NEWS

Central Coast Polo Club in Los Osos, California, hosted the second California USPA I/I Middle School Tournament with six players. CCPC Blue kicked off the scoring with a tally from Sara Espy. CCPC Red countered with a goal from Ruby Decker to tie the game. Espy and CCPC Red’s Morgan Manos traded goals to keep the game tied, but with help from teammates Blair Conlan and Logan Olcott, Espy nailed a two-point shot to give her team the 4-2 lead after the first chukker. CCPC Red caught up in the second with three goals, holding their opponents to a single goal from Espy to tie the game 5-5 going into halftime. Decker’s score at the beginning of the third gave Red their first lead of the game, but an Espy score from the penalty line and another from the field took back the lead for CCPC Blue 7-6. Espy and Manos traded goals once more in the fourth chukker, but a final tally from the penalty line would secure the win for CCPC Blue 9-7.

Blair Conlan, Ruby Decker, Sara Espy and Morgan Manos were selected as tournament All-Stars, and Kyla Douglas was presented with the Sportsmanship Award by her peers. Central Coast Polo Club’s Trompo, ridden by Logan Olcott, was selected as the Best Playing Pony.

The Gardnertown Middle School tournament at Gardnertown Polo Club in Newburgh, New York, kicked off this weekend with 17 players from clubs across the east coast.

The weekend started off with a round-robin. The first round saw Yellow take on Orange. Yellow started out strong with Luke Howe, Cate Godey and Saralyn Painter all scoring. Orange came back in the second with Adam Yachkouri putting up three and Hayley Kriege and Julia Schaeffer each adding goals. Orange ended the game on top by one goal securing the win.

The second round had Yellow taking on Grey. Jack Whitman took control early for Grey scoring several goals with responses from Cate Godey of Yellow. The second half saw Painter with a strong defensive play and Ariadne Dogani of Grey finishing up the Grey win with a final goal.

The third round saw Orange and Grey facing off for a chance in the final. Grey came out strong with great teamwork by Jonathon and Adam Wallace. Whitman finished off several goals before Kriege pushed back with a few of her own in the second. Grey kept coming on strong to earn themselves a spot in the final.

Purple took on Green in the second game of the day. Amar Anand came out strong for Purple, but a quick goal by Kaya Brownell kept Green within one. Mary Duncan followed up in the first chukker with two of her own. Gaston Gomez scored as the chukker wound down to keep it within one. The next two chukkers saw strong defensive play by Emerson Bruce and Rehan Kumble of Green. Sophia DeAngelis of Purple held Green players off with strong defensive play allowing Purple to win the game and take a spot in the final.

The start of Sunday saw the Green, Yellow and Orange team participating in a fun round-robin with the final following shortly after. Grey took a strong early lead with four goals by Whitman. Duncan of Purple pushed back with two of her own. The next chukkers saw Grey coming on strong to take the final game.

Cate Godey, Saralyn Painter, Gaston Gomez and Jack Whitman were named tournament All-Stars. Luke Howe was the Sportsmanship Award recipient. Mark Tashjian’s Daisy ridden by Amar Anand was named Best Playing Pony for the weekend.

Maui Polo Club (MPC) in Makawao, Hawaii, hosted six youth players for their annual USPA I/I Middle School Tournament. MPC White’s Daniel Miranda kicked off the scoring with a hat trick, and with help from teammates Elizabeth Miranda and Maddy Dolenak, held MPC Black scoreless in the first chukker. The tides turned in the second chukker for MPC Black in the form of defense from Emily Coflin and goals from Gavin Marshman and Azule DeCoite to cut the White’s lead to a single tally. The third chukker proved to be a defensive battle and left the score at 3-2. Dolenak came out firing in the final chukker and scored two goals to give MPC Black the win, 5-2.

Azure DeCoite, Maddy Dolenak, Gavin Marshman and Daniel Miranda were selected as tournament All-Stars, and Marshman was presented with the Sportsmanship Award by his peers. Herman-Louis DeCoite’s Pumehana, ridden by Maddy Dolenak, was selected as the Best Playing Pony.

Prestonwood Polo Club in Oak Point, Texas, kicked off their first Middle School Tournament with six local players in a competitive weekend of polo. Prestonwood Red’s Trenton Werntz found his mark first, but was countered by Prestonwood White’s Andrew Siino. Sarahi and Gerardo Obregon put Red back on top with a score apiece before the first horn sounded. With help from teammate JB Long, Estephanie Turrubiartes would be the lone scorer in the second chukker, pulling White within one tally at halftime 3-2. Werntz and Gerardo Obregon would each find the goal in the third chukker to increase the Red lead again. The fourth chukker was evenly matched, with Turrubiartes and Werntz each scoring two goals for their respective teams. When the final horn sounded, Red rode away with the win, 7-4.

Gerardo Obregon, Sarahi Obregon, Estephanie Turrubiartes and Trenton Werntz were selected as tournament All-Stars, and Andrew Siino was presented with the Sportsmanship Award by his peers. JB Long’s Lola was selected as the Best Playing Pony.