The Polo Report
By Steve Crowder

The Sun may set in the West but it may not be setting on a lot of “young guns” of the Polo West.  We may have the worst polo, often very low-goal polo, but the young players are still coming and some are coming fast. Few if any do not have a polo heritage of some kind but they are growing and the Eastern Seaboard knows they are here. The oldest young guns have opened the door for the young ones. Fred Mannix 2 and Jason Crowder have made it known that they can run with the big boys and now we have the Joe Stewart winning in the Villages, the Galindos, Nick and Carlos, getting Silver east of the Mississippi, Little Stick Nick Morrision lighting up the Carolinas, Chris Collins showing speed everywhere from Aspen to Argentina, Jarod Sheldon sparkling in Houston and maybe the fastest of them all Mr. Quick Mini Mac, Julian Mannix, who sped through Florida last Winter on his way to Argentina this fall where big Brother Fred is playing and winning some in the biggest show in the world at Palermo. Frederick Mannix scored 7 goals + a golden goal to win in the Hurlingham, the # 2 largest tournament in the world.  The new wave of young players is even bigger.

You have the Uretz boys, a herd of them including: Tony, Wiley, Hank and Patrick.  The leader of this group must be Jesse Bray at 3 goals. The West Coast Busch’s Andy 2 and Will are already winning. There might be a Busch showdown soon.  You have Tiffany Busch, one of the best young Americans, and I hear Gussie and Little Billy are firing up the arch. Then on the west coast there is young Will next to hit the Polo Pitch.

San Diego has the Samaniego Boys David and Harrison following Chris and Jesse. Colton Bancroft will be passing Mom soon. Poway has some youngsters that showed well in the Interscholastics this year in Indio, CA where another Galindo, Daniel, showed up playing very well.  Remy Muller has been making waves wherever he goes as well.

We have the talent here on the West Coast, but it is hard for them to get to Florida and this is why we need a true place for them to get the chance to play. I believe the answer they need will be Empire Polo Club.  I think Al Haagan will help build the choices for them to compete. He is trying to make polo a desert attraction.  He will do it clean and in style!  Haagen has spent a lot of money fixing his fields, building new ones and upgrading the Empire Polo facilities.   I had the field experts from Argentina, Batros,  come and consult at Empire Polo Club this past summer. They were impressed with the work to improve the the fields and gave suggestions which have been pushed to the maximum by Haagen to get done by this season and they have been. I am not picking on Eldorado, which I have said often as it was a very special place for my family and business for a long time.  Like Jim Williams once told me, he was in a meeting with a GM or whoever owned Oldsmobile and they were looking for cuts and he said cut Olds.  That name is not good for the business. Eldorado is not that old and it does not matter how old it is, but it does matter who cares and that makes it old and tired.  Same this happened at Palm Beach Polo and Royal Palm at Boca Raton, FL.  Norm Brinker in Dallas at Willow Bend, John T. Oxley in Tulsa as well as Boca, Mr. Uihlien in Milwaukee …  it just happens … they reach their expiration date.  We have to live with it we are all going to die that’s the way it is and we can not stop it. Change is inevitable. No one wants to step up and save Eldorado, the owners are for the most part older than me and most do not play polo anymore.  Why would they spend a million for someone else to play and for players who do not want to pay a fair price anyway?

The simple fact on the West Coast is that no Patrons want to pay for anything. They want to be polo players because it is cool and POLO is a 4 letter word that means class and style. Class and style is what EMPIRE is willing to bring back to California winter polo.  Haagen will support the young players and put up with the misers, but it will be done in style and withclass.

The LIONS will roar, so lets support someone who will help BUILD the FUTURE.

REMEMBER Young Guns are our future and WE are NOT. If they play, we will still be around as a sport and community. If they do not, we will be tilled up and plowed under soon. Look at the FUTURE, not your next year to spend less or step up to the plate and buy a membership and make it happen.

I am sure there are more Young Guns in the west and we want their names. I’ve heard there is a star in Idaho and I am sure many others. They must be part of the picture. Some will be stars, some will be educated and be Patrons, but it is all because they met at POLO somewhere and that is the way it is.

Good Luck to Fred Mannix 2 in the ARGENTINE OPEN. AND YES, HE IS FROM CANADA NOT CA,  but a proven Desert Polo Man.

See ya.

-Crowder