Chicago Beach Polo World Cup I
North Avenue Beach in Chicago, IL
http://www.chicagobeachpolo.com

For additional questions about this event please call
(305) 538-3809 or visit www.chicagobeachpolo.com

For the first time in Chicago a new thunder rolls the sands of Lake Michigan…The Chicago Beach Polo World Cup. Players from around the world to right here in Chicago will compete in the “sport of kings”. This luxury affair will give guests a unique and up close look at the sport of Polo. The event will take place right on North Ave. Beach in a custom built arena under the great Chicago cityscape. Guests will be lavished with the VIP treatment as they enjoy complimentary food and beverage amongst Chicago’s hottest social scene. Don’t miss the biggest event of 2011.

The History of Chicago Polo
To Chicagoans the game of polo has a cachet, a glamour that it lacked in Texas where cowboys play it wearing chaps or in Hollywood where movie stars had their handicaps published in Variety, or in Palm Beach where it is taken completely for granted.

From the time the first Chicago Polo Club was formed in 1895 the Chicago area had a love affair with this noblest of horse sports.  Quickly clubs sprang up in Evanston, and Lake Forest, Cary and Barrington.  Adopted by the Army and the Illinois National Guard, the sport was played indoors at the old Chicago Avenue Armory on Chicago Avenue and the 124th Field Artillery Armory on Wentworth Avenue, which hosted the National Championships.  During the celebration of the International Exposition in 1933 the top polo players in the country were assembled to play one another in a best-of-three East-West series on the polo fields at Onwentsia with the game being broadcast live around the world.

Revered names in Chicago history like Co. R. R. McCormick, Nathan Butler Swift, Lawrence Armour, Leonard Florsheim, Stanley Field, Charles Glore, the Kraml family, Paul Butler, Michael Butler, Jim Hannah (father of actress Darryl Hanna) and so many more.

The development of the famed Oak Brook Polo Club by Paul Butler created a home for the United States Polo Associations Open Championship for nearly 25 years while offering Chicagoans a steady diet of international polo competition that attracted Princes, Maharajas and movie stars from around the world.  Michael Butler’s success with the musical Hairattracted a hipper audience who mingled with cast members in a more casual 1970s atmosphere, and the polo ball continued to roll.

The creation of the first Chicago Beach Polo World Cup October 1 and 2 of 2011 has been designed to return those halcyon days by presenting polo competition on the sands of North Avenue Beach.

Contributions by Alex Webbe
Source:  www.thepololife.com

Schedule

Friday, September 30, 2011

7:00pm-9:00pm | Chicago Polo World Cup I Press Conference & Cocktail Hour, Location TBD
9:00pm-Midnight | Chicago Polo World Cup I Kick Off Party
Saturday, October 1, 2011

11:30am | Doors Open, Horse Parade, National Anthem
12:00pm-5:00pm | Chicago Polo World Cup I Match Play & Fashion Show
7:00pm-11:00pm: | Chicago Polo World Cup I Cocktail & Hors d’oeuvres, Location TBD
After Hours | Players Night, Location

Sunday, October 2, 2011

11:30pm | Doors Open, National Anthem
12:00pm-4:00pm | Chicago Polo World Cup I Match Play & Finals
4:00pm-5:00pm | Chicago Polo World Cup I Award Ceremony
7:00pm-10:00pm | Chicago Polo World Cup I Closing Party

For additional questions about this event please call

(305) 538-3809 or visit www.chicagobeachpolo.com