NEWS

Well, the summer is upon us and this is the second Arena Committee newsletter. Again, on behalf of the Arena Committee of the United States Polo Association, thank you for being an Arena Club!

Some updates since the last newsletter… first, I would like to congratulate Bobby Ceparano, of Country Farms, on winning the 2016 "Russ Sheldon Award for Excellence" in Arena Polo. He received the award at the annual Board of Governors meeting in Wellington, Florida, in April. Bobby has been a tireless promoter of our sport. He has hosted the U.S. Arena Open Polo Championship® for the last 4 years, and last year hosted the National Sherman, both at his beautiful arena in Medford, Long Island.

This year, we are striving to have every National Arena Tournament played! Currently, we need a home for the National Arena Chairman’s Cup at 9-12 goals and the USPA Arena Challenge Cup Finals. The Arena Masters series was renamed the Arena Challenge Cup by the Tournament Committee in April, the final is open to anyone playing in a qualifying match. The club hosting the final should make the teams based on the goal levels of the players available. Ideally, the club hosting the players should have rental horses to accommodate people traveling to the event.The Arena Committee is also happy to announce that the International Committee has awarded the 2017 Townsend Cup to Being the Change, to be played in the Equidome at Westworld in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Martin Luther King Day weekend. The Townsend Cup will be the signature event in three days of arena polo. The Intercollegiate All-Star game between the USPA and the United Kingdom (SUPA), will also be played, as well as a U.S. vs. UK military match, and several other tournaments at the 3-6 goal level. This event will be part of the Barret-Jackson Car Auction and we anticipate 4-5,000 fans in the Equidome to watch arena polo!

DATE CHANGES

2016 U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship®: Date Change
July 26-30 at Country Farms Polo Club in Medford, New York

For more information or if you are interested in entering a team please contact Bob Ceparano:bob@country-farms.com.

The National Arena Delegates Cup - Las Canchas Polo Club, August 18-20, Goal Level 6-9, Contact Jorge Raul "Coky" Molina ramolina@me.com

National Arena Sherman Memorial - Country Farms Polo Club, September 21-24, Goal Level 3-6, Contact Leighton Jordan LeightonJordan@WhiteBirchPaper.com

Women's Arena Championship - Virginia Polo, September 28 - October 2, Goal Level 3-6, Contact Lou Lopez llopez@vapolo.org

The National Arena Amateur Cup - Orange County Polo Club, October 28-30, Goal Level 0-3, Contact Heather Perkins heather@ocpolo.com

The National Arena Challenge Cup - Lexington Polo, TBD, Goal Level TBD, Contact Jorge Vasquez jorge@lexingtonpolo.com

3-6 Goal Arena - General Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller
0-3 Goal Arena - Admiral Chester W. Nimitz

(1) Required to have at least one military member on each team (active duty, retired, honorable discharge, family member of military member, or spouse)

(2) If all players meet the required military member tournament condition, those that have actually served have priority over spouse or family member.

Descriptions of General Puller and Admiral Nimitz to use in tournament handouts/information guides:

Lt. General Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller was the most decorated Marine in American history. In addition to fighting in World War II and the Korean War, he also fought in Haiti and Nicaragua. He is well-known for surveying the enemy during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir and saying, "They're on our right, they're on our left, they're in front of us, they're behind us; they can't get away from us this time." For his valor, Puller was awarded five Navy Crosses, and the Distinguished Service Cross by the U.S. Army. Puller is still a well-known figure in Marine Corps folklore. The Marine Corps' mascot is perpetually named “Chesty,” and one of their most popular cadences remains to this day, "Chesty Puller was a good Marine and a good Marine was he." Interestingly enough, Puller was a distant cousin to Army General George S. Patton.

Admiral Chester William Nimitz was Commander in Chief of Naval Operations, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas during WWII, taking over command of what remained of the U.S. naval fleet ten days after Pearl Harbor. It has been said that he “assumed command at the most critical period of the war in the Pacific,” and “successfully organized his forces to halt the Japanese advance despite the losses from the attack….” Nimitz was also the leading U.S. Navy authority on submarines, and in 1926, the first to establish a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps unit. He was eventually promoted to the rank of Fleet Admiral, and was the last surviving officer to hold that rank. Along with his rank came President Harry S. Truman’s official designation of October 5, 1945 as "Nimitz Day". After his death, the USSNimitz, one of the largest warships in the world, was commissioned in his honor.

The Arena Committee, in conjunction with Polo Development, is collecting information about different Arena Construction techniques.

We are looking for:
-Photos of different arena styles
-Construction plans
-Information on footings used throughout the USPA
-Lessons learned with arena experience

Please send any and all arena construction and maintenance information that you have to:
Justin Powers jpowers@uspolo.org and dan.coleman@uspolo.org

We will be putting together a comprehensive guide to be part of PoloSkilz for clubs interested in building and/or rehabilitating arenas, etc.

• Tournament Guide
• Circuit Application
• National Application
• Sanctioned Application
• Tournament Results Packet
• Arena Incentive Program Reimbursement Form
• 2016 USPA Rulebook

• Send submission to: info@poloplayersedition.com
• Information is due: The first of the month prior to-- Example for the March Issue, you would need the information by February 1st. (If your space is full, you will include in the following issue, in this example it would be the April Edition)
• Specifications: High resolution photos AND either score sheets or a game write-up. (Please note, photos should be sent as individual jpegs and NOT included as part of a word document. Photos downloaded off of FB or other media will not be high enough resolution.) It is also helpful to have team rosters for all teams participating; captions for photos, including first and last names of everyone in the photo; and a schedule of matches with scores noted.
• Please include the contact information for the individual submitting the content.

MISSION STATEMENT: The Arena Committee is the successor of the Indoor Polo Association. Its mission is to manage arena polo within the USPA as well as organize, promote and develop arena polo with member clubs and players. The committee seeks to differentiate arena polo as an exciting, competitive, and alternative version of the sport polo, as well as an invaluable teaching polo format. The committee's initiatives and responsibilities include arena rules, arena handicaps, high goal arena polo, arena tournaments, international arena polo, I/I, and women's arena polo.