Sept. 13, 2010
Cecilia Lundberg, played in her first official polo game.
It was round robin play on a cool, sunny afternoon on Detroit’s smooth fields. The Ladies Invitational drew 16 players. The group was comprised of wise players like Em Wheaton, Katie Johnson and Tania Evans as well as 2010 polo converts such as 13-year old Cecilia Lundberg, playing in her very first official game.
A junior player at Detroit this summer, Cecilia has found polo a pleasant addition to her horse endeavors. I asked her to rank polo among horse sports. She said, “I like it better than jumping and dressage.” Cecilia has done both for four years. A thoughtful person, she paused and then added, “I really like driving and I have a great driving pony named Cheyenne. I guess I like polo and driving the best.
Achieving our goal of a regional draw, players came from Michigan clubs Detroit and Grand Rapids, from teams at Michigan State and University of Michigan and from middle and high schools in Ann Arbor and Hartland. Prizes were donated by Dexter Mill and Detroit Polo.
DPC Board President George Kuper said, “Play got really competitive by the middle of the match and there was fierce competition and hard riding. Brilliant strategy exercised by U of M player Olivia Fajen. Watching her play was a real pleasure. There is really a lot of improvement by several players who were working students or who participated in our summer junior program.”
DPC’s junior program is growing quickly, with a dozen teenagers participating under the tutelage of co-club manager Em Wheaton.
Winning team: Sara Heaton (MSU), Andi Slick (UofM), Tania Evans (DPC), Cate Flechsig (MSU)