86 SIDELINES JUNE 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
e
Asides
Dwight Tran
(a student at Yale University) of Polo Gear/
Palm Beach Rox Team was named Most Improved Player at the
Third Annual International Gay Polo Tournament.
Talbot Logan
(Marketing Director for Ralph Lauren) of Polo Gear/Palm Beach
Rox Team was named MVP at the Third Annual International Gay
Polo Tournament.
Another polo club in Aiken? Sort of!
Wire Road Polo
has
recently changed hands and is being developed along the
Gulfstream lines, with stockholders as well as members. Two
club barns will house lots of horses for out of towners or those who
wish the convenience of boarding on site. At press time, players
were signing up… and it looks like it’s going to be a good summer
in South Carolina for polo.
Bumps and Bruises
: There’ve been a lot of falls lately....
something about “spring in the air??” In Houston,
Joe Wayne
Barry
got bucked off while umpiring the 8 goal,
Luisa Stainback
took a fall in the 4 goal,
Lara Straussfeld
got bucked off in the 2
goal and
Tim Kelly
and
Esther Kane
both took spills while playing the 8 goal tournament. I guess when you have the biggest club in
the country, you get a lot more bruises???? In a non-polo related
incident,
Johnny Fitzsimmons
separated his shoulder and will
have to sit out the remainder of the spring season in Houston as
well.
In Florida,
Eddie Margalef
took a hard fall playing in Sarasota
(but came out unscathed) while both
Matt Coppola
and
Adolfo
Cambiaso
both hit the injury list in Wellington, with knee and hand
injuries respectively.
It was a Texas sized celebration as
KC Beal
and
Steve Krueger
were married in Ft. Worth on April 13th.
Out in California, preparations are underway for the wedding of
Reggie White
and
fancée
Rhianna Long.
FarmVet announced the APHA horse of the year: Anselmo, an
11 year old stud owned by
Sebastian Merlos
, who played him
in the 20 goal and his brother
Agustin “Tincho” Merlos
, who
played him in the US Open Championships.
Ty MacCarty
spent the winter season being mentored by
Mike
Azzaro
– they wrapped up their season with winning the US
Open! Also, let’s not forget to mention how proud we are of our
FOUR Team USPA National Intercollegiate Champs! UVA Men
and Women won this year’s NIC Championships which included
Team USPA’s
Isabella Wolf, CB Scherer, Felipe Viana
and
Todd Thurston.
Also, this is old news but this winter Team USPA’s
Carlitos
Galindo
proposed to his longtime love and former Intercollegiate
player (and NIC Champ of ‘05,’06,’07)…and she said yes!
The spring Team USPA season is just getting started at the
Aiken Training Center with lead mentors
Adam Snow
and
Owen
Rinehart
. They are also planning a Team USPA event at the
Houston Regional Polo Center in May with 13 of our 39 members
playing in Texas this season!
We are sad to learn that
Lloyd Layton
died at the age of 96.
With the exception of Orv Volkmann, Lloyd was one of the last of
the original TCPC members that founded the Twin City Polo Club
at High Path near Chanhassen.
The Hippies tail gaiting
Photo by Abner Pedraza
Sidelines newest polo
blogger has everyone laughing.
Cristina Fernandez
, who is
based out of Aiken, South
Carolina, is an aspiring polo
professional and member of
Team USPA. In 2009, she
captained The University of
Virginia Women’s Polo Team
to a National Championship.
She has spent the past three
winters in Wellington, Florida
and travels extensively around
the country playing and
grooming. Cristina already
has a great following on her
blog – check her out on the
Sidelines website at www.sidelinesnews.com and then click on
blogs. Cristina’s blog is called
The Offside
and it’s a must
read!
When you think of tailgating – tea sandwiches and
champagne would be the order of the day. Not so at the
recent
Gay Polo Tournament
at Grand Champions Polo Club
in Wellington. The boys went all out – Studio 54, Hippies, the
Big Kahuna, A Safari, Candyland, The Titanic, Mardi Gras and
more. It was sight to behold – all 64 tailgate spaces were
flled and we are told plans for bigger and better are in order
for next year.
Cristina Fernandez
The Big Kahuna Polo Team
Photo by Abner Pedraza