Feb. 21, 2011 (Wellington, Fla.) – The U.S. Polo Association, the national governing body for the sport of polo, has announced that 23-year-old polo standout Steve Krueger has been selected as the winner of the first Equus & Co. Award. The award honors a Team USPA player for his or her commitment to the sport of polo and its growth in the United States. The Team USPA program was established by the U.S. Polo Association to identify talented young American polo players and provide opportunities for their development.
Five finalists from Team USPA were in the running for the Equus & Co. Award based on their leadership and communication skills, sportsmanship on the field and participation in key Team USPA programs over the past year. Krueger took home the award and $5,000 from Equus & Co. in front of a packed stadium on Sunday, Feb. 20 at the International Polo Club in Wellington, Fla.
Based in College Station, Texas, Krueger is a key member of Team USPA and was recently selected to compete this October in the 2011 Federation of International Polo World Championships for the United States team. Krueger graduated from Texas A&M in 2010, where he led the men’s polo team to three USPA National Intercollegiate Championships. While at school, he was selected to the All-American Team in his last two seasons, and was named USPA/PTF Intercollegiate Player of the Year in 2010. Other recent achievements include winning MVP honors in the USPA Officer’s Cup and Holt Cup tournaments.
“With the incredible support and generosity from Equus & Co., this award was created to make a positive impact on the career of player who has shown great devotion to polo and its progress in the U.S.,” said Kris Bowman, Director of the Team USPA program. “We are proud to honor Steve Krueger whose hard work and enthusiasm truly exemplify the spirit of this award.”
Team USPA continues to be instrumental in encouraging USPA programs and events that will recruit, train and develop American players and teams to the fullest measure of excellence. This includes advancing young players to compete in international events on behalf of the U.S., participation in national and circuit USPA tournaments and working to enhance the handicap level of play for competitors at every stage of experience.
About Equus & Co.
Equus & Co. is the private advisor to the Global Equestrian Community providing corporate sponsors effective access to global Real Polo and The Polo Lifestyle with authenticity and credibility via bespoke corporate sponsorship programs of polo teams and presence in strategic global polo venues. All keyed to the sponsorship being a profit center and providing exclusive access to its proprietary, elite Global Equestrian Community Affinity Program and all the time making certain the corporate polo team sponsor is truly a peer participant of the Sport.
About U. S. Polo Association
The U.S. Polo Association was organized and exists for the purposes of promoting the game of polo, coordinating the activities of its Member Clubs and Registered Players, arranging and supervising polo tournaments, competitions, and games, and providing rules, handicaps, and conditions for those tournaments, competitions, and games including the safety and welfare of participants and mounts. For more information, please visit, www.uspolo.org.