Indoor Polo’s Premier Players to Compete for National Title
The U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship, one of the sport’s premier national tournaments, will be hosted by Country Farms Polo in Medford, N.Y. from July 15 – 19. The event will feature top polo players in high-speed competition showcasing their finesse and athleticism alongside their equine counterparts. This marks the second year scores of fans will travel to Medford, N.Y. to watch preliminary matches as teams fight to win a spot in the final on Saturday, July 19.
The championship will be played at the 12 – 16 goal level, and included in this year’s teams will be 10-goal rated star, Tommy Biddle, who holds the world’s highest arena handicap. Biddle returns to defend his U.S. Open Arena Championship title, and the event features standout players, Brandon Phillips and Kris Kampsen. Additionally, an Intercollegiate team of up and coming talent will comprise of the Uretz brothers, all three playing for the 2013 USPA National Intercollegiate Championship school, Westmont College.
Aliano Reality
Nick Aliano -1
Brandon Phillips -5
Tommy Biddle -10
Zoetis
Robert Ceparano – 2
Felipe Viana – 6
Kris Kampsen – 7
Intercollegiate
Patrick Uretz – 5, Westmont College ’14; 2013 National Champion, National All Star Award ‘13, ‘12
Tony Uretz – 3, Westmont College ’16; 2013 National Champion, National All Star Award
Wiley Uretz – 4, Westmont College ’12; 2012 Intercollegiate Player of the Year, National All Star Award ‘12
Alt: Nik Feldman – 3, Cornell University ’14; 2013 Connie Upchurch Memorial National Sportsmanship Award
“The U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship offers a thrill-packed match that encapsulates the excitement of the sport and exemplifies the reasons for the sport’s growth across the country,” said Peter Rizzo, CEO of the U.S. Polo Association. “The Country Farms Polo arena will offer a great venue for attendees to soak in the excitement of watching the horses and players compete in a setting that puts spectators close to the action.”
Arena polo, which is played in an area the size of a football field, is widely known as the perfect venue for new polo fans as games offer an up-close look at all the action. The event is timed around several notable tournaments that have placed American polo on the national stage, including the USPA U.S. Open Polo Championship® which aired on NBC Sports Network in April. The network also plans in August to broadcast the Westchester Cup, a storied rivalry between the U.S. and England dating back to 1886.
American polo has witnessed a great deal of recent growth thanks to efforts from the USPA, the national governing body of the sport, and its dedicated clubs, players, patrons, fans and sponsors. The USPA has roughly 275 polo clubs across the U.S. that provide learning and competition opportunities for men and women players at every level, an increase of 20% since 2011. These clubs and their training programs have helped generate a steady increase in participation highlighted by a growth of nearly 1,000 USPA members over the last three years. Youth programs such as USPA Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Polo and USPA Junior Polo are also largely responsible for the sport’s overall growth and popularity in this country.
For tickets and more information surrounding this year’s tournament, visit http://www.country-farms.com/polo. For more information on polo in the U.S., or to get in on the action and schedule a lesson, visit www.uspolo.org.