From the Governor’s Desk
By Denny Geiler
Pacific Coast Circuit Governor
Eldorado Polo Club Umpire – The USPA in conjunction with the Polo Training Foundation and the Eldorado Polo Club pays the salary of Steve Lane to be head umpire during the winter season at Eldorado Polo Club. Besides managing the umpire program and attending almost every game, Steve puts on an Umpire Clinic each week which is attended by the Eldorado umpires and the Eldorado members where game films are reviewed and the finer points of the polo rules are elucidated.
Welcome to Polo DVD – The USPA created and produced a 6 minute DVD that not only captures the excitement of the game but has interviews from current polo players which shows the diversity of the backgrounds of polo players. The interviews include young players and old players alike. It shows that you can take up polo at a relative old age for such an active sport and you don’t even have to know how to ride a horse. A copy of the DVD was recently sent to each Club delegate. You can view it the PCC Polo Website on the bottom of the main home page.
Rules of the Game – Several USPA committees made up of volunteer members from clubs through out the country participate in the review and digestion of the current rules and proposed rule changes.
Polo Handicaps – Polo tournaments at our various clubs would not be possible without an extensive handicapping system that incorporates data from clubs all over the country. Currently the national handicap chairman is Dan Walker of the Santa Barbara Polo Club and the Eldorado Polo Club. The chairman of the Pacific Circuit Handicap Committee is Bud Dardi of the Wine Country Polo Club and Eldorado Polo Club.
Polo Magazine – Each member of the USPA receives the monthly edition of Polo Player’s Edition magazine that has the latest news from the USPA, the latest results from polo tournaments through out the country and helpful articles of special interest to polo players.
Liability Insurance – Each member of the USPA is entitled to Excess Personal Liability Insurance in the amount of $1 million. The policy covers any liability an insured would be legally required to pay as compensation due to accidental bodily injury accidental injury to property that may occur while the insured is practicing or playing in a polo match during the policy period. For more details contact Equisure, Inc. 800-752-2472.
Member Recognition – Individuals who have been members of the USPA for an extended period of time will receive a lapel pin indication of that honor. For 25 years of membership the individual will receive a silver pin. For 50 years of membership the individual will receive a gold pin. In addition, they will receive mention in Polo Player’s Edition magazine.
Face of Polo – The USPA through its officers and administrative personnel provide the face of polo representing the sport in all public relations matters so that polo presents a common and professional voice to the public. This is especially important when unhappy events occur in polo. In addition, the USPA provides individuals who participate in international organizations such as FIP, FEI, and American International Polo to expand the sport on an international basis. Those efforts include sponsoring polo to become a Pan American Games sport and an Olympic sport.
Interscholastic/Intercollegiate Programs – One of the most effective ways to grow polo is introduce the sport to young people. The USPA sponsors the I/I program which includes approximately 40 teams. It has a full time USPA employee, Kim Symes (860-436-9922) to administer the I/I program. A vigorous collection of regional qualifying and play off games result in national champions for both male and female athletes in both interscholastic and intercollegiate brackets which is paid for by the USPA. Soon Kim will be assisted with another full time employee who will visit the various I/I clubs throughout the country to mentor the programs on all aspects of club management, marketing and development.
USPA Tournaments and Trophies – There are various tournaments held each year through out our country that are USPA sanctioned events. Examples are the Amateur Cup, the Silver Cup, the Governor’s Cup, the U.S. Open, etc. The USPA provides trophies for each of those events. The budget for next year has an increased amount in order to improve the quality of the USPA trophies.