The Polo Report
By Steve Crowder
MANNIX PLAYER OF THE MONTH…… and it is not Big Mac Fred Mannix, Sr. and it is not the Bolt Jr. Mac Fredrick (as he is no longer Mini Mac). It is Julian Mannix, the baby of the clan. Julian is no longer unknown. After a spectacular season in the high-goal of the Florida polo circuit, young Julian was selected as Player of the Month by Polo Line after making the finals or Semis of all the tournaments that he Mannix Boys and their team the Hawks competed in. Well done JULIAN MANNIX!
A year ago at Eldorado, Julian and another Desert member Big Bob Jornayvaz of Valiente were competing for the Governors Cup, a 6-goal tournament in Indio, CA. Twelve months later they are both playing 26-goal Polo in south Florida. Big Bob and his Valiente team are in the semis of the U.S. OPEN. Julian just finished his season in the Semis of the Gold Cup in West Palm Beach. Well done to both of these players and their teams … the Hawks and Valiente. I remember the Valiente team were the champions of the Governor’s Cup last year with Bob’s Son Robert at the helm.
It is hard to see all this happen as the Mannix Family was a big reason Eldorado survived for several years when another mainstay, the Beal’s of Texas, took the Southern route to play in Florida. Why is it that can we cannot keep some of these people here? Valiente also took this route after 2 short years and headed south to Florida.
Is there a way to change these routes? I think maybe it will happen and sooner than expected. There have been a couple of Lions just looking at passerby’s for about 10 years and they just woke up and we will hear them ROARRRRR as soon as EMPIRE POLO IS BACK. With Big Al in the drivers seat we will have a WEST COAST EXPRESS on its way. It could very well be bringing some of these wanderers back to the DIAMOND IN THE DESERT. So KEEP YOUR EYES on PoloZONE as it is going to HAPPEN. There is no doubt THE EMPIRE POLO CLUB IS BACK.