NEWS

The second event in the Mid-Continent Women’s Polo Series was played the evening of Saturday, July 17, at Dallas Polo Club in Red Oak, Texas. Despite it being the middle of summer in Texas, the weather was mild and four teams competed for the 4-goal Southwestern Circuit Women’s Challenge: Dallas Polo Club (Allison Booker, Calyste Hanks, Lizy Ayala, Sydni Hagens, Taylor Hooten), 10X Polo (Kelly Coldiron, Kerstie Allen, Dani Gibson, Ekaterina Kotova), LeasePlan (Lisa Yanskey, Verity Cameron, Kate Howe, Karson Bizzell) and Precious Metals (Whitney Walker, Ally Vaughn, Kitana St-Cyr, Elyse Warren).

“This was my first outdoor tournament and it didn’t disappoint,” said Dallas Polo Club’s Taylor Hooten. “I have been learning and playing arena polo with Legends Polo Club now for a little over a year, and the opportunity that has afforded me to improve my game is invaluable. This was so much fun and I can’t wait for the opportunity to play alongside these women in some of the upcoming events.”

The first game featured 10X Polo against LeasePlan in an evenly-matched game. Capturing the win, 10X Polo qualified for the final against Precious Metals who defeated Dallas Polo Club. The final came down to the wire with a tie at the end of regulation and a shootout to determine the winner. Ultimately 10X Polo claimed the trophy.

LeasePlan’s Lisa Yanskey received the Sportsmanship Award. “To be on the field with such a great group of women is an honor,” Yanskey said. “It’s been several years since I’ve played in a women’s tournament and it just leaves me wanting to play more! I came into this tournament honestly expecting the play to be a little slower so that I could re-evaluate my abilities and that simply wasn’t the case. These women played fast and challenging which made it even more fun. My horses were wonderful, and it’s really cool to work for a company that supports our team and sees the value in sponsoring the sport.”

Precious Metals’ Ally Vaughn was named Most Valuable Player. Best Playing Pony honors were awarded to Kelly Coldiron’s mare Zetta.

In addition to the women’s tournament, Dallas Polo Club hosted a mixed open on Sunday, July 18, which consisted of many of the women who attended the first day and pros like Bill and Will Walton. “Dallas Polo Club was honored to host this tournament,” LeasePlan’s Verity Cameron stated.” I can’t speak highly enough of the women who participated in this event, and the skill they brought to the field. The camaraderie between the teams was evident to all and made this talented group even more fun.”

In the Mid-Continent Women’s Polo Series, individuals gain points toward end of year awards by participating in these tournaments. Points are based on the amount of teams and the teams’ finish in the tournament with additional points for Most Valuable Player and Sportsmanship Award winners. Catena USA is the high-point individual sponsor with a gorgeous Swiss-made watch awarded to the winner. Additional prizes go to second, third and fourth place high-point players at the end of the year. Contact the host club to enter. You can follow the series on Facebook and Instagram.

OKC Polo Club (Jones, Oklahoma) Dates TBD/Outdoor and Arena/Goal Level TBD
NWA Polo Club (Gravette, Arkansas) August 13-15/Stadium Arena/Goal Level TBD
Denver Polo Club (Littleton, Colorado) August 26-29/Outdoor/Multiple Levels
Fairfield Polo (Haysville, Kansas) September 10-12/Outdoor and Arena/Multiple Levels
Texas Military Polo/Central Texas Polo Association (Poteet, Texas) October 16-17/Arena/7-10 Goal
Legends Polo Club (Kaufman, Texas) Dates TBD/Arena/Goal Level TBD
Houston Polo Club (Houston, Texas) November 9-14/Outdoor/Multiple Levels - Texas Women’s Open (16-20 Goal) & U.S. Open Women’s Handicap® (8-12 Goal)

All photos courtesy of ©David Murrell.