Twenty women players rode in twenty chukkers divided in two flights of competition over two days of play at San Diego Polo Club’s 2nd Annual Patti Fitzgerald-Rauld Memorial Women’s Tournament on the grass. They came from as far as Aiken, SC, and Yuma, AZ. Many trailered in from other Southern California clubs including Deer Creek (Indio), Rancho Amistad (Murrieta), Poway Polo Club, and Lakeside Polo Club. “San Diego Polo Club has hosted the women’s tournament for five years and this is the 2nd Annual memorial event honoring long time San Diego Polo Club enthusiast Patti Fitzgerald-Rauld,” said general manager Heather Chronert.
BitchBoards Polo teammates (left to right) Jocelyn Parker, Kate Webber, Cecelia Cochran, and Joy Bancroft received awards presented by Luis Rauld, and tournament sponsor Tracee Brunetti, and Alex Masterson of BitchBoards who donated snowboards to the winners. BitchBoards Polo won 11 to 6 over Adeptus/Kalypso teammates Erika Woods, Terese Volmer, Jessica Bailey, and Colleen Wilson in the A flight competition.
Tournament sponsor Tracee Brunetti awarded Oakley sunglasses to Adeptus/Kalypso players Erica Woods, Terese Volmer, Jessica Bailey, and Colleen Wilson, joined by Luis Rauld.
Most Valuable Player in the A flight competition was awarded to Kate Webber who received BitchBindings from Alex Masterson of BitchBoards. Webber scored 9 of 11 goals for BitchBoards Polo. In Sunday’s final game Bitchboards Polo started with a carry-over score of 7 to 3. Webber scored a goal in each of the first three chukkers, and Cochran had one of her own for BitchBoards Polo bringing them to 11. Adeptus/Kalypso went scoreless in the first three chukkers, when in the fourth chukker Erika Woods had one, and Jessica Bailey hit back to back goals lifting them to 6.
Three teams in B flight competition played a six chukker round robin both days, and it came down to gross goals deciding the winning team. The Valykries teammates Kate Ewart, Lisa Buckley-Hoyle, Geraldine Schumacher, and Jocelyn Parker, received awards presented by Tracee Brunetti, Luis Rauld, and snowboards presented by BitchBoards’ Alex Masterson. Three of The Valykries teammates had never competed on grass before and were riding their arena horses from Rancho Amistad. The exception on their team was veteran grass player Jocelyn Parker, who received Most Valuable Player for the B flight competition and BitchBindings awards.
Girls Gone Wild teammates Susan Harris, Julie Empey, Savannah Broderick, and Hollie Boggess tied with The Valykries in number of games won and finished second in gross goals. In the last chukker of the final round robin, Girls Gone Wild competed with only three on their team. “One player was eliminated by umpire Graham Bray”, said Girls Gone Wild coach Russ Sheldon of Poway Polo Club, adding the winning team was coached by his grandson, Jared Sheldon of Rancho Amistad.
Saratoga Saddlery teammates Katie Schutz, Krista Bonaguidi, Sabine Rogers, Alex Masterson, and Terese Volmer trailed the other two teams, but they were carried on the Best Playing Pony. “Lola”, owned by Alvaro Tadeo, and ridden by Volmer, received Best Playing Pony awards.
“We were so proud to sponsor the San Diego Polo Club women’s tournament this year,” said Alex Masterson of BitchBoards. She added, “As a women’s specific company, it was great fun to support women in polo. All ladies know that ‘Bitches Ride Harder’ and it was an honor to sponsor such a talented and athletic group of women!”
For information on San Diego Polo Club’s 2010 season, contact Heather at 858-481-9217 ext. 10. (Photos courtesy of San Diego Polo Club).
San Diego Polo Club at Rancho Santa Fe
14555 El Camino Real
Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067
www.sandiegopolo.com