U.S. Polo Assn. Will Defend Title Against Flexjet Sunday In World Snow Polo Championship Final |
By Arianna Delin, Sharon Robb for Aspen Valley Polo ClubDefending champion U.S. Polo Assn., making its third finals appearance in four years, will meet Flexjet Sunday in the World Snow Polo Championship at Rio Grande Park.
The game will be televised by ChukkerTV at 1 p.m. MST (3 p.m. EST) to a worldwide audience. The consolation game featuring Audi and St. Regis will follow at 2:30 p.m.
An overnight snow storm dumped two additional feet of snow in the arena forcing tournament officials to change the opening qualifying format from two full games to two shootouts.
Officials met with players on Saturday and decided for the safety of the horses and players a shootout featuring one player from each team would determine the finalists.
“We have been watching the field and they tried to prepare it but it was just too deep so we ended up with a shootout,” said St. Regis player Bernie Uechtritz. “It was a level playing field any way so the shootout was the great equalizer. It was a roll of the dice.
“Either way whether you are in the first game or the second game as a result of this shootout, it doesn’t matter. It’s going to be a great time, good competition and great for spectators.”
In bone-chilling 9-degree weather and light snow falling, each player had two 15-yard and two 25-yard penalty shot attempts.
In the opening shootout, U.S. Polo Assn.’s Ricky Cooper of Wales and Audi’s Grant Ganzi went one-on-one.
Cooper led his team to a 3-1 victory over Audi after converting both his 15-yard attempts and one of his 25-yard shots to clinch. His first 25-yarder that hit the post and came across the scoring area came under review before it was determined the ball hit the back of the wall for the clinching score.
Grant Ganzi converted his second attempt at a 15-yarder.
Cooper will be joined by teammates and recently-engaged Tommy Biddle, rated at 10-goals in arena polo, and Bash Kazi. It is the third time in four years U.S. Polo Assn. has advanced into the final.
They were runners-up in 2014 to Piaget.
In the second game, Flexjet’s Jason Crowder, making his snow polo debut, and St. Regis’ Nacho Figueras were pitted against each other.
Crowder and Figueras each converted their 15-yarders to finish in a 2-2 tie after the opening round.
Crowder hit his first 25-yarder to give Flexjet a 3-2 lead. Figueras’ attempt sailed wide left. In the second round of 25-yard attempts, Crowder missed, setting up Figueras’ possible tying shot.
Figueras’ shot, however, went wide enabling Flexjet to win, 3-2 win.
“This was a blast,” Crowder said. “It just keeps getting better.”
St. Regis’ Bernie Uechtritz, Carlitos Gracida and Figueras will play the consolation game against Audi with America’s top player Nic Roldan, Juancito Bollini and father and son Marc and Grant Ganzi, splitting time.
“It was still competitive because the penalties are not easy,” Gracida said. “It gives everyone a chance.
“They made the right decision going to a shootout,” Gracida said. “You don’t want to make a dangerous sport more dangerous. It was still competitive and it was safe.”
A sellout VIP tent and crowd is expected for Sunday’s festivities.
For the fourth consecutive year, Aspen Valley Polo Club co-founders Melissa and Marc Ganzi, are hosting the star-studded event along with Figueras, polo ambassador and St. Regis Connoisseur and his wife Delfina.
U.S. Polo Assn. won last year’s tournament with Grant Ganzi, Nic Roldan and Juancito Bollini, defeating Flexjet, 10-5. Roldan was named MVP for the third straight year. In the consolation game, ChukkerTV defeated St. Regis. Bernie Uechtritz was named MVP.
Other past winners were: 2013, St. Regis (Nacho Figueras, Nic Roldan, Brandon Phillips) defeated Audi (Facundo Pieres, Melissa Ganzi, Juan Bollini), 1-0; and 2014, Piaget (Marc Ganzi, Jeff Hall, Nic Roldan) defeated U.S. Polo Assn. (Grant Ganzi, Brandon Phillips, Tommy Biddle), 4-3.
Glitz, glamour and excitement is sharing center stage with one of the world’s top snow polo tournaments and only snow polo event in the U.S.
The tournament is a major attraction for the local community and fans from all over the world. The breathtaking scenery, venue and great polo action is a major allure for the Aspen community and surrounding areas.
Rio Grande Park is Aspen’s largest multi-functional park within the city’s limits and just minutes away from the St. Regis Aspen Resort.
On Friday afternoon, sponsors, players and guests were treated to a barn tour at Aspen Valley Polo Club.
The tour featured meeting the horses, getting a polo lesson from Figueras and other players, foot mallet polo and demonstration by a farrier. The specialist in equine hoof care talked about trimming and balancing the horses’ hooves and special shoes on their hooves for playing in the snow.
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