Congratulations to the 2013 U.S. Open Arena Polo Champions, Cedar Croft Farm, for a 16-15 win over Aliano Reality! Kris Kampsen was MVP and Best Playing Pony was Dancer, played by Felipe Viana.
At the trophy presentation, from left, Dr. Richard Fredericks, Kris Kampsen, Felipe Viana, Bob Ceparano, Robert Ceparano and Peter Rizzo.
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Published earlier in July
(result of event shown above)
The U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship, one of the sport’s premier national tournaments, continues this week at Country Farms Polo in Medford, N.Y. with today’s 7 p.m. final swiftly approaching. Aliano Realty defeated The Tackeria 17-10 in the first match of the tournament followed by Zoetis’s 16-11 win over the I/I Polo team in Tuesday’s game.
This marks the second year scores of fans traveled to Medford, N.Y. to watch the highest level of arena polo played in the U.S. The championship will be played at the 12 – 16 goal level.
“The U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship serves as an astonishing tribute to the sport of polo and provides fans of the sport with an amazing opportunity to see all the action up-close,” said Robert Ceparano, owner of Country Farms Polo and Bethpage Polo at the Park. “The level of skill and speed taking place at the tournament is a true testament of polo’s athleticism, and we cannot wait to see the finalists battle for the honors this Friday.”
Arena polo, which is played in an area the size of a football field, is widely known as the perfect venue for new polo fans as games offer an up-close look at all the action. The event is timed around several notable tournaments that have placed American polo on the national stage, including the USPA U.S. Open Polo Championship® which aired on NBC Sports Network in April. The network also plans in August to broadcast the Westchester Cup, a storied rivalry between the U.S. and England dating back to 1886.
American polo has witnessed a great deal of recent growth thanks to efforts from the USPA, the national governing body of the sport, and its dedicated clubs, players, patrons, fans and sponsors. The USPA has roughly 275 polo clubs across the U.S. that provide learning and competition opportunities for men and women players at every level, an increase of 20% since 2011. These clubs and their training programs have helped generate a steady increase in participation highlighted by a growth of nearly 1,000 USPA members over the last three years. Youth programs such as USPA Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Polo and USPA Junior Polo are also largely responsible for the sport’s overall growth and popularity in this country.
For tickets and more information surrounding this year’s tournament, visit http://www.country-farms.com/polo. For more information on polo in the U.S., or to get in on the action and schedule a lesson, visit www.uspolo.org.