the round-robin.
Honorary PTF Directors are George Alexander, Jr., Daniel Calhoun, Jr., Karlene Beal Garber, Orrin Ingram, Jesse Upchurch and Eugene Burk, Lyn Jason Cobb, Bob Daniels, Glen Holden Sr., Jesse Pruitt, Thomas Sikes, Lynn Thompson, John Walsh, Ian Angus, Joseph Kozlik, Stephen Orthwein, Russell Sheldon, Jim Zenni, Jr., Robert Donahey, Duncan Huyler, Joseph Meyer and Clifford Sifton. 2015 POLO ON DEMAND Grand Champions Polo Club, featuring five world-class fields, has a full schedule of tournaments from January to May. Let our polo experts create a turn-key experience including top pros to bring out the best in you and your team. Lessons are available. 16-GOAL TOURNAMENTS: John T. Oxley Memorial Trophy. 12-GOAL TOURNAMENT: Museum of Polo & Hall of Fame Challenge Cup 8-GOAL TOURNAMENTS: USPA President’s Cup 6-GOAL TOURNAMENTS: Las Acacias Cup SPRING 2015 SCHEDULE April 16-19, Grand Champions Cup; April 23-26, USPA Spring Challenge; April 30-May 3, USPA Sun Cup; May 7-10, USPA Eastern Challenge; May 14-17, Polo Gear Challenge Cup; May 21-25, The Memorial; May 24-25, USPA NYTS; May 28-31, Santa Rita Memorial. GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB WHERE: 13444 Southfields Road, on the corner of South Shore Boulevard and Lake Worth Road, Wellington, 33414. |
The PTF is led by the hard work and dedication of Executive Director Danny Scheraga and Assistant Executive Director Jennifer McLeavy along with Chairman Richard Riemenschneider; President Tony Coppola; Vice President Gil Johnston and Secretary-Treasurer Melissa Ganzi, president of host venue Grand Champions Polo Club.