Nine teams travelled to the White Swan Polo Club – located just miles from the 14,000 foot Mt Adams in Washington State to wrap up the Pacific Northwest season. Not only were the circuit wide clubs represented but Charlie Vassalo, New York, City, Mike and Dan Adey, Victoria B.C., Vicky Owens, manager of the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA, Ryan Prather, Sacramento, CA and Kelly Armstrong, Vancouver B.C. were part of the play. The Kent Memorial is also a family affair with Jason and Elizabeth Larvik, Melissa, Logan, Lindsey and Steve Joseph, the Adeys, Bobbie, Blake and Gracie Anderson-Brush and the hosts of the tournament the Kent family – Curtis and Santana Lindahl, grandson and great granddaughter, Gratia Brown, Susan Stovall and Patrice Kent, daughters.
Teams were divided into 3 brackets – All Stars, which are the beginners, Bracket II – zero goal and Bracket I – 1 to 3 goal. Bracket II was won by the LaGrande 2 team of Steve Joseph, Ryan Prather, Mirah Mudgett , KC Colson and Dr. Allison Sherer who edged out the Portland team of Katherine Rickert-Boe, Curtis Lindahl, Alice McKnight and Bobbie Brush in a 2 day round robin series. The third team was Mike and Dan Adey, Annie Sellers, and Abel Estraviz and Kirsten Tremaine splitting the position.
Parton Ranch – l to r
Sara Perkins, Charlie Vassallo, Gratia Brown, Vicky Owens, Susan Stovall and Curtis Lindahl
The All Stars played both days with the score carrying over and the winners were Blake and Gracie Brush and Elizabeth Larvik.
The finals for Bracket I pitted LaGrande I team of Ryan Prather, Lucas Reid, and Logan and sister, Lindsey, Joseph – 3 goals – against the 1 goal home team of Parton Ranch – Vicky Owens, Charlie Vassalo, Curtis Lindahl ,Sara Perkins and alternate Susan Stovall – . Everyone had their game face and horses ready for the afternoon in perfect polo weather. Score went back and forth each chukker with Curtis Lindahl putting the Parton Ranch team ahead but with 10 seconds left before the final bell – Logan Joseph tied the game. With no horses to spare the teams decided to do a shootout from the 40 yard line – first up was Sara Perkins for the Parton Ranch team who put it through the uprights and after that – no one else could find the goal – and the home team won! Other teams in Bracket I were Spokane – Jason and Elizabeth Larvik, Cody Harris and Weston Rogers and Vancouver – Seth Alcott, Kelly Armstrong, Claudia Howell and Bobbie Anderson-Brush. Play for the Pacific Northwest will start again in May.
La Grande 2
l to r
Aliison Sherer, KC Colson, Steve Joseph, Mariah Mudgett and Ryan Prather