FALL FANDANGO 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION NOVEMBER 8-11 | U.S. POLO ASSN.

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FALL FANDANGO 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION NOVEMBER 8-11

Oct 29, 2018

2017 Fall Fandango.
Will Walton with the neckshot as Zak Coleman moves to defend during the 2017 Fall Fandango.

The Fall Fandango, an arena polo showcase, will celebrate its tenth anniversary this November 8-11 at Legend's Horse Ranch outside of Dallas, Texas. Started at Brushy Creek Polo Ranch in 2008, the Fall Fandango has been an Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) event for college teams to play their qualifying games as well as a training event for arena umpiring. Traditionally, additional workshops and clinics to educate collegiate teams and club members have also been offered.

"Fall Fandango started at Brushy Creek, growing from Will Tankard's idea: bring all of the teams in the region together for one polo-filled weekend,” said Robin Sanchez, who has organized Fall Fandango since its inception. “We played at Brushy Creek Polo Ranch until its unfortunate closing in 2010. After that, the event moved around Texas being played in Houston, Midland and Austin. Now, we are returning to the Dallas Fort Worth area at Legend's. It's a great facility to host the event. The ranch is centrally located for the teams, with both a covered and outdoor arena, stabling for over 100 horses, a great social area for having BBQ and a ranch house for umpire training."

Marguerite Buchman takes the ball in front of Tess Sabatini as Amelia Fisher and Devan Groves follow.
Marguerite Buchman leads the field as Tess Sabatini moves in to defend. Amelia Fisher and Devan Groves follow close behind during 2017 competition.

This year's Fall Fandango will not disappoint. Slated for the second weekend in November, teams coming from Colorado State University, Texas Tech University, University of Texas, Oklahoma State University and University of Arkansas will play in a multitude of tournaments and matches including a USPA Circuit Club Member tournament and a USPA I/I Alumni tournament. In honor of Veterans' Day, there will also be two USPA military tournaments played- the Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and the General Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller. Adding to the schedule of events will be a Nutrena feed equine nutrition session, a swing analysis, and umpire training and rules review for all of the players from USPA Umpires, LLC.

Tess Sabatini from Oklahoma State Polo Team will be attending her fourth Fall Fandango. "What I enjoy most about Fall Fandango is being able to get together with other college teams from our region and play a weekend full of polo,” shared Sabatini. “It is a great opportunity to be able to see four or five other teams from the region all in one weekend. I have been to Fall Fandango for the past three years now and every year it gets larger and better. Attending the umpire clinic the last two years has helped increase my knowledge and involvement in polo. Also, allowing club members to learn and play is a great way to get them involved with each club and watch more competitive polo."

The 2018 Fall Fandango will be held at Legend's Horse Ranch, part of the Legend's Polo Club in Kaufman, Texas. Umpire training starts November 8 with games being played November 9-11. Those interested are encouraged to visit the event’s Facebook page here. For more information on Fall Fandango, to enter your collegiate team or to join umpire training, contact Robin Sanchez at robin@pololessons.com.