Jamie Mirikitani grew up in Hawaii - renowned for its surf and beaches, less so for its polo. While he and his older brother - and fellow umpire - Brent, took up polo, they started with one horse each and each played two chukkers, sharing one position in a four-chukker game.

Given the odds, Jamie decided that a job in polo was a long shot and he went to Arizona State University to do a Business Management Degree. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to do,” said Jamie. “But when I went to college I started getting jobs playing polo.” And not just any jobs. Jamie played in California on Pat Nesbitt’s 18-goal team. He was flown in and out from Arizona and once picked up in a limo. It made an impression. “It was an experience of a lifetime at that age,” he said. Jamie finished his degree but was soon a full-time polo player, playing at the Villages in Florida, and building a string of his own.

At the age of 40, Jamie made a business-like decision. He was still in demand playing polo, but he decided to join the umpire program. “I sold out rather quickly,” he said. “It surprised a lot of people. But I wouldn’t have made that decision if it had meant getting out of polo completely.”

His favorite time of the year is umpiring The Gauntlet of Polo in Florida. “I like the big games,” he said. “There is more pressure. When you are playing you might mess up and miss shots, but as an umpire if you miss a big call or make an incorrect call, it’s kind of magnified.”