United States Polo Association®

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Julie Empey

USPA Polo Instructor, Level 1

Lakeside, CA

She started playing in San Luis Obispo with Central Coast Polo Club owner, Megan Judge. It was a Jr. College course of “How to play polo, no experience needed!” She later began as a support system to Russ Sheldon in Poway. She would teach new players the basics who were trying polo out for the first time. Julie would play against their interscholastic kids to help them prepare for their tournaments each year. She became very involved on and off of the field with the interscholastic program at Poway that inspired her to continue on her own. She was elected and worked as both the Delegate and President of Poway Polo Club before continuing to San Diego Polo Club and then Lakeside Polo Club. She is the coach of the Surf Polo Club’s Interscholastic teams and now co coach for Lakeside Polo club. In addition to her coaching roles, Julie is on the subcommittee for the USPA Interscholastic/Intercollegiate program. Julie has been a horse provider and managed horse strings for the Intercollegiate, Interscholastic, Polo America, and the Townsend Cup tournaments, to name a few. Julies' "Empey Polo Ponies" won BEST STRING at the 2016/17 Intercollegiate Nations. Julie has been a USPA Club Delegate for two clubs in the Pacific Coast Circuit and continues to explore ways to build new players, new clubs, and new polo!

What has been one of your favorite teaching memories?
“My most recent PCAL season I had a group of kids that were the “Underdogs”. Those kids came together and I was honored to coach them through an undefeated season against both kids teams and adult teams.”