John Bianco is a specialist in umpiring Arena polo, benefiting from his long-term involvement in polo and drawing on his passion for polo as well as other sports.

“I definitely have a lot more empathy for all the umpires in professional sports,” he said as a passionate Mets and Giants fan, who began umpiring 10 years ago on his native Long Island where his father Al Bianco was responsible for bringing the US Open back to Meadowbrook in 1993.

“The biggest part about umpiring is staying involved in the game that we all love,” said John, 56, who now calls Charlottesville, VA home and acts as a roving umpire from there. He enjoys umpiring the Intercollegiate and Interscholastic polo where he finds “pure competition. No one’s getting paid and they’re just having fun.”

Arena polo brings its own set of challenges - the ball ricocheting and the line changing quickly and the confines of the smaller space. “The higher level you do in the Arena, the more you have to worry about getting out of the way.”

Knowing the rules and procedures, Bianco files under paramount. But the nature of the game requires judgment. “There are a lot of variables,” he said. “You have a split second to make a decision. You’re going to be wrong sometimes but there are checks and balances and with three guys out there, hopefully collectively you get it right.”