JOE BARRY MEMORIAL
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Joe Barry Memorial was founded in 2005 in honor of Joe Barry, who passed away in 2002. Inducted into the Polo Hall of Fame in 1999, his major wins included six U.S. Open Polo Championship titles, three USPA Gold Cup titles, and the 1971 Coronation Cup in England.
Kicking-off the inaugural Florida Circuit 16-Goal Super-Series, the Joe Barry Memorial will serve as the first qualifying leg of four prestigious national tournaments (Ylvisaker Cup, Iglehart Cup, Continental Cup) culminating in the Florida Circuit 16-Goal Super-Series Championship.
An innovative effort spearheaded by Tournament Committee Chairman, Stevie Orthwein, to draw more teams into medium-goal competition than in previous years, the Super-Series will be played across multiple clubs, with the Championship hosted on April 9, 2023 by the National Polo Center – Wellington (NPC). Participating clubs include Port Mayaca Polo Club (Okeechobee, Florida) and Sarasota Polo Club (Sarasota, Florida) as well as the Wellington Polo Tour (WPT) led by Patagones Polo Club (Wellington, Florida) and a series of private fields falling under the WPT umbrella.
Each of the four national tournaments selected will serve as a qualifier for the Florida Circuit 16-Goal Super-Series Championship, with each winning team moving on to the final event. Should a team win more than one qualifier, that team will automatically advance to the Florida Circuit 16-Goal Super-Series Championship. Read more about the Super-Series here.
The Joe Barry Memorial will be guaranteed three Sunday matches on U.S. Polo Assn. Field One, while all Championship games will be played at NPC.
To reinforce the idea that all participation is encouraged, players may compete in as many events as they would like on either the same team or on different teams. Yet, if a player triumphs in more than one event but on different teams, that player must choose which team he or she would like to compete with in the Florida Circuit 16-Goal Super-Series Championship and the other team may use a substitute. Qualifying teams must maintain at least two of their original members in order to play in the Championship.
The 2022 edition of the Joe Barry Memorial showcased a highly contested battle between Beverly Polo (Bill Ballhaus, Lucas Diaz Alberdi, Jorge “Tolito” Ocampo Jr., Hilario Figueras) and Patagones (Benjamin Avendano, Joaquin Avendano, Santiago Wulff, Tomas Garcia del Rio). Patagones overcame an impressive performance from Beverly Polo's Ocampo Jr. in the second half to reclaim the trophy 11-10 in overtime for Patagones' second Joe Barry Memorial title in two years (2020). Read article here.
Hosted and managed by Port Mayaca Polo Club (PMPC), this year's competition will field ten competitive teams vying for the title and opportunity to advance to the Florida Circuit 16-Goal Super-Series Championship.
Reigning champions Patagones will return to defend their title with new addition Carlos "Carlitos" Gracida Jr., as 2022 finalists Beverly Polo welcome Active Team USPA member Lucas Escobar onto their roster. Fellow Active member Nico Diaz Alberdi, joins Dazos Polo, as Graduating member Nico Escobar will compete for Forbes Plunkett. Team USPA alumni include Steve Krueger and Jesse Bray uniting for BTA, and Santino Magrini (Palm Beach Equine).
Port Mayaca Polo Club will be taking advantage of the USPA's Bridge to High Goal Initiative (B2HG) for the Joe Barry Memorial, which provides eligible USPA Member Clubs three USPA Professional Umpires (two mounted officials and one third man) at 50% of the regular cost to the club.
The Bridge to High Goal Initiative (B2HG) has been created to support polo between 12 and 16 goals, a currently under-supported level of polo in the United States. The goal of the program is to build a bridge from low goal polo to high goal polo that provides a safe environment for competition which will allow for the cultivation of sponsors and the advancement of aspiring professionals.
Photo: 2022 Joe Barry Memorial Champions: Patagones - Tomas Garcia del Rio, Santiago Wulff, Joaquin Avendano, Benjamin Avendano. ©David Lominska
