I was talking with one of the Governors at Large from our circuit and he said, “I know the work you are doing behind the scenes for the Pacific Circuit but members don’t know unless you tell them.” It’s difficult to visit all the various clubs considering geographic difference, USPA demands and other scheduling issues so I apologize if I haven’t visited your club but here is what I’ve been doing for our Pacific Circuit:
POLO DEVELOPMENT LLC
I’m one of the three directors and in that position I’m able to send USPA services to our circuit clubs. As a director of Polo Development LLC these are the programs I am able to oversee with an eye to improving our circuit:
Team USPA
Since I have become governor there are more members in Team USPA than any other circuit. Team USPA has evolved into a wonderful training program for young players with handicaps of 0 or higher. Not only do they receive instruction on how to run polo training programs each one of them becomes a certified polo umpire. Team USPA has created a mentality of giving back to the polo community by umpiring, participating in polo clinics and playing in exhibition games.
Polo Development Initiative
I am chairman of the PDI committee which administers approximately $400,000 a year which is distributed as grants to polo clubs to help them with any program that will grow polo. We tend to lean towards the smaller clubs where an economic boost will have the most effect. There is more PDI grant money that goes to the Pacific Circuit than any other circuit.
Club Counseling
The USPA has dedicated employees who visit our clubs to assist in helping them with management and growth. The employee stays with the club for a number of days, reviews policies and marketing programs and meets with the members. This has been a very positive program and we plan to have a Manager’s Conference annually (similar to the Instructor’s Forum) so that club managers can get together and not only receive instruction but also share needs and experiences to help every club grow. You have seen more USPA employees at your club than ever before.
Instructor’s Forum
The Forum is a meeting of polo instructors held for three days in Houston every year. About 50 people attend each year. The meeting includes seminars by experts in the field on all aspects of teaching polo and how to manage a polo school. As an adjunct to the Instructor’s Forum the Polo Development LLC is developing an Instructor’s Certification with a number of goals. One is to create uniformity of instruction. The next is to insure that the instructor knows how to give safe classes so that when the USPA recommends a particular instructor it is known that they have attained a certain level of expertise. Another goal is teach professionalism. As mentioned above, the USPA will be creating a separate annual forum for Club Managers.
NYTS
The National Youth Tournament Series is a national tournament just for young players. There are regional qualifications that have occurred all though our circuit including Eldorado, Empire, Central Coast Polo and the finals will be held at the San Diego Polo Club. This is the first year for this program.
Interscholastic/Intercollegiate
The I/I program will be joining the Polo Development LLC in the near future. The administration of the program will remain the same with the same personnel. It is anticipated that the benefit to the merger will be the combining of the various training programs to avoid duplication and at the same time increasing the quality and quantity of training sessions. Most of our Pacific Circuit clubs participate in this program.
FINANCE
I am on the finance committee and am particularly proud of the results. Since joining the committee the assets have grown from approximately $34 million to over $80 million. Our goal is to create a fund of investments that would sustain the USPA administration and programs in the event that the royalty income from licensing the USPA brand throughout the world goes away. This goal is being achieved through two policies. First we only use approximately 40% of the annual royalty income for USPA administration and programs. The balance is invested. Our goal is to grow the fund to $120 million. The second policy is to invest conservatively. USPA Properties is a good income generator so there is no reason to take extra risk with our investments. I must also add that the credentials of the current finance committee are excellent so we are in good hands. Through this conservative management I think you have seen a substantial increase in the USPA services during my administration.
TOURNAMENTS
I am on the Tournament Committee along with Russ Sheldon and Dan Walker. By representing the Pacific Circuit we have been able to direct certain national tournaments away from the Each Coast and to our coast. During my governorship there are more USPA tournament certifications occurring in our circuit than ever before.
BOARD AND STAFF COMMITTEE
This is a committee that was formed a few years ago which I am a founding member. Its chairman is Jim Burton. This committee works on issues that occur between the USPA staff and the Board of Governors but also includes overseeing the website development and IT programs. In addition, it oversees the compensation program of the USPA. It is where a number of the key USPA issues and proposals are discussed before they are presented to the Board of Governors.
UMPIRE LLC
During my governorship the Umpire LLC was created and chaired by my friend, Britt Baker. Britt attended a recent Pacific Circuit Members & Delegates meeting to explain the new reimbursement programs. I appointed Scott Walker, the Pacific Circuit Lieutenant Governor, to administer the umpire reimbursement program for our circuit. As a result, the Pacific Circuit receives more umpire money than any other circuit.
TELEVISION/MARKETING LLC
The member surveys have all shown that the members believe that our sport will grow if it properly marketed. Scott Walker, our Pacific Circuit Lieutenant Governor, was appointed as a director of the Marketing LLC and has been a key participant in the efforts of having the US Open televised on national television. NBC has been very impressed by the audience size that polo has created. If you look at golf and tennis as examples of sports that previously were played at private clubs and through television grew substantially we should expect that polo will grow accordingly.
CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE
As a member of the Constitution Committee we review the major propositions that have been approved by the Board of Directors and also answer inquiries about interpretations of the USPA constitution and By-laws. It’s an interesting committee because it is usually involved in the most significant issues facing the polo world.
NOMINATION COMMITTEE
As a member of the nomination committee I was able to have Chuck Stanislawski (California Polo Club, Will Rogers Polo Club and Santa Barbara Polo Club) appointed to the newly formed USPA Audit Committee. They not only work with the accountants on the audited financial statements but they investigate any questions of a sensitive nature with regard to the committees, the board of governors and staff. I was also able to nominate Dan Walker to secretary of the USPA to put him in line to become the first USPA Chairman from the Pacific Coast Circuit.
PACIFIC COAST CIRCUIT
For the two and a half years that I’ve been governor a lot has happened. We received more PDI money than any other circuit. We receive more Umpire reimbursement money than any other circuit. We have more participants on Team USPA than any other circuit. We have more USPA certified tournaments than ever before. Our circuit receives more visits from USPA personnel for club counseling, umpire training, polo skills training and tournament administration than ever before.
In my opinion, the Pacific Coast Circuit and the USPA are on the right track both fiscally and administratively. I think it is a great time to be involved in polo. Considering the recovery from the Recession, polo being broadcast on prime time, national television and the new and increased USPA programs to grow clubs and the sport polo is only going to grow.
Although I may not have visited your club personally you can rest assured that I am working very hard to improve the polo in our circuit.
Governor Election: This year my first full term will expire and I will be running to extend my term as your governor. The delegates from each of our clubs will be voting. Will you please ask your delegate to vote for Denny Geiler when he or she receives their ballot.
See you on the field,
Denny Geiler, Pacific Coast Circuit Governor
PS: Team USPA applications are now being accepted. If you have a deserving young player please have then apply. It is a terrific experience. By the way, you do not need to be a 3 goal professional player to apply you just need to love horses and polo.