WCT Qualifier
Calgary Polo Club – July 7 – 10th, 2011
By Lynn Bremner
(See Polo Player’s Edition Magazine Sept. Issue for the full text and more photos)

The Calgary Polo Club kicked off the Ladies Heart Cup Tournament on Thursday, July 7^th with a party at the Cantina, after a day of practice games.  It was a great way for the ladies to get to know their teammates and to prepare for the first round of games on Friday.

This year there were 10 teams competing in the tournament with a good number of visiting players from Texas, California, Florida and Argentina.  The teams were divided into three flights to accommodate all levels of play.  Games were scheduled on Friday and Sunday with a day of rest in between.

The first round was played under overcast skies and windy conditions.  That didn’t stop the ladies from putting on a good show.  Games were fast and scores were close.  The two A Flight games were tied up at times and one went into overtime.  The B and C Flights were round robins that would continue into the finals.  The sidelines were filled with players and spectators, and most stayed all day to watch the games.

On Sunday, after a day of rest, the players were ready for their last day of polo and the finals.  The weather couldn’t have been any better.  The sun was shining and there wasn’t much wind, making it a perfect day for polo.

The A Flight Finals matched Cam Clark Ford and Rocky Mountain Pools. Cam Clark Ford started out strong, scoring four goals in the first chukker to take an early lead by two. They continued to run and score, taking them to a four point lead at the end of the second chukker.  Dayelle Fargey was on fire, scoring four goals in the first half of the game for Cam Clark Ford.  Teammate Ruth Peters scored two goals in the first half of the game and Abby Riggs added one, taking the total to 7-3 going into halftime.
Rocky Mountain Pools must have recharged their batteries during halftime as they came back in full force.  Cam Clark Ford was only able to score one point in the beginning of the third chukker, as Rocky Mountain chased their lead with three back-to-back goals by Sunny Hale, and one by Kim Garsed.  They closed the gap, bringing them within one point of Cam Clark Ford.  The score was 8-7 heading into the fourth and final chukker.  Cam Clark Ford wasn’t willing to give up their lead and continued to ride-hard, adding two more goals scored by Fargey and Riggs.  Hale rallied and answered with one more goal for Rocky Mountain Pools, but it wasn’t enough.  Cam Clark Ford won the match 10-8.  Best Playing Pony was awarded to Nicaraga, owned by Dayelle Fargey, played by Abby Riggs. MVP was awarded to Kim Garsed. Sportsmanship was awarded to Cheryl Schindel.

Score by the chukker: 4/2, 7/3, 8/7, 10/8

Goals Scored

Cam Clark Ford: Fargey 5, Riggs 2, Dalton 1, Peters 2

Rocky Mountain Pools: Hale 6, Garsed 1
(1 handicap point was awarded to Rocky Mountain Pools)

In other action, Pemoco Nesbitt Burns won the B Flight Finals in a round robin against Tekarra and The Shooting Edge.  Best Playing Pony was awarded to Ruby, owned by Shannon Peters.  The MVP of the B Flight was Tiamo Hudspeth and the Sportsmanship Award went to Tia Sutherland.

In the final game of the day, Pink Velvet won the C Flight Finals in a round robin against Poise Publications and Chukkers.  MVP was presented to Candice Crosby, and the Sportsmanship Award went to Tasha Ellison.

The games were followed immediately by a BBQ, and an awards ceremony in the Cantina. A few of the members of the club, Gordon Ross, Greg Schindel and Richard Cote, pitched in to cook a grand BBQ dinner of tri-tip, ribs, corn and a variety of salads and desserts.   It didn’t matter what the results of the games were, every player had a smile on their face as they relaxed and talked about the highlights of the tournament.

After dinner there was a ceremony to present the Spirit Award, founded in 2010 by Deb Wolstenholme. This award is given to one of the participating players in the tournament who exhibits a special “polo spirit” throughout the tournament. Sunny Hale, Kristy Outhier and Natasha Baesher selected the recipient of the award. The 2011 Spirit Award was presented to Anne Evamy.

