Charity begins at home. Does this sound familiar? When your Mother used that phrase over and over again, it usually meant more chores for you to do. As we get older and find ourselves in a position of power and having acquired a few bucks along the way, we start to think about giving back. Philanthropy has become vogue. The new American dream is now our legacy.
The Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett and Oprah Winfrey have inspired people to re-invest and contribute to things that are important to them on a personal level. In the Coachella Valley of CA we are getting ready for our annual PTF Fundraiser. This is where the “INSANITY” starts.
Our polo community here on the West Coast is very generous. The PTF Fundraiser has become a financial success and most of the credit goes to Karlene Garber. She gave it life the PTF on the West Coast and made it what it is here.
Over the years this event itself has become challenged. They drag a big old trophy in, dust it off and clean up a kid to speak. The young player will put on a RL Polo jacket and he says “if it were not for the PTF he would not play polo” even though his Dad has a 100 horses and ranches with polo fields. They do not even try to disguise it as a “fun party.” It’s just a good old-fashioned shake down! They herd you into a horrible little room, give you a glass of wine and a piece of shrimp, tie you to a chair and take every coin you have for vacation you will never take and jewelry your wife will never wear, but never mind its all for charity.
The “charity starts at home” concept challenges us to re-think why we are raising $100 k annually and giving it to the Executive Director of the PTF, Danny Scheraga, who flew out here to get the gold. The problem is we never realize the true benefits of those funds. There has to be another option for those West Coast dollars?
Some of the funds raised by the PTF are used for Umpire training. They did send Steve Lane who makes $4,000 a month from the polo club. Here at Eldorado, the largest Club on the West Coast, we have only one A-rated umpire and very few double B’s. These rated umpires are paid $75 or less a game to umpire if they are certified umpires. Here at Eldorado we use approximately 65% players or pros to umpire, who are not paid and not certified. Some make $30 a game, the flaggers make $20 which is just $10 less. Most Polo Clubs charge you for an umpire fee as part of the season dues. Who knows how much is used for certified umpires and how much is left over? So where are the trained and certified umpires here on the West Coast?
George Orwell wrote “all animals are equal only some animals are more equal than others.” That in a nutshell describes our relationship with the U.S.P.A. We are all members and some individuals are officers, however, all meetings are to be held on the East Coast. They think meeting us half way is in Aiken, SC. Even with all the foreign players in Florida, the West Coast membership is much bigger than the East Coast. In theory, all clubs should be considered for the U.S. Open. Do you think we will ever see another U.S. Open here in the West? No, because the East Coast teams will not come west to play. Of course we try so hard to make things better, but it does not happen.
The West Coast gives all our money to the U.S.P.A. This is where the West Coast polo community is cheated. There is really nothing to promote better polo in the and showcase our sport in the West. So we have 4-goal/ 4-chukker polo for a Sunday crowd and guess why they never come back? They do not drive off in Ford trucks.
BACK TO CHARITABLE GIVING
I would like to propose the idea of establishing a new entity with a working name WEST COAST POLO FOUNDATION, soon to be a non-profit, so it can enjoy the same status as the P.T.F. and U.S.P.A. This new entity would be an organization where monies would stay here in the West to help start up clubs, acquire land, fund umpires and clinics so we can perpetuate and grow polo. The Board of this new organization would be selected by the Delegates of the West Coast Clubs. The properties acquired would be held in perpetuity. We need to own our own land so we are not dependant on a few benevolent individuals who have given so much already.
What I am suggesting is that the greatest legacy we on the West Coast can create is to sustain polo here. We are not getting help from the U.S.P.A. They just want our dues which should be $500 for players and $200 for inactive and students so we can hire professional people to market our sport and have our money working directly for us. By raising the dues we will lose some people, but we will gain much more by hiring people to do jobs very much needed to support polo. Currently these jobs are done on a volunteer basis in most cases, which is great, but not a working value for the West Coast.
The West Coast Polo Community is the largest contributing circuit to the U.S.P.A. Based on those numbers we can qualify and afford the same type of insurance that existing members and clubs receive now and we should be able to improve it.
This year, to solidify our step-child existence, the East Coast F.I.P. Members did not allow a West Coast player to try out for the U.S. World Cup Team. They still call this World Cup team, Team U.S.A. and they still want our West Coast funds for it. I am sure Shane Rice, Jason Crowder and Santi Torres, Joseph Stuart, Miguel Torres or the Galindo boys are not dried cheese. These West Coast players would have all been excellent choices for Team U.S.A. The latest update on the Team U.S.A is that the East Coast people called to see if Jason Crowder (West Coast player) would play for the team as someone does not want to or cannot play.
So please be patient as this is a concept and should be supported with ideas, not knocked by people who are threatened by change. This is next generation stuff that needs to happen now.
I hope our Governor, Pat Nesbitt, will be on board with a proposal that builds a war chest of funds for our Pacific Coast Circuits. Fundraisers can be held at all clubs, big or small.
Remember the only way we can plan for the future is create it. We can fight over everything else later, but if left on the current course, in 10 years there will be no polo and nothing left to fight over.
LET THIS BE THE LEGACY WE LEAVE BEHIND.
CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME. THIS IS OUR HOME.
This article was written by Steve Crowder and one other person who really does care about polo as much as he does.
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