USPA PACIFIC COAST CIRCUIT
DELEGATE’S AND MEMBERS MEETING
Tack Room, Empire Polo Club
Sunday, March 30 2014
The meeting was called to order by the governor, Denny Geiler. In attendance was Vicky Owens (Empire), Lyn Jason Cobb (Menlo_, Vladimir Rivkin (PoloSF & Cerro Pampa), Elizabeth Welborn (Cerro Pampa), Dean Dagget ((Newport Polo Club), Russ Sheldon (Poway & Lakeside), Julie Empey (Celebrity Polo Club). Mike Farah (Celebrity Polo Club), Barbara Bowers (Hollywood Girls Polo Club), Francesca Finato (South Bay Polo Club), Mike Uretz (Pacific Circuit Handicap Chairman), Rob Scapa (Empire), Alex Hagan (Empire), Geraldine Schumacher (Temecula Valley Polo Club), Domingo Questal (California Polo Club), Meljana Jones (Santa Barbara Polo Club) and Denny Geiler (Orange County Polo Club).
OVERTIME CLAIMS: The first order of business was a discussion recent claims for employee overtime in the equestrian world. The polo world has very unusual hours which don’t easily fit into the statutory world which is designed for the office or factory worker. It is important that each employer of grooms and other equestrian workers have a written contract that outlines the hours of work and the compensation. Participants were reminded that the government is both the prosecutor and the judge so that written documentation will win or lose your case. Attached is a list of general rules and a sample contract. Be sure to see your attorney to apply these rules and documents to your situation.
JOINT ADVERTISING PROGRAM: The next item of discussion was the creation of a joint advertising program in order to encourage people to play polo in California. California has polo 12 months a year and the perfect climate so it should be the Polo Capital of the country. Liz Welborn, Vicki Owens, Melanja Jones, Lynn Cobb and Scott Walker volunteered to form a committee to investigate the concept.
POLO ON TV: The C.V. Whitney Cup was televised on NBC Sports TV. Those that watched it liked the drone camera shots and the USPA advertisements that were designed to show that regular people play polo.
The U.S. Open will be televised in late April on NBC Sports regular channel which will draw a big audience. The date and time will be announced.
If there is enough money in the Marketing LLC budget it is anticipated that the Pacific Open will be televised on NBC Sports in September.
CLUBS REPORTS: There were reports from each club representative at the meeting. The significant message is that with the improvement in the economy the polo clubs are growing with new members and greater participation than the previous years. Polo has a very healthy future in California.
NYTS: There two try outs performed at the desert polo clubs for the National Youth Tournament Series. This a USPA sponsored national youth tournament on the grass. It’s on an individual basis and not a team basis. The All Stars from each region will meet through a series or regional tournaments until the finals are held at the end of the summer.
TEAM USPA: The Pacific Circuit has the most number of participants on Team USPA and we want to continue that trend. In order to qualify there is an application form on the USPA website which requires that video be included in the application. It was suggested that it is more important that the video show the applicant’s skills in a low goal game than to have a video of a higher goal game but not much action from the applicant.
INTERSCHOLASTIC FINALS: The interscholastic men’s finals were held at Empire Polo Club. Eldorado and Poway had teams that played.
INTERCOLLEGIATE FINALS: Central Coast Polo Club women’s team and Westmont’s men’s teams are playing in the finals. Congratulations to both teams and their coaches.
PDI GRANTS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED: There were 74 applicants that were vying for almost $400,000 of USPA funds. Many of the Pacific Circuit Clubs won grants.
INSTRUCTORS’ FORUM: The Instructors’ Forum will be held in Houston again this year in October. The date is to be announced. Participation in this three day event is very educational and rewarding and it certainly helps in PDI approvals and other USPA funded programs. Although the title says “instructors” it is also designed for club managers.
INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION: The Polo Development, LLC, is developing an Instructor’s Certification program in order to improve on the quality of polo instruction. It can also be used in a club’s marketing programs to show that the club employs quality and safe instructors.
HANDICAPS: Mike Uretz, Pacific Circuit Handicap Chairman, said that the handicapping process will be on an annual basis from now on except for temporary handicaps and handicaps of less than 1 rating. He said that he will be attending the national meeting in Wellington, Florida immediately after the Governor’s Meeting on April 19th.
CIRCUIT GOVERNOR ELECTION: Next year will be the Circuit Governor elections. A notice will be sent out giving instructions on how to file an application. The Club Delegates will have the vote so be sure to tell your club delegate your opinion.
WEBSITE CALENDAR: It was decided that it would be helpful to have a circuit calendar on the Pacific Coast Circuit website so clubs could enter their clinics and tournaments to give notice and avoid conflicts.
NEXT MEETING: SANTA BARBARA POLO CLUB, AT THE TENNIS CLUB ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 31, 2014 AT 9:00 AM
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned
Denny Geiler, Pacific Coast Circuit Governor