Jun 13, 2016 1:24 PM
June 5, 2016 The San Diego Film Festival teamed up with Surf Cup Sports and the San Diego Polo Club for what turned out to be the biggest San Diego Polo opener to date!
There is one thing that this year’s title sponsor for Opening Day of Polo, the San Diego Film Festival, and polo in San Diego have in common; they are both stacked with interesting casts of characters that made the opening day party and the main feature match very entertaining. Polo Team BMW, captained by Nour-Dean Anakar, who is also the President of the San Diego Polo Club, faced off against the J. Craig Venter Polo Team, led by the COO of the J. Craig Venter Institute in La Jolla, Nicole DeBerg. As everyone at the San Diego Polo Club knows, these polo players may like each other off the field, but when on their horses playing against one another, they are sure to take no prisoners. It was anaction driven 4-goal match with the pros and the patrons on both teams playing hard. The match was very close all the way through and ended with a 7-7 tie. In overtime, BMW was awarded a penalty 4, shot by Juan Jo Gonzalez, to take the win.
The Venter Team, made up of German born Nicole Deberg, Swiss native and Zeto CEO Stephan Goss, and pro Ashton Wolf and pro Rondrigo Salinas were a force to be reckoned with. The BMW team included new patrons and La Jolla natives, Lamar Rutherford, Reuben Katz (subbing for each other), Northern California Polo veteran, Peter Laughlin, and Indio based talented pro Juan Jo Gonzalez. Anakar's experience and skill in the number 2 position matched by the strong and consistent play of Laughlin in the back and the fast and gunning play of pro Gonzales with Rutherford and Katz doing their job in the one spot for Team BMW matched up well against the favored Venter team. There were greatplays all over the field by pros Wolf and Salinas and non-stop offense by Deberg and Goss.
A record crowd of over 5000 turned up, thanks to the great job that Lindsey Chronert has been doing every season. A special than you to the collaborated efforts between Surf Cup Sports and the San Diego Polo Club with a brand new set up on Field 1. VIP tents, luxury player lounges, Stella beer gardens, music, food and champagne were flowing all afternoon. As always, the voice of San Diego Polo, Steve Lewandowski called the match and explained every play.
After a great opening day, Surf Cup Sports and the polo club promises plenty of action and entertainment for this season in San Diego. Thanks to Social Media and Polo Events Director, Lindsey Chronert, themed parties will go along with all of the polo action! Everyone looks forward to the “Phantom of The Opera” themed 30-year Anniversary Celebration Gala on October 8, that will put the finishing touch on a fun and glamorous 2016 Polo Season.
Effective Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
The suspension of USPA Tournaments and Events will be lifted for USPA Member Clubs in locales where hosting polo matches and tournaments is permitted under applicable state and local laws, executive orders and similar decrees. The USPA Member Clubs in these locales are encouraged to follow all such requirements of their state and local authorities with respect to polo operations. In addition, we also encourage all USPA Member Clubs to take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We are preparing a detailed list of best practices for USPA Member Clubs as they return to hosting USPA Tournaments and Events and plan to circulate these guidelines within the next week. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and will notify you if we determine a different course of action is necessary.
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