I’m tired or reading about how much the PTF does for polo, about how many kids are learning the game and about how its clinics are reaching across the nation (Hawaii included) with one of the largest polo facilities in the country is in trouble.
We seem to have “experts” at the helm when it comes to “long range planning” (Does anyone have any idea what ever became of that?), but no one in the USPA or PTF seems inclined to try to help Eldorado solve its issues.
Week after week we hear horror stories about Eldorado but no one is stepping up in an effort to save it. The Circuit Governor seems more interested in getting a US team together for the Pan American Games in Mexico in 2011.
The rich tradition of the Eldorado Polo Club dates back to over fifty years ago, and for decades served as the winter high-goal mecca of the West.
When a club is spiraling downhill you would think that there would be plenty of veterans who would be happy to step in and offer assistance, but I’m not seeing much support.
There was a time when it was not unheard of to have 30 teams or more competing in the Pacific Coast Governors Cup and Desert regulars included Julio Zavaleta, Piki Alberdi, Hector Galindo, Santiago Trotz, Mariano Gonzalez and others playing 22-goal polo.
Eldorado used to host the U.S. Women’s Open and the Geyser Peak Seniors; it attracted regular playing members from as far away as Chicago and Calgary, yet it is floundering today. When situations sink to the level that it loses the Dardis, and their significant support and influence, then I think it is time for SOMEONE to step in. If the Circuit Governor is too busy with his FIP responsibilities then the USPA or the PTF should offer some support or guidance, but for the entire US polo community to turn a blind eye to a facility that has served American polo so well for so long is WRONG.
It’s time for someone in the polo community to step forward and show some real leadership.