Megan Kozminski, Anne Evamy and Dayelle Fargey did a fantastic job organizing the Heart Cup Tournament, recruiting teams and scheduling fun activities for the ladies during their stay in Calgary.  Excellent hosts and incredible organizers, they’ve provided a superb example of what it takes to develop a successful and well-attended women’s tournament.

“Our Heart Cup at Calgary Polo Club was a great success and a lot of fun,” said Dayelle Fargey.   “We want to continue to grow the tournament and expand on the quality and quantity of teams.  Equally important is showing the ladies all that Calgary and our club have to offer – the Calgary Stampede, Spruce Meadows, the Rockies and, of course, world class polo at a beautiful facility.”

The Heart Cup organizers had a lot of support from club staff and volunteers.  Sue Bird, Kaylee Scherbinski and Rob Roenisch provided a lot of help throughout the tournament.  Local players and members of the club all stepped up to help with accommodations, transportation and to provide horses for the visiting players.  Overall it was a great tournament and players are already talking about coming back in 2012.

A Flight Teams

Rocky Mountain Pools & Spas (2):  Sunny Hale 3, Cathy Butler 0, Cheryl Schindel -1 and Kim Garced 0.

Cam Clark Ford (3): Ruth Peters 0, Kristine Dalton 1, Dayelle Fargey 1, Abby Riggs 1.

Identity Angels (2): Anne Evamy 0, Kristy Outhier 2, Jessica Schneider 0, Carin Middleton 0.

Omega Risk International (0): Megan Kozminski -1, Malia McCoy 0, Kate Weber/Tiamo Hudspeth0, Natasha Baesher 1.

B Flight Teams: -2 Level

Pemoco Nesbitt Burns (-2): Karen Linkletter -1, Abby Riggs 1, Alyssa Barlow -1, Shannon Peters.

Tekarra (-3): Jennifer Foster -1, Tiamo Hudspeth 0, Deidre Lake -1, Brittany Siemens -1.

The Shooting Edge (-2): Tia Sutherland 0, Stephanie Davison -1, Megan Kozminski/Kate Weber 0, Meghan McClarty -1.

C Flight Teams/Margarita Level

Pink Velvet: Kim Hoover -1, Tracey Skinner -1, Candice Crosby -1, Eileen Duffy -1.

Chukkers:  Shawna Simpson -1, Radhika May -1, Tasha Ellison -1, Tiffany Burns -1.

Poise Publications: Andrea Douglas -1, Emma Tooth – 1, Jana Elordi -1, Dorys Gagne -1.

 

A Flight Teams

Rocky Mountain Pools & Spas (2): Sunny Hale 3, Cathy Butler 0, Cheryl Schindel -1 and Kim Garced 0.
Cam Clark Ford (3): Ruth Peters 0, Kristine Dalton 1, Dayelle Fargey 1, Abby Riggs 1.
Identity Angels (2): Anne Evamy 0, Kristi Outhier 2, Jessica Schneider 0, Carin Middleton 0.
Omega Risk International (0): Megan Kozminski -1, Malia McCoy 0, Kate Weber/Tiamo 0, Natasha Baesher 1.

Flight B Teams

Pemoco Nesbitt Burns (-2): Sara Inkster -1, Karen Linkletter -1, Abby Riggs 1, Kaylee S./Alyssa Barlow -1, Jessica Peters.
Tekarra (-3): Jennifer Foster -1, Tiamo Hudspeth 0, Diedre Lake -1, Brittany Siemens -1.
The Shooting Edge (-2): Tia Sutherland 0, Stephanie Davison -1, Megan Kozminski/Kate Weber 0, Meghan McClarty -1.

 

C Flight Teams/Margarita Level

Pink Velvet: Kim Hoover -1, Tracey Skinner -1, Candice Crosby -1, Jodi McCully/Eileen Duffy -1.
Chukkers: Shawna Simpson -1, Radhika May -1, Tasha Ellison -1, Tiffany Burns -1.
Poise Publications: Andrea Douglas -1, Emma Tooth – 1, Jana Elordi -1, Dorys Gagne -1.