The Polo Report
by Steve Crowder

I am not sure how many people watch the NFL, but it is painfully obvious Umpires and Referees are so important to the game. The replacement men on the TV screen just seem to be having a very hard time and we are seeing it on the Polo field as well. In an effort to save money or show they are not needed I am not sure what the idea is, but Santa Barbara  has showed this Summer how bad it can be.  I am not saying the Pro Umpires are perfect … by no means.  I have bashed them a few times, but there is a difference not seen in the last 10 to 12 years when you had to referee as part of being a polo pro. Sometimes they did a bad job, so would not have to do it.  Sometimes there was an advantage situation. The worst of all is that there was the personality situation … maybe I like this person and I do not care about that one when making a call. The main problem to me is the “no call” which if you see it and the other person does not call it I let it go.

I watched several outside games this past Summer and it was a bit of a free fall and not very efficient. I think in that atmosphere it was not dangerous, however, this is happening in the current 8-goal in town.  It is getting just like the old days where I did not see and ignore which I see very well happening. And the worst part of of all it is upsetting some Patrons who probably agreed to this call to save money. I do not see it … this is a very expensive sport.  How do you enjoy it if this kind of thing is happening?  And there are no videos, so we cannot do much in terms of proving our point. I think several of the USPA officials were here on Sunday. Many of them are near my age and they must remember a time when it was like this in the past.

I believe we do have a program to teach Umpires and I do think we do a terrible job of looking for better ones and advertising the wages and opportunities there are for them to become Polo Officials. DID YOU KNOW THESE PEOPLE CAN MAKE UP TO A 100 GRAND AND A LOT of their EXPENSES are also covered? NO, I am sure you did not know this!  I think the public needs to know this job opportunity exists. I come from a different world and it was Rodeo. Back in the early 70’s they started using Pro Judges and not injured Cowboys or friends of the contractors, but Pros.  They went to school to do this and I think by the 3rd year the best Pro Judge voted by the Competitors was a Barber from Raton, New Mexico.  He had never ridden a horse, so it was just education that made him as good as he was. In polo,  they do have to ride a horse, but for that money I am sure they might learn how to umpire and I doubt a lot of Pros know how lucrative this can be.   They can still could be a part of the sport and not starving down the road to next chance to play. I think this opportunity should be advertised on the USPA publications and websites every time it is posted or printed. Lets make this the KING OF SPORTS like it is not the Sport of KINGS. Just my opinion … we all have one.

see ya