Sep 17, 2024
Celebrating top youth talent, four teams representing regions nationwide descended on La Herradura Polo Club in Santa Ynez, California, from Thursday, September 12 to Sunday, September 15 for the National Youth Tournament Series (NYTS) Championship. Forming invaluable connections with peers and coaches, four days of intensive learning and spirited competition culminated in a battle between Eastern (Benjamin Weir, Estanislao “EJ” Robledo Puch Jr., Daniel Arnold, Lazaro Gorosito, sub. Winifred Branscum) and two-time defending champions Western (Finley Ramson, Ulysses “Uly” Escapite Jr., Micaela Saracco, Piers Bossom). Building off momentum from the semifinals, the red team quickly established a commanding rhythm, working in unison on both sides of the ball. Western’s early confidence combined with impressive accuracy secured the prestigious West Coast three-peat.
Under the guidance of NYTS coaches alongside La Herradura Polo Club founders Guillermo “Memo” Gracida and Meghan Gracida, participants focused on skill development, sportsmanship and horsemanship throughout the tournament. Jared Sheldon* donned Western red, as Hope Arellano joined Eastern as the first former NYTS competitor to serve as a coach.
Western's Sheldon offered a point of emphasis from his time competing in youth polo, stating, “Corky Linfoot was a big coach of mine and his motto for me was, ‘stop confusing effort for efficiency.’ In this sport, there’s so much going on—you have a live animal underneath you, to try harder like we do in other sports, doesn’t work in this sport. A lot of time [you need to] take a step back and minimize things to make it easier, because there’s so many variables that can make it easier.”
The formidable foursome of two-time Cecil Smith champion Bossom (2022, 2023) alongside fellow victor Saracco (2023) and new additions Ramson and Escapite Jr., entered the final eager to add to Western’s winning streak. Awarding Eastern 2.5 goals on handicap at the onset of the match, Western quickly bounced back 3-2.5 after a Penalty 3 conversion from Saracco followed by back-to-back goals from Bossom. Following a field goal from Saracco to open the second chukker, Bossom broke free from a pack of green jerseys for a brilliant end-to-end drive, pushing Western to a 5-2.5 lead at halftime.
Reflecting on the semifinals, Sheldon expressed, “We fouled way too much [and] got a little desperate. If we are organized, we don’t have to play desperate, we don’t have to make those fouls.” Committing 13 fouls in the semifinals, Western’s teamwork paid off against Eastern, resulting in just one foul in the first half.
Kicking-off the third chukker, a deep neckshot goal from Ramson increased Western’s lead 6-2.5. Following a substitution for Gorosito, Winifred Branscum jumped-in for the final chukker. Competing earlier in the day in the girls’ division for the Hale Family Cup, Branscum’s rating adjusted the handicap and score to 1.5-6. Breaking through in the fourth period, Arnold put Eastern on the scoreboard. Striking from both the field and the penalty line, Eastern’s determination never wavered in the remaining moments of the contest. Ending the game in the same way it began, Saracco sent a penalty shot straight through the middle of the posts to ultimately seal Western’s dominant 7-3.5 victory.
“She’s out of Alberto Pedro Heguy’s breeding. She’s been in the States for maybe four or five years. My dad used to play her and then I started playing her. I used to not like her that much because she has quite a personality! Very electric. As I got to know her more, she’s been my best mare. She’s tiny but super agile and very quick, super strong. She gives me a lot of confidence to do stuff that I wouldn’t probably do on another horse. I normally also play her at the middle and the end. I try to use her as much as I can when I get on her and score some goals.” – Western’s Micaela Saracco on Best Playing Pony Polo Yeta “Sorpresa” (Polo Lazaro x Polo Eugenie)
The Beal Family Sportsmanship Award presented by the American International Polo Foundation (AIPF) was presented to Daniel Arnold for his continued positive attitude, fairness and support for his peers on and off the field, while Micaela Saracco earned the Horsemanship Award for her outstanding and consistent demonstration of riding ability and equine care throughout the weekend.
The National Youth Tournament Series Championship Cecil Smith Cup final is now available On-Demand.
*Hope Arellano is an Active Team USPA Member and Jared Sheldon is Team USPA alumnus. Team USPA is a USPA program designed to enhance and grow the sport of polo in the United States by identifying young, talented American players and providing mentored training and playing opportunities leading to a pool of higher rated amateur and pro players and the resultant giveback to the sport of polo.
All photos courtesy of ©David Lominska.
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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